Cody Winterwolf

In a Blaze of Glory

2012-01-23T09:01:00.001-08:00

"Seems like time sorta stood still over the holidays. The weather was good and no attacks. But then you never know what all's gonna happen next..... Xoxo's been askin' for wood for her fireplace. That and groceries. Her assistant brung me the list of stuff to get and said to bring it to the door." Had to get the ship prepped. Had a cargo to ship to one of the local worlds. "Xoxo's been holed up of late. Get the feelin' she ain't all healed from getting injured."

"But then there's the fishin' tourny Ali had. Folks down at the river droppin' lines to see who could catch the biggest fish. The huntin's been good too.... Had a few good deals for venison. At least it keeps the rest of the folks workin' for AT&S paid. Some of em I sent out to do a salvage haul way out in orbit around one of the planets. The government there offered good pay to clean up a recent collision. Not bad." The ship was green for lift.

"Then there was all the stuff goin' on for Christmas and all. Gift exchange, big old meal, Visitors comin' to wish folks a good New Year...... Then somethin' happened just after the big day...... Was wanderin' the mall and saw one of the angel decorations torn up. Wings pulled off and shredded fabric. But that was only the start of it......" Called the tower for clearance and left for the cargo delivery..... Easy 'nough......"A few days later found a couple of the trees what were on the roof of the mall tossed to the ground.... Decorations and all. Seems someone was takin' down stuff without carin' how it's done....."

The flight'd take a few days. No worries there. An easy haul then back to the office....."Then I get a call from a resident sayin' they could see a fire near the mall...... When I got there, the great big tree what was set up was on fire. But not just that one.. The last of the trees that were decrated were too. Everythin' was goin' up in a blaze of glory..... Nothin' was left by the time me and some of the others got the fires out. Inside the mall it was pretty bad too. All the decorations were destroyed..... The stuff in the chapel were torn down... the alter was overturned..... Some of the homes what had decorations got vandalized too.... Who'd do somethin' like that?"

"Still tryin' to find out who all did it..... Then I get a morse code message from AuroraBlue.... Part of why all I'm out doin' this run.... Gonna take a side trip to meet up with her. Find out the details of what she needs..." Some of the ships systems weren't doin' so well.... Time to get stuff to fix it... Just shiny..... More stuff to fix to keep the ships up and running.... "Have to find the person who ruined decorations and such.... Why all can't Bram do it..... But then he's been busy with another case... And Nick ain't been 'round.... Our newest lawman.... It's like all hell broke loose..... One fire after 'nother to put out.... If it ain't a physical one.... its someone havin' their personal problems spill over..... Yep....was right 'bout stuff goin' up in a blaze of glory.... Looks pretty to watch.. but it's hell to clean up."

Who's in Charge?

2011-12-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

"Never know whats gonna happen next...... Got a call from Lily outa the blue. She was in trouble.... again. Gave me a list of stuff to bring to a planet on the far edge of the verse. From what all Lily was tellin' me to get sounded more like a ransom. Stuff like candy and supplies, to axes and gold. Most of the stuff was easy to grab. The gold? That was somethin' else all together...... So.... took it from the BlusSun warehouse at Washtown. Hell if it got Lily outa trouble, seein' how Xoxo needs her right now..... I think Xoxo'd understand. 'Sides.... later we can take it back. The colony there was livin' in the mid ages.... No guns or cannons there." Wasn't gonna be an easy day.... Lots of Small loads of cargo goin' out for the holidays...."Flyin' in and landin' the ship was the easy part. Grounded it on an island not far from the village where Lily said she was at. Getting the stuff there was a little harder. Had to get the big pontoon out and inflated, then loaded."

"Easy 'nough to get to the village.... bein' on the water and all. Tied the pontoon out to the Pier and waited for someone to show. Waited a spell, then Lily showed up and showed me where all to put the stuff. Ended up with it in one of the cabins..... Good thing too. Some crazy woman come and attacked us. Never said a word.... Just targeted me while Lily went after her. Had no weapons on me at the time..... Til I found the bow and arrows. Then it was my turn to return the favor...." Got the last of the small boxes and such on the ship. Some of it was bound for Greenleaf, and Paquin. The other stuff was for a few locations not far from em.... That was the good part of this trip....

"It took a while to fend the woman off.. then she set fire to the cabin Lily and I holed up in..... Tryin' to flush us out.... We just put the fires out where all they started. We got out of the buildin' while the attacker was tryin' to find more arrows. Managed to find a hidden cove to wait it out in." Gettin' clearance took almost 40 minutes..... Gorram 'liance at it again.... Wantin' to have details of where all I was headed.

"We waited it out til Lily's friends come... She left and talked to em on the attacker then she came back to get me.... She told me this was a village of all women and to not speak lessin' I was spoken too.... Somethin' 'bout em bein' like amazons... They were in charge. Once we talked to em, I took the pontoon back by my own self. Lily stayed for a while the met me at the ship. Wasn't my idea of a good day....." Looked like there was some salvage... After the last reaver attack. "Lily said she'd take care of gettin' the stuff back form the 'amazons'. That's fine with me... I flew back to Dragon's Egg to deal with the other stuff What needed to be done."

"When I got back, it was business as usual.... Cobb showed up and wanted to know what all was up. Wasn't much to tell.... Least not 'bout any gold...... Lily made sure to give me a little somethin' for my troubles in the meantime...." Grabbed a cup of spiced tea.... Got used to havin' it b'fore I left on a trip... Sometimes durin' the flight. "A few other folks dropped in with cargo later that day....'bout the same time the 'liance started puttin' lockdowns on ships.... They're makin' it bad for folks here of late. Crackin' down."

"Folks don't like it much. Hell, don't like it over much when one of em comes in and goes through folks's cargo. They popped the seals and went rummagin' through it like it was their own stuff. Then the soldier started askin' questions 'bout AuroraBlue.... Ain't none of her business. Wasn't gonna say nothin' no how anyway." The ride outbound was clear.... Good. No 'liance, nor reavers to worry on. "A few days back Xoxo got back after bein' cared for, for all those burns.... She wasn't quite her own self. Had some new lady with her... Had white hair and seemed all business. The woman took her to her tower house. Xoxo still looked rough. Tended to lean heavy on her new assistant.... Least I think it was an assistant... or one of her body guards. Who knows with Xoxo."

"Can see why Xoxo has a new person to deal with stuff. They come and go... Don't know if Xoxo knows 'bout her ship bein' locked up. If she don't.. I got my own plans to help her out.... 'Liance can't take what all ain't there. A little sticky here and there and the yokes' be off. Then I can fly the ship anywhere she wants it hid. Yeah.. She's bad news.. But deep down, she just as vulnerable as the rest of us in the verse."

Spice Dreams....

2011-11-23T05:00:00.001-08:00

"Callin' in favors and huntin' down stuff for a ransom ain't what I was plannin'.....But then nothin' ever is...." Had to get the rest of the gold loaded into the cargo container. Mule was runnin' slower then I wanted. "Seein' as I was 'round when Lily called.....She gave me a list of what all these folks want to get her back. Gold, wine, metals, and candy.. Candy.. Sounds like Lily wants it. Not sure it's gonna help any. More like they're gonna grab the stuff and take me too. Ain't sure anymore with Lily.... She's been a mite off of late. Like she's gone loco. Maybe she has. Figures....."

"Was gonna head back to Al Raqis. Needed to find AuroraBlue and warn her on Lily's not actin' right. Been noticin' the rift splittin' her and Lily apart.... I know AuroraBlue knows...She's been watchin' for a while. Can see her in my dreams..... Waitin'....." Speakin' of... Need to watch on how I cut that spice Jai gave me. "I can close my eyes and see.... Lots of stuff.... Like the herd migrations... Been too easy. Mind's been wanderin' a lot. Sorta like what all happened when Xoxo had that accident. Just sorta knew..... The next deer went down easy." The container rang as the pallet full of gold ingots dropped the last few centimeters to the floor.

"Spice.... Its addictive. Was told that. Know it now. Its been doni' stuff to me.... Like makin' my eyes change.... Don't like lookin' in the mirror no more. Not sure I can change what all's happenin' to me... Like my mind.... Whispers and vivid dreams.... Sorta real... Too real...." pulled the mule out of the cargo container then jumped out and sealed the door. Made sure to lock it up b'fore doin' anything else with it. "Lily was s'posed to get me some good spice. She ain't been r'memberin' nothin'....... So asked Jai... Made a deal.... Spice for power cells. Good ones."

"She gave me a small canister.One with the purest spice there is... Gorram expensive too. Need it.... Lily was gonna give me some way back when. Sayin' I won't grow old. Can see why. It does stuff to you. Can't rightly explain it all. The scents on the wind are sorta... Well intoxicatin'.... Like the taste of fresh meat. Hearin' the wind's like a choir... Hell... The stuff goin' on in my mind. If I could get it all out, there'd be volumes of data files....". Lowered the crane arm to hook it up so it could be loaded into the stolen ship..... Yeah, yeah... Theft to add to the stolen gold and such.... "Nick showed up while Lily was still 'round.... Said she was gonna go on some mission. To rescue Krakken. Seems he got his own self into trouble. And Lily hates the feller. She's inprinted on him..... AuroraBlue and I are imprinted.... Like gravity. And I can see the gravity... 'round the planets and suns, to the whole 'verse, and then some....." The container locked down onto the loadin' track and fed into the cargo bay. Last one in.

"Only reason I'm goin' to save Lily is I owe her for the times she hauled my backside outa trouble. Of late she ain't been to friendly- like to me. Even started tryin' to drug me. Gorram. Don't like no one messin' with me like that." Sealed the bay doors and headed for the cockpit to start the ship up. "Once this job's done, headin' for Al Raqis to find AuroraBlue, then back to Dragon's Egg Moon to hunt for more meat. Got a quota for a buyer who likes exotic meat...."

"Saved the hides to trade to Elix. That and the antlers. Sure they'll fetch a decent price too. Need the coin to pay the bills and the other pilots for the hauls they're doin'. Wonder what all dreams I'll have while in the black. Quiet, dark, weightless. The spice'll show me. Its been doin' it of late... Never know...."

Bad Timin'.....

2011-11-11T11:39:00.001-08:00

      "Wasn't surprised to get a call from Xoxo. She needed pilots. Said she had a shipment outbound from Dragon's Egg to Londinium. Her BlueSun cure." Had to snort at that. 'Her' cure. Hell, I knew it was Lily's. "I owed the folks there, so took the job. Had to haul fife large cargo crates full of the stuff. Jet was there waitin' to load his cargo. Seems a couple others were there too loadin' the crates into their holds. Definitely made a gorram mess of stuff...." Hangin' out in the ATS avoidin' folks wasn't helpin' with the mood...

     "On the way had a lot of time to think of what all my breakin' the blockade at Al Raqis done.... And how many folks were payin' the price.... Lot to think on. Gonna do what needs to be done to fix it. Ad if it means to haul Xoxo's meds, then I'll do it. Better save lives. Seems I'm not good at it of late. Can't even get back to Al Raqis to try to find AuroraBlue. been havin' pretty wild dreams, speakin' of..... Ridin' 'cross the sands.... On a big worm. Could smell the spice hangin' in the air.... felt the hot air on me....AuroraBlue."

     "Londinium air control cocontacted me, tellin' me where all to land the cargo. Wasn't likin' bein' there much.... Too many troops and 'liance flags...."

"Landed the Shadow on the docks. Gorram Dock patrol gave me a run 'round on my papers, then let me unload the crates. Kept on eyein' me. Didn't like it one bit. Headed for a quiet part of town while the ship was bein' refueled." Takin' the time to go through all the backlogged paperwork I been neglectin'. Pariah showed up and was seein' what the new uncovered town was lookin' like.

"Not a lot of folks walkin' 'round out there. Most of em were either sick, or to afraid to come outside for fear of the pox. Most everyone was wearin' some kinda mask to keep the germs from gettin' em. Had to admit some of the masks were gorram funny lookin' on some folks. After some more harassment by the 'liance troopers, was able to dust off and get the hell off of Londinium"

"When I got back, seems all hell broke loose. Was back at the office when I hear an explosion. Doubt most folks'd hear that. I did. headed outside to see if I could spot where all it come from. There were small fires all over. Debris from where the explosion come from. Lot of smoke billowed out the main door of BlueSun's underground lab."Decided to walk outside. Was gettin' a mite edgy again.

"Headed inside the underground buildin', when I head a scream.Took a bit of searchin' but found someone in the upper level. Grabbed what I could to stop their clothes from burnin' more, then carried em out to the lift. Gorram thing wasn't wrokin' right. Had to put the person down to pry the doors open. Soon as it was open 'nough I lifted the person and carried em outside far 'nough away from the entry. Puttin't he woman down, saw it was Xoxo.... and burned bad."

It was startin' to get dark. Could see the clouds changin' colors. Don't get much time to set and watch a real sunset. "She was bad burned up. her clothes were torn and burned. Half her face was like melted wax. Only thing I could do was go to the truck outside and call for a medic. Ended up callin' the 'liance for help. Had to wait some time. So covered Xoxo in a cargo blanket from the truck and wait till they showed up. Wasn't too long b'fore the medic shuttle showed up. Got pushed aside while they did what they had to. Decided to head up there to make sure she was gonna be ok."

Walked back to the office. Not sure why... Didn't want to do the papers. "They took her into the med room. Gave me the crawlies. Not sure why... but it didn't help me sleepin' that night. old nightmares came creepin' back..... The docs worked fast to stabilize her. They were doin' all sorts of stuff to her. Cuttin' melted clothin' and wrappin' her in gauze. A trooper made me leave. Coulda punched him, but knowin' me, I'd end up in jail for it. That wasn't gonna help Xoxo in case she needed somethin'. Lily wasn't 'round to be there, so it was up to me."

"Couldn't get over how bad burned she was. Looked like she was tryin' to protect herself and didn't quite get covered. Wonder if she was doin' somethin' and it backfired on her. Can't put it past her..... But then she made some good enemies of late too. if Lily decides to get back, maybe she can find out what all happened.... But then I overheard the troopers talkin' 'bout em sendin' someone down to investigate the explosion....Figures."

"When I was able to hitch a ride back to the surface, one of th etroopers kept badgerin' me 'bout what I saw and did. Wasn't much to tell. But figured they'd suspect me of somethin' anyway. Not the first time....." Someone was comin' I could hear the light footfalls on the bricked road outside the office.... The scent was familiar....."For now I was not ot go nowhere 'tilthey finished their investigatin'. How the gorram hell'm I s'posed to do my work if I can't go no where." Caught the scent...... Was Lily showin' up.... But there was a smell, different.... Baby smell. She come back... and had a new baby with her.

Ok.. not a good time for her to show up with it.... Xoxo in bad shape..... And the 'liance not lettin' me work..... And a baby?

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

2011-10-31T04:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-10-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

"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."

Eye of the Beholder...

2011-09-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

"Don't much know how it all got started....", sighin' and tryin' to put all my thought together, "B'twixt tryin' to do some work for BlueSun and doin' a search, stuff just, well..... Happens. Seems some of it started with hidin' Lily and Seana gettin' all riled I took her. Ok.... So maybe I wasn't all in my right mindset. But when you get blinded for a long while you tend to not see with your eyes....." but with your heart. Can't admit to it when so much is at stake. "Hell, Xoxo's been a mite nice to me of late. Even gave me some work settin' up stuff at the new BlueSun offices on Washburne. So maybe I pulled her out of the water on Dragon's Egg and called for help. Didn't think she'd be owin' me nothin'. Then she asks me to go and find the cub."

Somehow she figured it'd be good to search on Al Raqis. Headed there the first time only to get a lot of 'liance chatter. Seems they were tryin' to find me. Tillery got hold of me on my personal comm and got me to a safer spot to hole up for the night til I could get back to Dragon's Egg. Xoxo needed transport to Colchester to talk to someone there 'bout storage for some of the company stuff. Tabi was over at the Dragon so we went on in. Was a mite cold out there. Dark too. Didn't bother me much seein' as I can see pretty good in the dark. Anyway, Xoxo and Tabi talked..... Didn't much like how Xoxo was goin' on 'bout me bein' one of her boy's. I do some freelance work for her, but I don't work for the gorram company."

Lookin' out of the ship window, could see the station spinnin' slow in the black over the new moon that was gonna be home. Depends on how you see it. At this point anywhere is home.... "After Droppin' Xoxo at the station, was able to stop at the waterin' hole to get a drink and see who all was 'round..", had to grin at seein' her again. "Brooke was there! of all the folks I hadn't seen in a long spell, it was her. Told me she was out here on her own.... of sorts. Sounded like Dex left her... Gorram Shame. And the kids were in a good school. She looked a mite sad from the way she was tellin' me 'bout her. One bright note.... AT&S Was bein' set up on the station to help keep the business runnin'. Good thing too. Better up there then on the ground. reduces the fuel costs for cargo haulin' and salvage."

Put in a final call to the flight crew for dockin' then prepped for linkin' up with the dockin' ring, "Strange thing.... Been gettin' some pics on my data pad screen. Most were of what looked like AuroraBlue and her wanderin's....One of the first pics I got was a mite blurred but its what got Xoxo wantin' me to search for Anna. Said I needed to find her pronto. Then got more random pics." The ship bumped against the dockin' ring. Could hear the magnetic clamps seal tight against the hull. "Didn't want to believe it, but when I first got to Al Raqis the last time, it was like some kind of static in the air.... Somehow the sands were more bright... but it's all how you see it I s'pose. Went wanderin' for days out in the heat and sand 'til I found a scent. It was faint, but real familiar. AuroraBlue.

Started shuttin' down the systems and engines b'fore goin' to the airlock, "Seems there was one pic that stood out. Been told of this Ardra bein'. Even got sent a pic of it... her... Aiya, don't know what to call Ardra....But there it, she was. A few other pics showed AuroraBlue touchin' her. That had me a mite unsettled. Who wouldn't be. From what all Lily was workin' on for her...." Grabbed my jacket and small duffel then went to the hatch, "Got a bunch of pics from some source.... Blue maybe."

"That second flight to Al Raqis had me on days of huntin' for clues and askin' 'round to see if anyone had contact with AuroraBlue. Found her tent and some mixed cargo she had tucked behind and in her small tent. Decided to leave her a feather. One from Dragon's Egg. Found it down by the water... Ice was meltin'. Eagles. Meant somethin' important to me." Opened the hatch and stepped into the canned atmo of the station. Had to let talk to Xoxo on the last shipment what came to Washburne.

"Spoke to some folks to see if they spotted Anna. Xoxo'd mentioned some pilot named Georgia. Found her a day or two after findin' the tent in the hills. She said the cub'd been there... After a long talk on explainin' who all I was and why I was searchin' for her."My boots clanged on the station deck grates all the way to the lift., "Ended up doin' some calls back and forth b'fore sendin' AuroraBlue's bear to Georgia to give to her. if nothin' else it'd let AuroraBlue know I was lookin' for her and was thinkin' of her. Said that when Anna was ready to come home, I'd head back and pick her up. My gravity was back and stronger now."

The lift was bein' a mite slow today... Too slow. "Then yesterday I get a new set of pics... Was of Anna setti' with a beggar. But then the pic was different.... Took me a mo to figure it out. One showed her settin' with the old feller..... the next.... Was a whole new angle. The beggar was still settin' as he was... Just the angle of the view was.... "Gorram it. Stupid lift finally decided to stop at my level. "Meant a new set of eyes. Well, sort of.... Its a mite strange.... Blue's been sendin' the pics. Least thats what I figured. Showin' where all Anna's been and what all she's been up to.... Now its a whole new view. Like Blue's with her... In her?"

Got into the lift and hit the lower level office button. Started pacin' on the way down...."So it's not just AuroraBlue lookin'.... might be Blue's in there too. Yeah, yeah.... Maybe I'm a mite touched. You'd be too if you kept bouncin' from cold to hot a couple times in a couple weeks. But seein' is beleivin'.... Just got to wait and see."

"While on Al Raqis, grabbed one of the reward posters. Xoxo had someone set em out so if anyone found her, Xoxo'd know. Its how I ended up runnin' 'round the desert. Hell, I'd run out there again to find AuroraBlue. The sands or the snow... Don't matter much when it comes to her. Gravity bein' back makes everythin' a lot different... How we see stuff..... Everyone sees it different. Just happens to be in the eye of the beholder I s'pose." Xoxo's office. on this level. Got loff the lift and grumbled all the way to the door.... Eye of the beholder... Wonder how other folks see it...

Snow and Ice

2011-08-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Tossed another dried out log onto the fire... Good to know there're trees on this moon. "Its warmer in here now, Lily." Lookin' over at the still form on my cot. She ain't moved for a while now. "I'll get more wood in a spell. How 'bout I tell you what all I seen.... When I come down in the shuttle that first day we got here.. Wasn't sure what all to make of it. Looked like all snow and ice. Was snowin' even when I come down into atmo. Could see mountains and water... Lots of water, Lily. No more dry and dusty air. Wonder if its salty water. Some might be... But I figure some ain't. Like run off if the weather warms up."

"I figure we wait it out 'til then. Had to take you outa that tent. You ain't tame... Don't need to be in a gorram stale aired box. Why I carried you out. So you can feel the cold fresh air. Real atmo. This way when you wake, all you gotta do is leave the cave and roam the area...." Sighin', I looked over at her. The only thin' left of what it was to be a family.... Everythin' else was gone.... Everythin'...

"When I got you to ground, went out huntin'. Plenty of wildlife out here... You'd like it. Herds of antelope, birds, even predators... I seen wolves out on the snows.... Could smell somethin' else too... Big cats.... I know.. Not a cat.... But these felines ain't small... not by the scent. Ain't seen it yet. This here's a wild place. Somewhere to get lost in..... Might go do that when you wake up... Lessin' you want to end me.... And that's fine too.... Nothin' left to worry on..." Planned on goin' out to track the wolves again. Might need to get more meat b'fore the storm hits.

"Oh.... Seen some big bugs.... Out in the gorram snow. Ain't sure what all spiders were doin' out in the cold. Wasn't sure what all was goin' on when I run into some spun stuff laid out on the ground way out in the mountains... Grabbed some to see if Xoxo can find out what all it was. "Til I spotted a couple of them bugs. Busy weavin' webs in the snow. And they weren't small neither.... Aiya, the were big. 'Bout the size of a duster." Held my arms out to show her. Maybe she can see me, Maybe not.

"Yesterday I heard the ship comin' in.... Was Elix and Jet. Come close to where the cave was. Didn't want em to find where we're holed up, so went out to see em. They were talkin' bout some stuff.... Didn't much pay attention to it. Had a few tour runs to do too....."

Pokin' at the fire, Sparks flew up.. remindin' me of the fires that ended everythin'..... When my gravity... my sun..... my orbit..... disappeared....."Took Xoxo down here. Told her to watch her own self... But you know how she can be... How stubborn.... She took a four wheeler out and ended up fallin' through the ice. Had to go save her from drownin' and freezin' to death. Ended up callin' the 'liance to take her to their ship to warm her up." Pickin' up the shell AuroraBlue'd given me back on Paquin...... Chest was startin' to ache. Like it was gonna cave in.... Was I turnin' into a black hole? Devourin' myself..... Did it matter now? "I went back.. Pushed the ship hard to get there.... Wasn't fast 'nough....... Its crumbled.... Hale's. Bits were floatin'..... But that's all.... It was like my brain shut down. Was runnin' on auto pilot....." Touched the pic of her on the datapad.... Wanted to be ended with her.... AuroroaBlue. Closed my eyes tryin' not to feel the sting...."I tried Lily... I went and flew through the debris 'til the engines overheated from the dust in the intakes..... Was like a ship without a pilot.... just floated there.... Then I wake up in some gorram tent."

"You can end me when you wake up. It don't matter now. I can't see strait. Can't think strait.... Keep dreamin' of her. Like she's touchin' my face or my hand... Then I wake.. and nothin'..... Can't tell if its a nightmare or not.... I see Blue in it too.... Like he's coverin' her over like a blanket. Hell, maybe my brainpan is humped." What all'm I s'posed to do. Try to wake Lily up.. Try to find whats lost.... Try to finally end........

"When you wake, that'll be good. Then You can be free and wild like your s'posed to. This place is where you can do that. May be more snow comin'.... But the weather'll change... You'll see. Warm, with fresh water and herds of animals to hunt..... It'll be a good home. When the snow and ice melts... You'll see...."

From The Fryin' Pan.....

2011-07-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

"When you get lucky, you go for it. Wasn't much work of late, but this here job pretty much fell into my lap... Was talkin' to Jai a few weeks back on Al Raqis. Was hopin' for some work from her. Most times she can help out when the work slows on Hale's." Openin' the hatch on the shuttle sent the rotten smellin' air inside. 'Nother batch of miners needin' a ride up, "While we got to talkin' Jo Massenberg showed up. Was needin' to lose some cargo she.... Aquired. Jai said she'd take it all, so I offered to take some off Jai's hands to take to a couple places what could use good liquor. With the deal done, all I had to do was wait for it to come to the docks. Easy 'nough. Went back to the station to fetch the Phoenix and load up. So back to the dry hot world... Again."

The ground shifted again as the miners and their families loaded in. Some covered in ash. "Laodin' the cargo was easy 'nough. Even has space for Jai's stasis freezers. She likes her fish fresh. Locked down the cargo then set 'bout leavin' the desert world for cooler climates", Thinkin' on that, had to groan lookin' out the forward viewport. "Out of the fryin' pan.... Hell you could fry an egg on the deck platin' just inside the ship."

"The trip was pretty much uneventful... for the most part. Made a stop off to get a few hands to help offload the cargo. Found a few willin' folk who needed the coin. Next stop, Colchester. Mikie was there to help us bring the cargo up to the bar. Once we got the stuff unloaded we took a few to swap some news then had to go get a few papers from the clinic there. No one was 'round.... so sorta took the papers needed to move the stuff I had without folks nosin' in Jai's business." Took a mo to make sure folks were strapped in. The ride was startin' to get a little choppy with the hot updrafts.

"Don't know.... When I got back to Hale's with the cargo for Jai... The air smelled a little off. Even the ground felt a little.... Different. Just somethin' I couldn't put a finger to. That night was havin' some pretty strange dreams... or nightmares. Coulda been AuroraBlue tryin' to tell me somethin' was goin' to happen or was happenin'." Cyclin' up the engines, the shuttle chuffed a mite... Gorram engine intakes startin' to clog with the stuff in the air. "Didn't help with reaver activity. Yeah, had a couple of em land and attack folks. Hell, one of em took the Phoenix b'fore I could shoot him. They were gettin' a mite bold now. Lily helped track the ship down and get it back b'fore they started to chop into the Phoenix." The ride was bouncin' folks 'til we left atmo. Lookin' out you could see the fires. "Takin' ships, huntin' folk.... Looks like they were regroupin'. I saw me a ship come outa atmo. Big one too. I guess a few folks saw it on the ground. The doc even made comment on seein' it landed. She even cussed to make a point of it...."

"After we got the ship back, had to head for the cargo stores to see what all mighta been rifled through by the reavers. They'd take anythin' they could use for weapons, or ship repairs... if you can call it repairs.... They didn't touch the cargo containers. Not like em to grab and run." The flyin' back and forth were startin' to blur into a routine. Drop and go back.... "On the way back from a small salvage run, the radio starts to squakin' 'bout tremors and such on Hale's... That's a first.... Landin' left me a mite surprised... Comin' home to not just tremors.... But gorram fires.... and lava flows in town.... Even Fooks wasn't untouched..."

"Seein' the town like this sorta brought up memories of MacLarens Drift's Prosperity in flames... Shadow..... and Blackburne. It wasn't just in one part of town.... It was goin' on everywhere. Ain't ever been this close to volcano.... Hell I ain't even seen a real volcano! Seems fire's been a good way of takin' everythin' you have and scatterin' it to the wind. My ma used to say somethin' like....'teaches us humility' and 'helpin' those who got nothin'. You don't learn that 'til you lose what all you got. Then you can say you understand the other feller." Dockin' at the station was easy 'nough.. Offloadin' this bunch was slow. Some elders were needin' the extra hand to get inside after the rough ride.

The ride back was no cake walk. Had to find a safe place to land the shuttle... what wasn't on fire or too uneven, "Volunteered to shuttle folks to the Blue Sun station in orbit. The thing was hauled in by super tugs and stuck in geo-sinc. Seems Xoxo's got a soft spot in her armor... She was offerin' the place as a refuge while stuff was goin' on the ground. Seana had sent out a message to folks to be ready in case it got worse.... Got a feelin' this ain't the worst of it yet. By nightfall the place was lit by fires in half the businesses and a couple homes.

"When there was no one 'round the evac area, I decided to check on places... See if folks were ok or needed help. One feller was sorta 'shell shocked'. Had to guide him to the shuttle and strap him in. Then saw Xoxo, Nick, and Gwen. Seems Nick got himself hurt. Got him to the shuttle then headed to the station so he could get some help. Doc wasn't 'round. Had to put a call in to see if one was available somewhere." The ground was off and on shakin'.. not bad.. but 'nough to feel it through your boots. "Took a look see at the hangar. One big old volcano was just settin' almost on the doorstep....smokin'.... The inside of the hangar was a mess. Took a few to grab what tools and equipment wasn't busted. Most like would need the stuff b'fore long."

"More folks started to wander in. Some covered in dirty of ash.... Some just lookin' scared. Went to check see if G was 'round. He wasn't in the Hanso office so checked the sheriff's office. Nada. he musta evacced in his ship already. Xoxo was lookin' for Catherine but no one's seen her for weeks now. AuroraBlue was 'round.... But stayin' outa reach. She was ok. That much I knew for sure. She was lettin' me know she was."

The streets were bein' lit more now by fires then lightin'. Aiya...."Talked to Seana on the folks that got lifted. Her and Xoxo were talkin' on stuff. Told em to get packed if thats what they were doin'. No sense in waitin' 'til the last mo. Hell, its a good way to get your own self ended. Xoxo went to finish what all she was takin' with her. Seana stayed for a few to talk with me on what all was goin' on b'fore she headed to finish what all she needed to do. Dav showed up with a few folks for transportin' up. Xoxo'd let us know 'bout the animals...... Livestock. Called on a few of the crew to help load em and move em in the Monster."

Somewhere down under our feet, the dragon was movin'...... Belchin' fire and growlin'. My dragon's down there. I know..... "Once everyone was in for this next trip, I cycled the engines. The heated air wasn't helpin' with the ride. Didn't help much lookin' down on Hale's Moon.... Lit by the volcanic activity and fires. The smoke and ash in the air was makin' ground visibility bad. What all was gonna happen next is anyone's guess....... Could almost say.... From the fryin' pan into the fire...."

The Heat's On....

2011-07-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

"Lookin' out 'cross the desert watchin' the shiftin' of the sand outside the window. You can see the heat waves comin' up from the hot sands. Nice to watch but not right now. Lost my gorram shades out there somewhere when I got my own self attacked last night. Seems someones got sentinels out there by some of the big houses." Shiftin' from foot to foot, was startin' to feel a little caged inside. "Seems there's always somethin' goin' on... Like Catherine gettin' her own self into trouble.... Which got us both into a bad situation... She went down into the mines. Not sure how she got down in there. Was sealed off by Lily for some reason. First time I hear of her bein' down there, she's askin' for help. Lily wasn't 'round so I went on down there through a hole.... Not sayin' where all it was. No one aughta go in there", sighin' decided to go down into the sittin' room to wait and see what they needed me to do.

"Got down in the there and scouted 'round for a few hours. Checkin' a couple of places she might be... Nada. Then I find this here place. Looks like a bunch of traps and hidden mines all over the place. Somethin' Lily might do. I skirted round the place to find a way inside. I could scent Catherine was nearby. Findin' a spot to squeeze through was easier then I thought..... Until I got hit with the dizziness and nausea."

Found an openin' in the buildin'....

"Spotted her as I was movin' back out of range of that feelin'.... Had to think fast. If what I was beginnin' to think happened, then Catherine didn't have much time. Took off the climbin' rope I hasd with me and pulled a grapple from my work belt. Tied it off and went 'Cat fishin'...." Had to groan at my own joke, 'cept it wasn't funny. "Tried twice b'fore snaggin' her jacket hood. Pullin' her back out of there wasn't so easy. Had to get her 'round all the junk down there. By this time I could feel the waves of nausea..... Knew what all was down there that was makin' me sick.... Radiation dose. Pretty high one too." Couldn't set still for long. Got up and paced.

"Had to get a call out for help. Aroha heard me and met us outside at the edge of the wastes. We needed treatment fast. She treated us quick then knocked me out... Good thin' too. I hate confined spaces. " Don't r'member much of it all. Only somethin' 'bout a chamber for stoppin' the radiation and healin' us up."

The anti radiation tanks removing the damage and the radiation.

"Not long after wakin' up I hear Lily sayin' she and the cub were headed out for Al Raqis. I wanted some answers to what near killed me and Catherine. Only way was to get my own self out to that desert world and find out what all she was doin'." Finally had to go outside into the oven... The heat was gorram bad. Could feel the sweat porin' off me, "So there I was...... Tryin' to locate Lily and the cub.. Went door to door to see if they seen either one of em. Finally met up with some woman and a feller and asked em. Sure 'nough... They knew Lily. Said she was out by some rocky terrain in a tent."

Door to door lookin' for Lily and the Cub...

"I found Lily.... She was goin' on 'bout sendin' AuroraBlue out to find the singin' worms.... Figures. Send the little one out to find a worm that can eat a firefly class ship in one bite." Squintin' against the blinding light, had to try to find a shadowed spot to ease the headache, "She was talkin' 'bout this new feller too. Krakken someone. And wearin' a weddin' dress. Like the one she was gonna wear for our weddin'...... She wasn't actin' right... Somethin' 'bout her was seemin' different. Maybe it was her scent... Changed... Like from a long while back... But ain't sure." Rubbin' my eyes, had to sit for a spell out on the steps. "She got all worked up over somethin' when we got to the steps of the house nearby... Her eyes were bleedin'. A lot not like her... And it was real blood. I could tell by the scent. She was changin' again..... But this time I think someone was manipulatin' it.... Or the radiation really humped her insides bad."

"Had to leave her there and go lookin' for AuroraBlue. She'd know what all was goin' on. "Sides, needed to know she was ok. So grabbin' some stuff form the ship, I headed out into the desert...... Ended up stealin' a horse to keep movin'. Days on end and all I saw was red sand. Had to put on a mask to keep from breathin' in all that dust.... And spice." Could hear movements again, so went inside, "Gorram stuff makes my head buzz.... Then I get all sick from it. Not sure why all it does it to me, but the stuff is bad. Headin' further out into the deep desert I finally come 'cross the Botany Bay township.. Not sure if it's a town or city. But went lookin' through some of the buildin's.... And found a morgue. Looks like they were checkin' em for organs.... or the lack of. Not sure if this has anythin' to do with the organ thefts... But then who all knows for sure...."

The Morgue...
"Kept searchin' for her... I could almost sense she was not far, but then wasn't sure it was the spice or the desert muddlin' up my senses. Had to keep movin' though. Not sure how many days went by where I was ridin' then walkin' when the horse went missin' durin' the night. Sounds carry out there. even with nothin' but high mountains of stone and hills of shiftin' hot sands. The heat's like bein' baked all over at once.... Can make a man see thin's that ain't real. More'n once I coulda sworn I saw AuroraBlue right there next to me. Touchin' my face then fadin' away into the heat waves along the dunes."

The deep desert..... Where is she?

"Next thin' I know, I'm bein' shot at me sentinels.... Then wakin' up in someones home. Lily was sayin' somethin' and I could hear explosions... Calina was there with another companion. Both lookin' a might worried. Got my own self movin' and leadin' the women up to a room with a few bolt holes. Lily told me to stay with em and protect em. I did.... Wasn't goin' to argue with her.. Wasn't strong 'nough to yet." Drawin' my gun, wen tot check out the noises I was hearin' "We had to wait it out. Cindal, that girl what caused so much trouble in the past showed up and helped secure the place. Thats when I got to meet the lady of the house.... Lady Rashad. She had each of give our side of the story... Seems I done good. She let me stay the night then offered me a temp postin' to watch the folks in that house. I'll take it 'til I can find AuroraBlue...."

So Where Was I...

2011-06-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

"So where was I..... Oh yeah..... There I was in the asteroids when a gorram shuttle come down and hit the Shadow..... " Sat back in the chair out front of the boardin' house...."Hell.... Had some gorram insane hallucinations too. G all little and all.. And don't ask me why all Desmond was in em too. I couldn't tall you...."

"Seems I get a string of luck and then I end up with set backs of late. Been doin' some salvage stuff on my own. Not a lot... Ain't been much to touch. At least none that can be claimed yet. Once the 'liance moves out I can check whats further out.... Maybe get lucky and find a good BIG salvage...", runnin' a hand through my hair, realizin' I needed another haircut. "Got some call not that long ago.. Lily was havin' some trouble with a feller.... Shaft..." Shakin' my head, rem'mberin' the whole gorram thin', "She said she couldn't get out of her place cause he wasn't gonna let her... Got me a mite angered, so I went to check it out.... And found my own self face to face with a big black panther. Tried to move away from it when the animal went for me. Was all I could do to keep its fangs away from my throat. Bit and clawed my arm up.... So I punched it in the nose... Got it good.... It let go and slunk back to the other side of the room while I got out of there..."

"Doc wasn't 'round to treat the bite or the scratches..... So I had to do it my own self. Anyway, took a trip to Colchester..... Had to drop off some stuff, and get a few parts for the Shadow.... Then went up to the clini cup there.... Overheard somethin' 'bout bodies.. and missin' organs.... Wasn't good form what all I could tell of it. Someone stealin' parts again..... Thats when I mentioned Brooke was investigatin' it b'fore she went into hidin'." Yeah.. and now Brooke's gone all missin' too. "But the sheriff had somethin' else to deal with too..... He was askin' for volunteers to hunt down some big old lizards... I was thinkin maybe somethin' like a gila monster.... Wow was I wrong... When we went lookin' we has to search out some cave. Seems someone found a lab in there..... They even mentioned Mindo's name.... Got me wonderin' what all was goin' on in there. Then One come out of a den.. Gorram huge it was... Like a kamodo dragon. Aiya it was fast..... Lucky we got it b'fore it got one of us. Aroha said somethin' 'bout watchin' out for gettin' bit. Seems they're poisonous too." Couldn't sit still, had to stand again.

"Now go figure... A bunch of folks got bit when we found a bunch of dens. Got my own self bit in the side... Feel bad for Tabi though....... She got bit in the leg bad. Had to spend the night on Colchester b'fore headin' back to Hale's Moon. Took a few days to heal up from that.... Aroha even stopped by to check up on me." Sighin', I had to pace. I knew she was somewhere nearby.... AuroraBlue..... "Lily was 'round after a while.. She was off world doin' stuff.... Then she was workin' in the mines..... Seems AuroraBlue's been down there too. Diggin'........" Lookin' toward the mines, I knew she was down there..... "Had to check see what all they're doin' down there.... Found where AuroraBlue was stayin' down there.. Lily showed me... But not where she was..... Wouldn't let me go lower into the mines....." Will have to go check it later though....

"Got to do some other stuff too.. Got to get somethin' to Aroha on the organ thefts that Brooke was lookin' into a while back.. Stuff Jai had info on too..... Might be there's organ theives workin' on Colchester.. And if that's true then a lot of folk're in trouble........"

Miranda Part 2

2011-03-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

"I wasn't jokin' when I said it was goin' to be a mite difficult..... We didn't have a chance to shut down the anti weapon systems.... Then there was crackin' the safe.... The one with some interestin' stuff in it.... Maybe a few things we might be needin' to get past the rest of the systems Mindo had installed...." Now what all was the problem... Gorram ship was havin' power trouble. "Rita got through the safe like I said b'fore. She'd pulled out some interestin' stuff too... But what? we didn't have time to lolly gag to sort it all."

"The Lab had it's own secrets...... Includin' some info that could help us in the Vault overhead. Seemed to be a lot of stuff buzzin' up there. Could hear it like angry bees. And the smell of ozone was strong. A lot like in the storage buildin' below us. Somethin' in the lab though had me wonderin'. The scans..... The list of DNA..... All part of Mindo's twisted plans. But what all were they..... And why bring Lily back here after all that time."

I frowned at the power indicators and tapped em a few times. Shadow had a wirin' problem. Not sure what all was causin' it this time. "The lift platform needed to be initiated.... Dav was able to get that workin'. Then there was Blue. Was he here all this long time? No one heard from him in a while. Like he fell off the grid. But he was here, and helpin' to show us the way as best he could. Once Dav activated the system, we hopped the platform a few at a time.... Just in case.... Rita went up first in case of more traps. She'd be the best at gettin' rid of em.... 'Lessin' it was an 'lectronic one. Then it was Dav's turn. When Rita called and said it was clear, Cath and Dav went up next. Me and Frog went last. Bram stayed on the lab level in case we needed backup. Jack was still missin' though..... That was startin' to bother me some. Where all'd he go?"

"When we got up to the vault, there was a little problem.... one of us had to stand at the base of the ramp leadin' up to the vault door. Some sort of pressure plate. Cath said she'd stay there while we worked. Mighty brave of her to do. Rita and Dav worked on the door. While they did, Frog was tryin' to get to some button on the wall. Sort of tucked away. But the real kicker was.... The floorin'. Was all fake. Mindo had a hologram floorin' installed. It looked real 'nough... Til you tried walkin' on it." Had to land Shadow on the orbital for repairs. Musta been somethin' out there in the asteroid field. "Took some jumpin' on a couple of raised platforms to get to the button. Frog couldn't get at it. he needed to grow a little more b'fore he had the reach."

"Was strange how when I touched the gorram button, it felt sort of warm. Then I felt the scanner like a static charge across my body. It was scannin' for somethin'.... Not sure what all. Maybe it was Blue tryin' to help. Not sure. But whatever it was, the door to the vault opened. Dav went in first and almost fell through the floor. Rita hung back at the door. Looked like she was not wantin' to take chances. Don't much blame her either. Cat stayed where she was on the other side.... Standin' on a trigger......" The Shadow landed rough. Her lights winkin' on and off.

Gonna have to fix whatever it was. "Jumped on back to where Cath was standin'. She nodded at me as if sayin' she was ok and had it under control. Went up the ramp to look at what all Dav was seein'. Wasn't good from what all I saw. More gorram platforms... All randomly spread 'round the room. And there in the far corner...... Lily. I could hear her faintly..... She was whimperin'. The thing of it was, She was in a chamber of sorts filled with wirin' and cables. Her whole body was upside down. Looked like her feet were jammed up into a top of the whole mess." Needed to get the Shadow back up and runnin' so I could help with the search for the kid...

"Dav tried to make the jump and missed.... he fell through the floor. Landed ok considerin'. He looked a mite sore though. Rita didn't want to try... Don't blame her none on that. So it was up to me to try and get to Lily. But what platforms were real... and what ones were fake... Wouldn't know til I got there now, huh. Jumpin' from one to the other wasn't easy. Alomst missed the high up one. Aiya, that woulda been bad if I fell. I ain't a cat that can always land on its feet. On the last jump, I had to focus. Was a pretty far leap..... Lily was cryin'. She was hurtin' and wantin' to be out of there. Tried to calm her down. Could see some wires hooked up to her foot.... Not good...."

Jai was tryin' t wave me, but the systems were givin' me trouble. Gorram wirin' harness musta got fried by a flare. Means I'd need to take the gorram anti rad meds again. "When Dav got back into the vault, had to ask him for some cutters..... yeah... I forgot mine. He tossed his out across the fake floor..... Tumblin' towards me as it arched up then down as it got closer. Made my grab for em, nearly fallin' off the high platform........ Barely catchin' em. I had to stand there a mo to catch myself. Refocused....... Muscles tensed..... Leap........ fallin'...... landed.... On the small 'lectronic device over which Lily's feet were stuck to....."

"Lily quieted when she heard me over top of where she was. Then I could hear Blue again. I'd only seen Blue a few times in a human like form. Worked to try and free her feet as Blue appeared near the container. He said he'd take her once she was freed. I nodded, but took a mo to touch him. The feelin' was like touchin' a static filled canvas. There but not....... Then I set 'bout cuttin' Lily loose. Held her foot firm so I didn't cut anythin' else in he openin'.... Was sort of strange seein' the complex wirin' that was in that small part of who she was. Then I cut the blue wire.... freein' her...... Blue took hold of her and flew her out of there. It was more a flash of light..... Like the when she became the signal..... way back when......" When I got inside the orbital I waved Jai back.

She said she found the kid.... In a freezer.... Gorram lucky.... "Lily got whisked off by Blue... Now it was our turn to get the hell out of there. I jumped my way back across to Dav then had everyone go back down. Frog went down a little earlier to find Jack. They got back to the Dancin' Phoenix ok and were waitin' for us with the engines warmed up. I told cath to go on while I stood on the plate. Gave em a count to get on out of there. Then I ran.... and near got blown apart when the place went up. Had little trouble on the way out from the restricted zone.... but the 'liance pretty much turned its head as we flew on past." Shook my head when I heard that. Didn't have to go out and search now. The kid was alive and safe....

He was lucky ..... Real lucky.

Miranda Part 1

2011-02-24T22:35:00.001-08:00

Had to run and check on Bram..... Used explosives in a confined space and hurt his own self. "Was a mite frustrated for gettin' land locked. Seana wasn't goin' to let me go to Miranda..... Got a message sayin' the ship that took Lily was the 'LILY'. Not sure whether to thank Pepper for that. Not so ready to say anythin' good 'bout the 'liance." Had to fight with the gorram lift to get down into the 'Cellar'. "No sooner I get back from one thing, I end up with havin' to head out again.... Come on the heels of fate. Found a ticket from the 'liance maj.. Pepper. Thats her name. She was expectin' me to come and tell her a bunch of stuff..... all for a little info on Kitten..... From what all she said, Kitten was in some Mindo lab on a burned out world. Somewhere I'd have to go to next."

"She asked me a bunch of questions, so I told her. Told her too 'bout Lily gettin' taken...... Told her we needed some help. 'Specially if we were goin' to head to Miranda...." I had that gut feelin' she was there. After the reaver attack. "Told her we found Lily's Kei floatin' in the asteroid field all damaged. Reaver bodies, blood, and maybe even that Lynx kid. We only found a pic of him and the feed. Dav, Jack and I scoured the ship, but didn't find much.... 'Cept a few bits... and a mess everywhere."

"Then We found somethin' that set my blood runnin' cold. One of Lily's ears...... Cut or torn off int he fightin'. Found some of her claws too. Torn out in the scuffle. She didn't give up. The feed showed her rippin' those reavers up bad."

"was 'bout then I decided to go huntin' for her. Bram, Dav, Cath and I went and searched. Seana gave me the ok to go on my work visa. Didn't need the 'liance questionin' me why I was out of my work zone. But then there was the message from Pepper. The ship what took Lily. Then I knew for sure it was Miranda. Lily's Pa was comin' to get her. But then there was the question of where was the kid. Maybe stowed away. Not sure why. bein' gorram stupid I s'pose. Then Seana land locked the Monster, so that was out for leavin'...... But I did have a few other ships to make use of. Shadow and Dancin' Phoenix were still up and ready to go." Got down to the 'Cellar and heard Bram yellin' for help. Took Jack and me to pry the door open. "Prepped Phoenix and called the crew in. Seems Doc Westminster was there to wish us luck and watch us dust off."

"We got a little surprise before we left though. Some 'laince soldier was askin' questions. Said she has some warrant for the arrest of the school teacher... Not sure why. AuroraBlue was there with Doc Westminster. She was wantin' me to go up into the black. I could see the pic flashin' in my head... That's and Xoxo." We got upstairs to find Bram pretty bloody and bruised. Said he used explosives on the door..."The 'liance soldier handed me an envelope with passes in it. Somethin' to help us get through the stuff we'd find on Miranda. Xoxo told me there was stuff to watch for when we got there."

Bram was goin' on 'bout bein' locked in the office by some woman...."The crew and I took the Phoenix up to Xoxo's ship to get the rest of the info and the equipment to bypass the blockade and the reaver ships. Somethin' she never told anyone 'bout."

Bram's hearin' was bad.. He kept yellin' as he tried to explain what all happened. "After I got the 'piece' installed in our own ship, we headed for Miranda. One of the most restricted planets in the black. Seems Pepper made good on her part for gettin' us through the blockade..... And so did Xoxo's device. We dove hard for the surface to keep any curious reavers from followin'. We landed not far from the entry to the Lab....." Wasn't easy to tend Bram's cuts. Not a doc, I'm a gorram mechanic. Sure I can take care of my own small wounds..... but someone else's? Not a chance. "That lab had Blue Sun logos on the front. Seems they had their hands in the whole reaver PAX thing for a long time...."

"Gettin' in was no easy feat either. We couldn't bypass the glass door. Took all we had for weapons and a good helpin' of explosives to crack it. But once in side it wasn't goin' to be no cake walk either...... trip wires and 'lectric fences, a couple of other traps, and the anti weapon systems. Mindo was one for over doin' it.... Sick sense of humor too." Jai said she had salt to treat Bram with... She thinks it's goin' to help? Hell, salt in wounds is more like a torture then a help. "

"Rita checked for trip wires and had me show her the one we found.... And ended up with myself hangin' upside down. Even the stowaway kid, Frog got caught in a trap. Rita went to check the safe in the corner while I hung 'round...... Yeah, pretty funny. Ha ha. She did find some stuff in the safe. That we can sort out when we get back. Took us a while to figure out the way past the 'lectrified fencin'. That's after a couple of us took shocks that landed us on our backsides. Gorram painful." Once I was sure Bram was fine, I headed back to the ship. Still had to find a missin' kid out there. " The access door to the lifts was sealed. Needed codes to get the door opened. Wasn't too hard to figure it out. but you had to be fast to slip through the door b'fore it resealed. The Lift took us up to the lab..... Or one of the labs in the facility. Yep. Looked like Mindo was workin' in there at one time. His notes and such were all over. Containers and cabinets... Rita got some opened and pulled a bunch of stuff out. Stuff like brain's in a jar, and small body parts.... tissue and the like."

"We moved to the other lab where it was like walkin' back through AuroraBlue's dreams.... But they were all Lily's...... Dreams was what Blue said..... He was there. Damaged or confused. Kept sayin' we. He was soundin' bad...... But he said we needed to save Lily. Said we would. But it was gettin' up there that wasn't goin' to be easy. We were goin' to need all the IDs and info Xoxo gave us to do it."

"The platform to get to the next lab was provin' a mite difficult til we were able to initiate it... or activate it. But what was goin' to happen? That's somethin' of a challenge......"

'Bots

2011-02-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

The cargo hold had to get cleaned out so we could handle the next run. Somethin' Dav was workin' on. "Seems Jet had a run for us. Maybe a big one. The last run we done was a might small..... But it was somethin'. With all the stuff whats been goin' on of late anythin' was better then settin' 'round. Hell, I'd been settin' 'round way too much of late. Gettin' all shot up didn't much help neither. Gorram more strange stuff happened in a short span...."

Headin' into the forward section of the 'Monster', I had to check the nav systems. That and some other little things I added to the console. "After all the stuff what happened with the hunter and all, I figured it'd be quiet. Was pretty far from it. We had mercs roll into town. A bunch of off world hard noses. Val hired em to watch the shop after one of his shop keepers got hurt. Can't much blame him.... Cept these folks were doin' more'n they needed.... Like doin' patrols through town. The residents didn't much like it. Was bad 'nough we had the 'liance doin' patrols too. Now these yahoos."

"Next thin' we know, we got us a warbot goin' after folks. It killed a bunch of citizens over its reign of terror.... All for lookin' for Raids. Green chasis and all arms. Green death.... Dav and I got all shot up by it one day and Jai was barely able to help us...." I shook my head on that when Dav told me 'bout it later. "We barely had time to do anythin' a few days later when it attacked us. It asked a question b'fore it opened up on us.... Where was her sister Raids...... Like we'd know. Raids was offworld at the time. The other one, called Ravish, opened up on us again, and leavin' us holed for the second time. Don't know much know what all happened that second time....", Pullin' up on one of the consoles, I checked the hidden equipment under it. Eergency beacon, back up nav, and a longer range comm.

"Was hurtin' a lot after what all the doc had to do. Then Cath was on me again, 'bout me bein' her bro. I can't figure what all is on with that.... Not sure..... She don't look like kitten that much.... Maybe... Hell, I don't rightly know." Had to check the lockers to make sure we had supplies. "Gorram warbot come by for a third strike on us. And a few of us drove her off. By the forth time we had numbers 'nough to take her down.... One of those times when I was hit again.... Lily jabbed me with a pretty big syringe.... Next thin' I know, I'm feelin' real good... Like I wasn't even hit. Had a feelin' I knew what it was, but wanted to be sure.... Lily nodded to the question.... Yep.. Nanites. They helped me b'fore, now they were workin' overtime. Healed up some of my scars and wounds over a few days."

The ship was ready, so I haeded to the office to get a couple of small arms to tuck away on board.... In case. "In the end.... AuroraBlue showed up durin' Ravish's last attack. The merc were shootin' at anythin' that even moved. Hittin' townsfolk, us.... And AuroraBlue. A little one.... When it was all done, those ta ma duh huen dahn were celebratin'. They didn't care they shot a child... Or anyone else for that matter... I went to AuroraBlue when she suddenly got up and started to attack everyone with her blades. Hell, she even went for me. Somethin' in her musta went wild..... Raids was there and ignored the whole thin'. She got what she wanted from the other warbot then run off into the wastes..... No ones seen her since."

"Had to stop AuroraBlue from killin' anyone.... Don't want her killed by someone bent on revenge for somethin' I knew she wasn't in control of. When I found her, she was ready to cut me up again. For once I can say I did a gorram stupid thing. I laid down my gun and moved toward her. She was wild eyed and slashed at me, but I didn't care. I needed to try to reconnect with her... Her human side. I went to my knees and told her if all she wanted was to kill me, then do it. She came close then dropped her blades and came to me. I could feel the confusion she was feelin'. She hugged me 'bout as hard as I did her. I held onto her while showin' her what Ravish done to the folks.... to me and Dav. What AuroraBlue done to folks in her rage. We both had a few tears over it."

I coud hear another transport comin' in. 'Liance patrols again. "Had to deal with the aftermath of it all. Dav was barely talkin' to me. Blamed me for AuroraBlue bein' wild.... Said somethin' 'bout Cath bein' part of that too. Aiya, what all'm I s'posed to do. I got a company to keep runnin', a little one who age regressed physically, a girl who thinks I'm her bro, a crew what needs coin to get fed, and still tryin' to get work for em. I can try to be a Pa and all, but when you got a little one whos evolvin' at a scarey rate..... Well it ain't easy. AuroraBlue ain't like other kids. She's got a lot of knowledge locked up inside her head. She can 'read' comuters and 'lectronics. Talk to em. And she and I got a link... Now that's somethin' I can't rightly explain. I can feel what's goin' on with her like she can with me."

Shruggin' cause I couldn't explain it, I looked out the window. "The 'liance and the townsfolk drove off the mercs. Wasn't pretty. They'd caused as much damage and near as much death and injuries to the folk here as the warbot. Someone was gonna have to pay for it... And I think Delta run off to save his own hide cause of it. He ordered em to go all out to get the warbot by any means. Makes him responsible for the whole mess." Didn't like the idea of him tryin' to order me away from helpin' protect the township either. "I ain't in his little band. He was thinkin' he could order us folk 'round. Only one who gave me orders was my Pa, that I'd listened to." But then there's Seana. Her I got respect for... Her I'd listen to.

The troopers climbed out the back of the transport and split up. A few headed towards Fooks, the other toward the hangar. "Not that long ago, while checkin' out a sniper location with Bram, we spotted a bot by the transport hub. It was movin' strange, so I decided to go check it out. Bram covered me in case it went for me. It didn't..... Was in bad shape. Its skin was worn off and the clothin' was old and pretty dirty. it was damaged from what I could see of it. voice was all tinny and rough. Said it was 'awaitin' retrieval.' From who it didn't say. But from what it was sayin' it was doin' somethin' like Lily..... Gatherin' information. Data gatherin' for downloadin' to a main unit. Said some other stuff too... Like the project was reactivated... On Hale's, I think it said.... Got me to wonderin' if Xoxo or Lily did somethin'. Lily maybe. She had that Ardra program inside her for a spell. The bot said there was somethin' down in the wastes too. Wasn't sure what that was, but the bot led me down there....

"There was a place... Old and unused for a long time.... Not a destiny buildin' either.... Had some power source I saw only once b'fore...... Salvaged from a ship out in the asteroid field 'round Mac's Drift..... Gave the thin' over to Dex to research..... Never did find out what all it was. But it effected the bot. The thin' started havin' trouble standin' and talkin'. Then it shut down for a mo... Maybe was overheatin'. Wasn't sure... Then it 'woke' up and said a bunch of stuff rapid fire b'fore tellin' me it was downloadin' the files. Wasn't sure what all that ment. I didn't want to leave the place, so I headed back out to find Lily. She might be able to shed some light on what all was goin' on. Bythe time I did, the bot'd left."

"Some doc with red hair come and was askin' a load of questions on the bot and then wanted me to give blood and tissue samples... No way was I goin' to get my own self cut open for bits. Blood for my own self in an emergency sounded ok.... but givin' to others? I wasn't so sure on that... No tellin' what all is floatin' in my blood after all the experiments....Wasn't goin' to take the chance someone gettin' sick or turned into a mutant like they done to me. No tellin' if it might happen either... better to not take no chances."

Troopers were comin' along the walkway outside the office now. Figures..... Got to come in and haunt me. "Then there was the transport for Xoxo..... Didn't much like that little ride. Albion's a might too close to the core for my likin', but my crew needed to be paid. When we got there, Bram landed us on the clinic landin' pad. We went in to drop off the stuff but no one was 'round.... looked like the place was abandoned..... It was clean and stuff was new in there... But no folks.... No doc's, no nurses, no patients..... Nada." One of the troopers come in. I just glared at him. He took a look 'round then wandered on outside with the rest of em. "We dropped the stuff and left. By that time Rita'd gone off to check the other places. She'd found a small crate of guns....... A crate we ended up takin'. Yeah... I know.. Another thin' they can get me on. Minor by what all the 'liance think I done."

The troopers went on in next door, then over to Jai's office. Wonder what all they were lookin' for now.... It weren't me.... Or we'd be fightin' 'bout now. "Then the other night, got a call from a feller I hadn't seen in a while. Big old feller.... I can't r'member his name, but he r'membered me. Knew I was a mechanic. Asked me to travel to Mu Draconis to help fix a bot. It was somethin' to do, so I packed up a tool kit with what all I thought I'd need and took a shuttle out there."

"When I got there, the bot looked like it was overheatin'. When I popped the access panel on it, sure 'nough, it was. The tubin' for the coolin' system was leakin' all over. Took a while to repair, but nothin' too bad. The chasis was a lot like the old minin' bots, but the insides were..... well, state of the art from what all I could see inside it. Makes the stuff inside some of the minin' bots look like relics from Earth That Was. The bot said it was from somewhere on the edge of the verse. Maybe built by settlers from another gen ship way back when.... I don't rightly know. Wasn't that big into history or the like."

The troopers headed for Firefly's next... They tramped on across the landin' field on their way there. "When I got back, Dav said somethin' 'bout the job with Jet. I know Jetfuel.... Knew him from Mac's drift when he blew in..... Elix said somethin' that got my head buzzin' a couple ten days back..... Jet was workin' with the merc's as a backup.... allies. Now it got me to wonderin' if this's was a setup. Delta didn't much like how folks here drove him off... I'm pretty gorram sure of it.... Maybe if we send Rita in ahead to scout it out, we might have a little adjvantage. We'll just have to wait and see....."

Flashbacks and Flashpoints

2011-01-11T04:45:00.000-08:00

"Situations got a strange way of makin' a mess.... No different for my own self either of late... Gorram warbot. That was a flashpoint. Flashpoints. Its when somethin' reaches its maximum befre conbustion. We all got em too...." Pacin' 'round in Hasno was startin' to wear a might thin lately. "Not sure where all it started. Could say as far back as when Kitten went out of existance. Or as near as the warbot's attack on us. Can't say for sure, but it all added its brand of poison."

Not sure why I was talkin' 'bout all this gorram stuff. Just maybe needed to be said. Or maybe to get rid of the poison that was festerin' inside. Purgin' it, I s'pose. "With Kitten gone, my life started doin' a might better. Not how you'd think. My head was clear for the first time since..... Hell, don't know when.... But there was that loss that was there too. It also brought somethin' more... A new light. AuroraBlue, like bright sunshine pourin' through rain clouds." The doorway had a barrier I couldn't get through. G said to keep me safe from my own self... So I didn't go and do somethin' crazy.

The drugs were wearin' off. I could feel it.... Made me a might annoyed to be locked up... Startin' to feel a close in here... "Hale's was quiet for a spell. Even work dried up while the 'liance hit dirtside here. Figures... They come and work goes. Then there was Xoxo.... She was actin' all confused at times, then at others she was mean spirited. Not sure what all's goin' on with her. Maybe she reached her flashpoint.... Or dealin' with her own poisons. But she ain't been 'round of late." Not sure how many times I looked at that gorram wall clock. But time was movin' a might too slow for my likin'.

"Then a few weeks back.... Aiya... Was a nightmare. Xoxo and her spite sent me to headin' for the black. Yeah.... I was pretty angered for a spell... When I got back all hell'd opened up with bullets flyin'. I knew cause a stray caught me in the armor. Nothin' the armor couldn't handle easy." When was G gettin' back. I needed some gorram air. "So, with tryin' to figure who was doin' the shootin', I got into trouble helpin' save Tillery from his captors... And got my own self shot up. Yeah, yeah.... Broke the run of good luck there. At least the explosions and shots from the ship didn't hit us. Woulda ended us if they had."

My mind was racin' to see if I could get somethin' in the room to short the door so I could get out of here... But then there was the gas release I had to deal with.... "Not two days later.... that huan dahn bounty hunter got hold of me. Gorram sick bastard.... strapped me down so I couldn't move or fight back... Tortured...." That set me on edge. The poison balled in my gut. "For days he beat me and tore me up.... Would wake in some med facility to have it all start again." I shook my head tryin' to forget... "Like it'd never stop. Until I woke here.... Hell, in this room. More like a cell now... Says to keep me from doin' somethin' crazy.... or get my own self hurt."

Chuckled at that, but it wasn't funny. None of it was.... "Maybe a week or so later a kid shows up and starts talkin' all strange. Dav took her in... Seems we get a lot of folks lost in the 'verse come our way. Like Hale's is a flame to every moth on the rim. Sometimes they come to their senses and somethimes they don't." Wonder which might happen to her... "Then the warbot showed her green face and set to shootin' everythin' up. Everythin' and everyone in her way..... To find Raids. She looks like Raids 'cept for the color... and maybe the hair. But thats 'bout it. It came fast at Dav and me. Almost too fast to dive for cover. Gorram fast and deadly. Went for me first. Not sure what all happened after that."

Gorram! Had to look at that gorram clock again. "Like no time's passed...." rubbed my face and tried not to think of where all I was. "We were shot up good. Jai was tryin' to help.... but I got the feelin' she wasn't cut out for bein' a medic. Then that kid was sayin' stuff. Like I was her brother. I don't know what all thats 'bout. I don't know her from hole in the wall. My family was gone. My birth family anyway. Says she's Catherine. Hell Catherine... Kitten was gone. She was most like dead by now." Frownin' 'bout that. Was she? "No soon's we wake up and the warbot's back. This time Calina was visitin' in the clinic when it showed. We needed to get out there. The gorram 'bot was outside killin' another poor townsfolk. We could hear the shots and screams.... the sound of someone bein' ended..."

The screams you couldn't shut out as it rang off the buildin' walls. "We didn't have much chance. Dav and I were her targets again. She messed us up pretty bad.... Could feel the bullets tearin' through me as I shot back. After that I don't rem'meber much. Well... nothin' after that.... I woke in the clinic again. Or was it the first time... and I never left. Like relivin' a nightmare. Or was it goin' to be my hell." Needed to purge that poison again. "Had to get out of that buildin'. The chem smell was makin' me sick. Never liked med centers.... And then there was that kid. She kept at me over and over.... Insistin' I was her brother." Who was she, and why.... I'd made my own peace with my family. Why now. "Everythin' was flashin' b'fore my eyes. Shots ringin' out, death screams.... The non stop pain poundin' into my body....Flashpoint....."

My body hurt from all the punishment, while my brain tried to sort it all out. "How long can anyone take the beatin's? Was this what my Pa went through after he lost his arm in the Unification War? Not sure, but he made it through with his life. For that he was grateful to come home to us." Come on G, I need to be doin' somethin' 'sides pacin' in here... "Gotta cast the demons away and step b'yond the pain. We gotta end the warbot b'fore it does more damage to the folks here. Find her 'flashpoint' and melt her for scrap. Yeah, maybe it's wishful thinkin', but hell, we gotta do somethin'. Then with time..." Oh hell. Looked at the clock again..... "Yeah... Time heals all wounds. Hopefully faster then the gorram clock is moving."

Loss and the New Year

2011-01-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

"Well, it's another year.... And I might of gotten off on the wrong foot. Could just be me thinkin' that. Just sometimes happens is all. Just hoping it gets better from here. Heard a friend passed on just a day or so ago. Ladonna Biscuit..... Pete'd introed me to her. Bright and friendly sort. Liked workin' on ships. Was tragic how she ended....." Tried to get my thoughts sorted as I rem'mbered her. "Shouldn't have happened..... 'specially to someone like her...."

Rubbin' my neck I could only pray for her family. Their pain must be pretty bad. And her friends..... "The folks who got to know her are feelin' the loss. Her memories'll live on with us."

(Ladonna was a wonderful person Pete Camino introed me to. She loved to learn about building ships, getting to know folks, and talk with friends. She'll be sorely missed by the community here in the Firefly Verse and in RL by her friends and family. Send thoughts, prayers, & whatever strength to them in their time of need.)

Lookin' 'round the office seemed a might claustrophobic 'bout now. So I started headin' to the hangar. Had to see what we needed there. "Not sure what to say on it 'cept we all deal with loss in our own way. Like with Kitten. I know she's gone now. Months are spannin' longer and no word. And I still gotta heal up 'nough to find info on those twins that went missin'..... Lily might have an idea of where all they went. She's got her ears to the wind. Means I gotta heal up more b'fore I can go flyin' 'round again too. Just hope that Major holds up her end of the deal. Gettin' me info on Kitten....."

"One bright side to bein' back home after my bein' taken.... AuroraBlue come to see me. She looked all pale and a might worried. Her hands were warm and gentle where she touched the bandages. I told her I was on the mend and it seemed to help her some. Told her I had a gift for her in the tower, so she went and put it on. Was real nice dress I found on Paquin last time I landed there. She come back to show me..... lookin' so beautiful. I showed her an image of how I saw her in my own head. I think she smiled at that. Made me happy to see her smile. Too much tragedy over the last year for everyone. We all felt it, even her."

AuroraBlue showing Cody her new dress.

The hangar was busy with folks fixin' their vehicles. The bigger ships had their hangar up on the orbital. "When I woke back up the next day, she'd left. Most likely to do somethin' she needed to get done. Lily'd told me she;d been takin' stuff. Not sure what or from where all. I don't know if I want to. Hell I had to my own self just to survive after my escape from the medcenter." I waved to the folks at the hangar. Talked to a few of em to let em know I was doin' better. "Brooke come by just b'fore I was shot. She'd said some things..... Sort of got me surprised she did what all she did. She said she shot someone in her home. Was months ago. He came to take her children..... She had to stop him and killed him in the kids bedroom. That's when she left with her little ones and hid. When she come back to the office, she had that haunted look.... I figured I knew who she'd killed up in that room.... It was William Faith."

"She was back, albeit sporadically. I could understand she needed to spend time with her little ones too. I told her I'd keep the office runnin' like I been for a while. Let her know we had funds if she needed any." Was hard to see her in such rough shape. "Brooke'd been through a lot.... And what she told me would stay with me. No one else need know of what she had to do. I don't blame her for it either. He was more then deservin' of what all he got. I would have shot him my own self." Shakin' my head to try to get my mind onto somethin' else, I checked the parts lists to see what we needed to restock.

"Had a few visitors while I was healin'. Seems Vincent got himself a body. Sort of felt a might strange to see him sorta lookin' like me. But then G mentioned somethin' 'bout Desmond usin' some of my DNA. Sixty seven percent of his DNA was from me. Said somethin' 'bout my DNA that'll keep Vincent's body from rejectin' his brain. Or any other organ for that matter. Another thing the 'liance might want me for if that got out." Double checkin' the list, I copied it into my data reader. "But then again, I don't know what all'd been done to me and what the effects f the tamperin' are."

I headed back to the office to send out the list of parts we needed on the ground. "Still a might sore, but then that's expected of what damage I got when I was with that huen dahn bounty hunter. Ribs tend to heal slower cause they're always moving. Gotta breathe. Davion was playin' momma hen on me 'bout not liftin' when we go for this next run. This time I had to agree. I ain't wantin' to spend any more time in a clinic then I have to." My mind drifted back to AuroraBlue and the other night as I got to the office. Simon was settin' in his usual spot on the counter. Cat come in and adopted the office as his place.

"Lily called in on New Years Eve, by Hale's Moon's standard calender. Said she was bringin' someone with her. I didn't have to ask. It was AuroraBlue. She changed in the community buildin' back into the dress I got her and I took her to Firefly's to dance. It took very little time for her to pick up on how to dance when I showed her. She was enjoyin' herself and I was happy she was. It was like a ray of sun come down and lit my world. Warmin' it and brightin' it up. The gravity was back and holdin' me in a strong orbit. Then she was wantin' to leave. I stopped her at the stairs to say bye.... I even said, 'I love you'. Then I kissed her cheek..... She suddenly stiffened and ran off....." The whole thing made me feel bad for the kiss. "I wasn't meanin' to scare her off. And I'd kissed her forehead hundreds of times. Just gotta hope she ain't upset over it."

Lost...

2010-12-04T09:58:00.001-08:00

Sounds.... far away.... Where...."Can't think to well.... Seems somethin's wrong. Lily.... She got riled over somethin'.... Don't r'member what all. Bram was there....... Gorram.. where's that sound comin' from.... Can't figure..... maybe some 'lectronics.... Dark here..... When she got angered at me.... Decided to fly somewhere else..... Mu Draconis... Not sure why...... Til I got there." Can feel cold.... cold and dark..... Am I in the black?

Try to move... somethin's got hold.... someone? "That's when I saw her..... AuroraBlue.... Pretty as ever..... even with the dirt..... Got to wok out how to get her to wash..... Don't want to scare her..... I love her. She's my gravity..... Holdin' me strong. We, well..... me.... talked. Even offered Monster for her to get 'round in.... Not wantin' her to get in trouble for hyjackin' someone's ship."
Somethin' pokin' at me..... Irritatin'..... Aiya, stop it..... Feelin' hard to breathe.....

Somewhere in front of me is light..... Settin' sparks off in my eyes..... Try to reach for it...."She headed for the landin' zone..... Then she was away...... Took Jai's shuttle back to Hale's. Then all hell broke loose....... Shootin'! Saw someone get hit and fall nearby then felt a slug strike my body armor..... Grabbed the woman and ducked b'hind a buildin'...... She was ok... Just grazed..... Decided to find out who was shootin'..... Didn't take long.... Was on the roof of the CNS buildin'. Made my way there but couldn't get to the roof...... Figured a couple of us could hop onto the roof and get the drop on em. Jet and one of his crew jumped into the mule....." Can feel pain somewhere in me..... Where..... Gorram.... who's messin'... Was fine..... "We jumped to the roof and everythin' went bad. The mule exploded..... gunfire and Tillery bein' held..... Said he got hit with an EMP....."

"He said it knocked out his 'lectronics that helped him walk..... Gorram body armor... Got to find a way to stop point blank shots..... I tried to cover him usin' my own self as a shield til we could get away..... Then a ship started shootin' at the bad guys.... Got Tillery safe and down to the clinic. Got my own self holed in the shootout. Gorram...... Fixed my own self as best I could then went to the Tower......" Can't breathe... Losin' atmo? whats goin' on.... can't wake up.....

"Am I dreamin' it all? No..... Not dreamin'... Can't be.... I know what all was happenin'.... 'cept today..... Dav came to check on me..... Gave me some pain meds too.... Not sure what happened after that... been out of it...... Dreamed of AuroraBlue in the black...... She was with a few folks.... I think Seana was there, but not sure...... GORRAM! whats happenin'..... " The light was startin' to move closer.... "Can feel somethin' stabbin' at me..... Makin' me a might angered...... Someone come up into the tower.... Stranger...... Tryin' to gas me.... WHO..... ? Where'd Dav go.... Was here not that long ago....." Tryin' to fight the feelin' somethin's goin' on 'round me. Cold, pain..... Light....

Can't move.... Strugglin' but can't do nothin'.... Blue? You there? "That stranger.... Grabbed me... Gassed me!...... Says he wanted Dav........ Says he's a murderer..... We all done stuff.... Aiya! Can't catch my breath... Got to fix that leak..... He done stuff...... Slammed his elbow into my side then stuck somethin' into my wound...... Couldn't fight it.... Got punched a couple times....... Not sure what happened...... Felt somethin' give...... Can't breathe..... Wait..... he done somethin'..... Waved the whole thin'...... R'member a cam in the room...... Operatin' room...... The smell..... all over clean with chemicals...... Blue... Blue seen it all..... Means Lily did..... And.... Aiya... AuroraBlue..... Don't want her to feel this..... Got to get away..... make the pain stop....."

Can see the light movin' faster.... Comin' to me? Or me to it..... Ain't sure.... "Don't know if I'm alive or dead..... somewhere in b'tween.... Dav... Needs to hole up and hide..... Someone has to come...... stop this insane feller...... Gorram tortured me..... Who else.... who's goin' to be his next victim? Wasn't goin' to give in to his games.... Not wantin' to tell him 'bout AuroraBlue.... Don't want her hurt...... Someone'll end him..... I got my bets hedged on it..... If I'm even alive...." My body's feelin' pained and on fire all over now.... "m I goin' to hell? Or is the light my salvation... Or'm I stuck b'tween...... Lost......God help me to try and hang on.....

Memories and family secrets

2010-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

"She held one of her blades high. Pointin' toward the starlit sky.... then drove the tip into the ground. I know what all it meant. A sword of destruction.... Its target? Destiny." my mind was racin' With what I got own self into. Marked the small cargo box ready for transport, and stuck it with the others. "Wasn't hard to read that. From the scans I took while it was still hot, it was made, not natural. Means it hit like it was dropped, not hurled. Yeah... I picked up that someone sent it.... I had my ideas but wasn't sure anyone'd listen."

"Had to get workin' on a few other projects.... Lily was bein' kept real busy. Seems Xoxo had her workin' on a recreation overlook. I ended up with a task too... Had to set the stone worked rail along the edge." Walked to the stacked stones outside, takin' in the view..... the meteor'd been broken down while it was still warm. Now it was more like a bunch of small canyons. "The work wasn't that hard to do. Xoxo was out there watchin' the meteor for a couple days. I could see what was left of her tent. Its where I found her.... Settin' there holdin' what all was left of a semi melted piece of artificial brain. She was talkin' to her own self. Looked like she hadn't eaten in days... and she'd been cryin' by the look of her face and eyes." Moved a couple rocks into place and placed more mortar and sealant on em to hold em in place.

"I let her talk til she was ready to notice me..... She knew I was there though. She looked right at me and told me stuff that she'd never tell anyone on a good day. I s'pose she needed to tell someone her deepest darkest secrets..... Secrets I'd bury deep down so no one could read em.... Had good practice with that. She said, 'It started here, it ends here.'" Another layer of stones and more sealant and mortar. "Figured that Krenshar wasn't all artificial.... that he had some DNA. What Xoxo told me, confirmed it.... But she was his maker.... How she was in love with the man whose DNA was in Krenshar. A browncoat.... "

Lookin' 'round out over the precipice that'd be a Recreation area.... Or was it a memorial...... "How she was workin' for the 'laince, but not by choice. Mindo was involved in it all. The plan for her was to mate with Blue. How... was the question, til Mindo had to take some of Xoxo's DNA after she run off. Its how Lily come to be.....Its how Mindo made good on the experiment...... LilyBell Snoodle was in respect Xoxo for the experiment to work. Then there was Blue, the artificial Intelligence." Stoppin' for a mo, I took a long drink of water. It was warm out here. The ground was still warm from the meteor.... No radiation.... Just entry heat. Lily was below diggin' out a few places.

"Xoxo, told me a lot 'bout what happened... Her past.... what she did. Seems the 'liance brought in what all was left of the feller she loved. She did what she could to preserve what was left of him. Used what little was left and intergrated it with one of the AI 'bot brains. No one'd know what all she done. To save her Samual..... She said she killed what was left of him so the 'liance couldn't use him for more experiments. Seems they need live subjects...." Took a mo to check the levelness of the stone wall. Was lookin' good so far....

"Krenshar was in some respect Samual. The replicant and what little was left of the man. The stuff she told me was a might profound. Lily carried Xoxo's DNA, Krenshar, Samual's. They contributed to AuroraBlue's birth, includin' Seana and a couple other's.... That and a part of my soul. Without Mindo and Blue the experiment might be lost on the 'liance. Only he knew the details.... Doubt he'd shared his info with anyone. Xoxo said a lot of stuff... Somehow I figured... But it still left me shocked 'bout what all she was tellin' me.... from her past. How she killed Mindo too....." Made my head ache. She had to've done it with her mind.... Like how Kitten could contact me from far off..... "Seems she needed to tell someone everythin'. Sort of to clear her soul.... Maybe to set the whole thing strait. Maybe cause its somethin' to do with family...."

"Lily come up to me and said not to believe much of what Xoxo said. Lily don't know what all Xoxo told me. Stuff I got hid below all my own pain and stuff that happened with me. Lily asked a couple questions the other day, 'bout my trip to Paquin. She wanted to know what all AuroraBlue was doin'." Looks like a lot's goin' on... And I got to figure out the puzzle again... That and the stone wall.... With more placin' and mortarin'.

"With all the stuff goin' on... all the greivin' and folks needin' consolin'. Decided to go do my own goodbyes..... The flight to Blackburne was full of old memories and nightmares. On the ground, it was a matter of closin' my eyes and 'seein' the past sweep past me. There was a lot of ruins.... House was more burned out mess then anythin'.... But the small storage cellar there was still intact. Took a few hours to dig down to the hatch. Once in there, I pulled everythin' out. Spent some time goin' through the boxes....." Lily was movin' 'round down below. Looks like she uncovered some dead lookin' trees..... Like bones of the past....."Once I got that and the seed cryo boxes loaded on Monster, I went and welded a cross together then set it by what was left of the house."

The stone wall was lookin' good. Needed more stones to place though. "One thin' I did do was leave a clippin' of my hair in a small pouch there. Left a piece of myself with my family. The feathers strung on a strip of leather with beads were so the eagle messenger'd let God know who was here... Lived and died here.... The ride back was more'n a little quiet. Relivin' old memories. Then there was the 'liance officer.... Major Siamendes.... She come right into the AT&S office. Only reason I didn't toss her out on her head was my word to Seana, and the fact she was a good friend to Brooke. She wanted help in findin' some kids what been taken from Paquin. She thought she could get me to help by sayin' what all I was doin' was lowly. I said it was better'n been a lab rat.... She had nothin' to say on that... Figures..... I made a sort of deal with her. I help her with findin' the kids if she finds out what all happened to Kitten... And I don't get put in a facility IF i got to go to jail...."

"So now I put my own self into a tight spot..... Not what I wanted, but if it gets me somethin' on Kitten.... Just got to wait and see.... Just need to know she's not bein' used for any 'laince gorram experiments...."

Love and Money

2010-11-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

"Not sure where all to begin.... Gorram Xoxo and her cheap skatin'. We do a job for her. Ok, so yeah, I couldn't find the gorram warehouse. No Blue Sun sign on it. Just a blue hands symbol.... I think she put it up this mornin'. Another thing to cheat us out of money." Slammin' my fist on the counter didn't help how I was feelin' 'cept maybe ease up some of my anger. "I told her to at least pay my crew. They worked hard. I didn't need her money Didn't go for the money. Instead, she up and tells me to use my own cash. I was tempted to just load it all back up and return it here to Hale's. Let her find another crew to transport her trash. Even called her a cheap skate to her face. Didn't get shot for sayin' it either."

AuroraBlue at Al Raqis. Not sure what she's searchin' for...

"Ok, so I had my own motives for headin' to Paquin's Spinwheel. She was there. Lily even said she was. Said somethin' like she was there to learn from the Companions. Aiya! I didn't want her to go join up with em. Not AuroraBlue..... As it was just seein' her had me spun 'bout. To go off and be somethin' she wasn't meant for.... " Frownin', I reached for the datapad again and thumbed through the manifest pics for the ones I really wanted to see. "She was becomin' a beautiful young woman. Lately seein' her, had me just starin'. Hehe, sort of embarrassin' to be gawkin' like that when I saw her all filled out the first time. But then she left Hale's Moon and headed for Al Raqis, Baumonde, And a couple other places. I know..... I got the pics to show of her journey."

One picture faded slowly into the next one as my hand rested on the datapad. She was grown, or near grown up now..."Not sure why she went off. Maybe to find knowledge, or her own self in all the confusion." Blue sent these pics to me. Lettin' me know she was ok. Of all the stuff goin' on Blue was there in my corner. "She hadn't had much time as a little one to understand it all. Lily couldn't give her the info she really needed. but Lily did give her the peace from outside sources when it was crucial. One thing she did say of AuroraBlue this last time she was here. Somethin' wasn't right. I noticed it too. AuroraBlue was real pale. I could see it. She was smokin'.... Just like I was at her age.. or mindset..... Maybe she was rebellin'... Who knows......"

Couldn't keep lookin' at the pictures of her... I'd end up goin' back there again for the third time on a little over a week. "Xoxo offered me a job to transport the cargo to Paquin and like a gorram fool I jumped at it. I didn't care. It gave me a legit reason for bein' there. I had to know she was all right. Didn't doubt she felt what happened here... Feeling the possible loss of Krenshar..... Some say he was there when it hurtled down from the atmo. Didn't want to leave with the rest. But then there's that small reserve for self preservation..... Yeah, Most likely he was ended, but there is the small chance he made it into the catacombs far below." It didn't help when I said as much to Tillery, Lily, and the new feller... Put my gorram big feet into it."

It struck the whole of Destiny, levelin' it in one night...

"When We got to Spinwheel and off loaded We decided to grab a drink The three of us joked over the money in the bar when Dav offered to cover." Guess the joke was on me. Xoxo needs a dose of kindness to the folks who do jobs for her. "Later Rita and I got to talkin' 'bout stuff. her on her family business.... Bank robbin'... And her wantin' to roll a bank sometime soon. With my strange luck it'd go all weird on us. When the others went off to sleep, I went for a walk along the beach near the landin' area. Needed to try and refocus. Talkin' to Rita 'bout what happened to my family reopened a few old wounds I thought I had control over. Sleep was out for now. Couldn't with AuroraBlue so close... Didn't want her to see those things in my brainpan. Her connection with me went deeper then most folks think. Memories from a past that was both old and new.... Was in AuroraBlue's brainpan.... All jumbled, and I could see it in my own head..." picking up the duffle I'd taken out of the Monster, I removed a seashell. A real special one.

Turnin' it over, I put it to my ear and listened to the quiet sounds in it.... "AuroraBlue was near. I caught her scent real strong. She come up and sat with me for a while as I talked. Told her I wasn't spyin' on her. Had a good reason for bein' there. Said it was a Blue Sun cargo transport. All legal. She sat and listened. There was a mo when I was tryin' to figure how I'd talk to her 'bout smokin'. Said it was cause Lily and Xoxo asked me to stop my smokin' and drinkin'. They knew I needed to when AuroraBlue was born. Not sure if it got through or not to her. Was hopin' it did. She don't need to be behavin' like I was." Set the seashell down gently on the counter, with my hand restin' on it instead of the datapad.

"She gave me this shell. Didn't need words to tell me what she meant with it. She touched a finger to her heart, then to the shell restin' in my hand. When she did that she put her hand on mine to say she was givin' it to me. Its not the shell itself what was important, but the meanin' behind it. She was givin' me her heart." Sighin', I rubbed my face. Hadn't slept much on the trip back.

"AuroraBlue let me know in her own way how much pain she was in over the Meteor hit too. First she stood tall like Krenshar, then she lay there in the sand all curled up, cryin' and suckin' her thumb. All I could do was scoop her up and hold her through the sobbin'. Did what I could to comfort her. Was like she was all little again and needed someone to be there for her. Can't say I wasn't effected by that. I was hurtin' too.... for her and the loss. When she got to feelin' better, I let her up so she could walk a few feet away. She needed to do one more thing. The one sound she did make was familiar..... She howled. Not sure why, and didn't care, I joined in with my own. Sort of a goodbye in a way....."

AuroraBlue preppin' for her walkabout.....

"Can't say why, but bein' there for her was maybe somethin' we both needed at that time. Both needed to share the hurt and the comfort. Not alone...." My mind was startin' to spin back to the here and now. "Then when I get back ro Hale's there's Xoxo waitin' for me. She was none to happy. Refused to pay us and treated me like a dummy. Well at least I know she don't really hate me. If she did, I think I woulda been headed for the clinic with a hole in me. So I let the crew go back to their places, paid, and I went back to Spinwheel to do damage control. Someone broke into her offices and trashed the place. Tossed boxes out into the street, and stuff everywhere inside. Spent a good couple hours cleanin' up the stuff, gettin' it moved to the warehouse, and repairin' her desk. She best be grateful to that."

All said and done. Was able to give my crew some cash to survive on a little while. Fixed my own mistake and took care of somethin' for someone who aught not deserve it. And got to see AuroraBlue again. Went to see someone I love. Didn't go for the money.

Strange Happenin's

2010-10-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

The wind blowin' 'cross town died down some while I moved the planter pots up to the small green house. Seems the Shepard wanted to grow some plants up by the church. I could see Lily workin' inside puttin' pottin' soil into the tiered plantin' areas. "Things been sorta unreal for the last couple of weeks. Seeems we been gettin' a few folks come in to do repairs on their ships. Others comin' to find work. Then there was that merc group what come in. They were lookin' for certain folk to 'take out'. What was so unreal 'bout it was, they said Brooke'd hired em to do the work. Didn't sound like what she'd do. Detla, the feller Brooke and I talked to that one time a while ago, Was headin' the ops." I let Lily know the pots were just outside and went to get the fertilizer sacks.

"he and I talked a bit on it. But somethin' just didn't sound right. he had this list of names on it. Hell, Nack was on that list. Delta said they were all 'laince and needed to be taken down." Had to chuckle to myself at how gorram stupid it was back then. "After he and his team went back to their 'hole in the ground' I decided to warm the mayor. Felt Seana aughta know 'bout who was steppin' heavy here. She agreed with me on the strange part. She said to let Brooke know she best call of her mercs. It wasn't hard to convince her Brooke wasn't involved. Hell. I was workin' for Brooke. If anythin' I'd be in on the whole thing. The Mayor wanted to get answers and went to find Delta and his gang. While she did that, I waved Brooke." I pulled two sacks off the mule and walked em up the incline to the little round greenhouse.

Settin' em down, I asked Lily if she needed more sacks. She nodded, sayin' 'It need two more sacks.'
"Brooke got back to me pretty quick. She was pretty worked up over the whole merc thing. She never hired em. In fact they were just usin' her name to do their own dirty work. Soon as I got the news I showed Seana the response. You know? I ain't seen the Mayor get that sorta glint in her eye in a long time. She found Delta and gave him the rundown of what all and what wasn't goin' down on Hale's Moon. Wasn't long b'fore they pulled stakes and left." Noddin', I went back to the mule for two more of the fertilizer sacks. Yeah thins were sorta strange of late.... more'n a lot of folks knew.

Grabbed two more sacks and went back up the incline, "Then there was AuroraBlue. She'd come back and was down in the mines. She stayed hid. Not sure why at first til I saw the scrawled note in chalk on the wall. She made sure I'd see it with a big drawin' of a flower. The note said, 'Please- books, paper and pens, big clothes. Love AuroraBlue'. Found the chalk and wrote a simple note back. 'Will do. Love Cody.' Took me all day to find some basic books. The paper and such was easier. Plenty int he office she could have. There were colored pencils and pens at the general store I bought. The clothes, I had to ask Lily and Seana for. No sense in lettin' a lot of folks know she was here." Two more sacks. Lily came out and purred at em. She looked at me how she always does and sort of purgled.... She asked me to grab a couple of tools at move the soil round while she mixed the fertilizer.

"That'd be the first of a bunch of books and such to the mines. I'd set the box of stuff down there by the scrawled note and move back. I'd listen to the sounds from below and knew when she come up. Strange how I just knew she was right there. I knew her footsteps, her scent. She knew I was there and wrote a note on a piece of paper for me. Pretty much it read, when she was done with the books she'd put em back in the box and could I swap em out for new ones. It what I been doin' for weeks. Spent a lot of time down there. Sometimes, I'd go down and just talk to her in the dark. She always kept herself hid. Somethin' I talked to Lily on. Then last week she asked if I'd seen her. AuroraBlue'd grown. Thing is she didn't want me to see her growin. Maybe she was scared I might not be happy with it... Or maybe she wanted to surprise me when she was grown." Grabbed up the shovel and waited for Lily to dump the stuff onto the soil. She did and I moved and turned the ground.

"Somethin' else strange happened..... Crop circles.... Not like in a field or nothin'.... but some weird circle design on the landing tarmac. Radioactive and smelled of chemicals. Not sure who did it, but there were pics and the real deal layin' there for folks to see. But no one believes in little green men from the black. No one ever saw any. Not even when the original folks come out here to the verse. G was investgatin' it. Then one day it burned and left a melted negative in the rock. Still don't know how or who put it there." Stopped for a mo to wipe the sweat off my forehead. Lily looked at the shovel waitin' for me to get back to work. Soon as the shovel moved she was back to dumpin' more fertilizer.

"Another strange thing...... We had corn growin' out near the edge of town. The ground was the same.... But for corn to grow? Stranger still. You could see the green shoots. But who planted em? And how were they growin' in Hale's dry clay ground. Who knows.. maybe we'll end up with a cold spell and snow... Whoa.. Better not think that... We got enough weird go'se goin' on. Oh and the big foot sightin'. Folks playin' 'round in a fur suit." Started chucklin' to myself. Lily looked up at me wonderin' what all I was laughin' at. I told her 'bout the big foot stuff. She asked a couple of funny questions. You know when she asks em, it makes the whole sightin' sound hilarious."

We got back to work with gettin' the ground ready for whatever the Shepard was goin' to plant. "A couple day back AuroraBlue finally came out of the mine. She was a might pale from stayin' down there so long. But she was taller, filled out some.... and as pretty as could be. I think I was just standin' there gawpin' as she showed me her new knives. She made em herself. That much I could see. but she did a good job at honin' em. Then she stepped real close.... I just looked into her eyes and stood real still. Didn't want to lose the moment. It felt like an electric current b'tween us. Gravity stabilized again, then she jogged off. I wasn't goin' to chase her. Not my place to be tellin' her to stay put. She wanted to explore." Lily was starin' at me again, then she tapped the shovel with a claw to get my attention. Sort of embarrassin'.... Mind wanderin' off like that.

"Bram's been busy with a little somethin'. Been workin' on a bar. Guess he's not goin' to pilot much anymore. Seems the place is down on a lower level of Fooks basement. Not sure a bar like that'll get good visitors... More like the folks what like the shadows. Some feller showed up claimin' to be business man. Shadey sort by how he moves and acts in my own opinion. And then theres been the number of off duty soldiers comin' down now. Gorram 'laince lookin' down their noses at us. Had to hold my temper when one of em went off on their self righteous unity go'se. Just another thing to talk to Seana on. No folks aughta get that thrown at em. A good number of folk here got good schoolin' and are hard workin' people. Gorram soldiers with silver spoons givin' us go'se for it. Was all I could do to keep from sluggin' this feller... or shootin' him.

Lily and I were pretty much done with the soil. She needed to get the water feeds hooked up and the greenhouse'd be ready for use. My work was to get the rest of the little courtyard cleaned up. "Just the other day, AuroraBlue took a shuttle and reprogrammed it. She was hijackin' it.... Lily said somethin' 'bout Krenshar.... AuroraBlue was goin' back to Krenshar. Not sure what she's goin' to do there, but it must be imortant. She didn't say goodbye, didn't wave. She'd be back. When? Not sure. When she does, I'll be waitin'. it's a gravity thing. Nothin' strange 'bout that.

Keepin' Busy

2010-08-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

"Seems things can change as fast as the wind. Been everythin' from buildin's bein' built while others been torn down for new apartments." Grabbed up a bale of hay to feed the horses and cattle at the rodeo site. Someone's gotta do it. "Lot happened after we left that rim world. Had to head back... at least to somewhere where we could get a signal." cuttin' the twine holdin' the hay bale together, I took good handfuls for the hay nets. "It was time we left back to familiar territory." The horses greeted me then went to eat after I filled their nets with fresh hay. "Made contact with a friend to pick us up and take us to AL Raqis. Not the first choice of places to head to, but no real 'liance 'round in those parts. When we got there, the captain locked us in the ship for the night. Seems AuroraBlue woke up b'fore I did and got outside somehow." Had to go fetch another bale for the other horses.

"She was out wanderin' the edge of the dunes watchin' the giant worms out on the sand when I found her. Jai happened to be there and offered us a place to stay at the Zenobian embassy. Didn't take us long to rest up after a long hot day. She was startin' to burn a little fromt he sun, so I told it might be better to stay inside durin' the day and move around by night. AuroraBlue was sleepin' a lot. Coulda been the heat or her growth spurt." Had to to get the other animals fed. It's been all I could do to keep my own self busy. "After a couple of days I had to go find us some food. Most of the stuff on AL Raqis has spice in it. I knew I couldn't eat it, and I wasn't sure it was a good idea for her to either. So I spent most of a day to find some offworld food and barther for it." Took a bale of hay to the bull pens. Cut the twine and shook it out for em.

"Then while I was out there looking for more food, I got a call from the captain friend. She told me AuroraBlue came ot her and sort of asked to be flown to see Krenshar. I was about half crazed after Krenshar threatened to kill her. Had the captain rush me back to Hale's Moon. I didn't care who saw me runnin' 'round. I needed to know she was ok. When I got there Lily met up with me. She stopped me.... She never did tell me why. Just said I couldn't go get her. Not to go near her. Whether for her safety or not I didn't know. My world was wobblin'... And my friend was tellin' me stay away." Punched the fencin', crackin' the wood with my fist. Hardly felt the pain. "What she was doin' to me by sayin' that. Like askin' me to cut my own heart out. But if it kept AuroraBlue safe, I stay away."

"Made my own self busy buildin' pens and the stands while the rodeo got ready to open. Was all I could do. Work... work hard so I could fall asleep and not dream. Did what I could durin' the event too. Didn't help overmuch to ease the pain I was in."No one'd know how much I was hurtin' inside. Ain't been sleepin'. Had to resort to meds to help me sleep. Doc don't know I been raidin' her lockers for stuff... At least for now." Grabbed two more bales for the horses in the pens. "Then there's the mercs that come to Hale's Moon. Delta and hus crew. When Bram and I talked to him, he said Brooke sent him our way. Said he was being paid to look for hard line 'liance folks. Showed us the list. Now why was Nack Barnes's name on it I have no idea. Now I know Brooke. She'd never go hire mercs. I even contacted her for a confirm. Sure enough, she was gorram upset they used her name to do anythin'. She wanted nothin' to do with Delta or his crew. So I passed hte info on to Seana so she knew what all was goin' on and that Brooke wasn't involved with em."

Picked up the bales and took em to the far end of the pens. Cutting the twine and grabbin' handfuls, I loaded the feed bins with hay. "At least you all like seein' me 'round. "Pattin' em as I went along. "When the rodeo finally got under way, we had a bunch of folk come to have fun. Tried to get involved, but somehow it just didn't make me happy. Then that night.... AororaBlue won the Princess of the rodeo contest. Krenshar didn't bring her. Figures. I was there. Then he made some insane claim on Lily. She didn't b'long to anyone." Slammed my other fist into one of the metal pen supports. Didn't care if I broke somethin' at that point. "I knew she could feel what I was feelin', even the pain. Maybe she'd know I was still alive and thinkin' of her."

"Decided to build another ship. I know Seana's tryin' to get me my ship back, but til then I need somethin' to keep me busy. I thought 'bout it when I met up with Haley. A small bundle of energy all wrapped up in a beagle's body. For a short time, I had a little fun playin' withHaley while Seana caught a shuttle on down to the surface. When she got there, we talked for a bit. She's been as close as anyone can get to a parent since Duncan. Not sure I can talk to her on my feelin's right now. I know I can't with Lily now. She's too busy with other stuff. Buildin' and all for Xoxo. Speakin' of... She showed up and got on me again. She's startin' to treat me like she does Lily. Don't know if I can think of it as a compliment or not. Gorram woman."

Drivin' the mule back to the hangaafter feedin' the animals didn't do a thing for my mood. "She likes makin' nice then chews you out. Never know when she goes ballistic. But she was focused on Davion this time. Made sure to warn him 'bout her." Headed for the mines. Been a place I could go to get some quiet. I moved down deeper into the darkness where I didn't need to wear shades. "What if I climbed down deep. Farther down then I ever been. Sort of like the black but with gravity." The florescent lichens looked like stars glowin' in the black. "Maybe I'd just slip awaydown here. Was she lonely like me? Missin' me as much as I was her? Aiya, it was hard not to after gettin' a pic of her from somewhere. Found it near my bedroll in the eagle's nest. Was a pic of her sleepin' on a fur in a little indian costume. Not sure who sent it...." Needed to climb further down. Not wantin' to slip and fall. "Dark, queit, and cool... I shut down my radio. No one on the surface needed me right now. Anyone wants me, they can climb on down and find me."

Don't care over much now. "Down here I can escape the verse and all its noise and light. Nothin' but my thoughts, memories , and feelin's to keep me company down here. The gravity that holds me in place... No one else can understand, 'cept one... Far away in the verse."

Capture, Escape, and Hide

2010-07-31T21:12:00.001-07:00

"She was growin' again. Now she wass losin' her teeth. She keeps up and she'll have a few days of eatin' soft food." It did look a might strange, her front teeth were gone. "But I can see where she's got teeth startin' to come in where the others come out. That and she grew again. I had to work to pay for the clothes we borrowed, but she needed em bad. That's ok by me. Workin' in a garage was nothin' new to make some money. But the old combustion engines I was seein' were gorram sad. The whole planet was lost in the past as far as I could see. Tryin' to hide here was like over a year ago. Work and lay low. Same as b'fore."

"Seems things got a little out of hand well over a week ago. Was stayin' at the tower while I waited for Seana to bring Anna back. When I heard they were back, I headed for Seana's office. She said my little one was awake.... And in town." Got me worried someone might spot her out there. "I grabbed a shuttle and landed it. She was there waitin'. And all the time that gorram sensation was settin' in my head. It wasn't goin' away. She didn't say anythin'. Didn't matter to me, She was awake and smilin' at me. I took her to get somethin' to eat at Fooks.... but I don't r'member much of it. Like my head was somewhere else..... And Kitten. I could hear her... Like she was everywhere... Not sure. I know AuroraBlue heard it too. Kitten was sayin' she loved us.... and then she said goodbye.... It was like my head suddenly exploded. Like she pulled a plug." I wiped my hands on the work rag from my back pocket. Then leaned further over the engine to see why the rotor wasn't sparkin' the plugs.

"I woke up in Krenshar's lab. Figures. I bet he did somethin' to me while I was down. At least AuroraBlue stayed with me. She was the first thing I saw when I woke up. Her eyes were shinin' bright worryin' over me. But she was wantin' me up and out of there fast. My head was feelin' all empty and clouded. And I could smell blood... Had nose bleeds b'fore." But I knew this wasn't from a headache.... It was Kitten's force of her tryin' to tell me goodbye that did it. "We got to the tower where I could lay down for a few hours. Barely r'member settin' on the couch when I feel asleep. Woke up a couple hours later and she was asleep, curled up over on Lily's bed. I got up and washed my face and changed into some clothes Lily'd found and left for me, so I changed quick and went outside. I needed some air. Spent most of the rest of the day just watchin' the eagles flyin' on the thermals." Checked each of the spark plug wires. Nothin' looked loose or freyed.

"Seems I remember a day somethin' like that b'fore when Lily was takin' care of me while I was healin'. She'd opened the tower windows so I could see outside. There was an eagle flyin' up there. R'minded me of an old story my Pa used to tell. it was that the eagle was the messenger of the Great Spirit. It carried the words and prayers of the people to the the Great Spirit. Each day the eagle'd come down to listen and each night it would fly up and speak the words and prayers of the people. Yeah.. there was more to the story, but don't feel much like tellin' it." Nothin' wrong with the connectors, so I started removing the plugs to check the gaps and see if any needed to be replaced. " While AuroraBlue slept I sent my own prayer on with the eagles that day. It gave me time to grieve. No one needed to see me and I wanted a little time alone to do it."

"She was gone. No more whispers." Someone got hold of her... That much I figured out...."She was scared when she 'talked' to us. That much AuroraBlue and I could feel. Then she was gone. AuroraBlue woke up and found me settin' outside leanin' against the wall. She sat next to me then hugged me tight. Tears in her eyes too. We sat there for a while not needin' to say anythin'. She touched my face, looked at me, then pointed into the sky. I nodded to her knowin' we'd need to leave. Needin' to hide." Lily'd told me to be ready to go soon. Not sure when we'd have to though. "That next day AuroraBlue went to visit with Seana while I packed stuff. Thats when I saw a ship come in. Wasn't sure but it looked like Pod's ship. Hadn't seen him in a long while, so I went to check if it was him." Big mistake. I was a gorram idiot. "Didn't spot the pilot so I went to ask someone at Fooks. Thats when I caught a whiff of someone I vaguely remembered.... The Marshall from Evestown."

"No fightin', Xoxo said. She wanted me not to fight when they come for me. I didn't, but I didn't say I wasn't goin' to run. Moved fast and tried to keep the Marshall from gettin' too close. But he learned fast. Even yelled that I was bound by law. Wasn't goin' to give in. Not yet. I dove and ducked behind a post. I wasn't carryin' and here he was shootin' at me. Grazed my side. But thats not what stopped me cold. I didn't want AuroraBlue to feel my pain if I got shot bad. I let the gorram Marshall take me in." Yep a few plugs needed replacin'. Went to the cabinet where the plugs were and checked em against the old numbers. "He flew me back to Persephony. Wanted to know why all I shot him in the first place. Did it matter to him? I was helpin' Immy. She'd been there for me a number of times. I owed her. Ended up bein' left in the local jail there."

Took the plugs out of the boxes and gapped em b'fore puttin' em into place. "Took some time to talk to the sheriff there. She told me why she didn't much like the 'laince.... Guh se, she had a bomb chip in her brainpan. She did a little first aid on me then talked 'bout maybe turnin' her back while I walked out.... When I get a chance, I'm goin' to talk Doc Danick into goin' to help her. The doc dug the chip outa my own brainpan. Maybe she could do the same for the sheriff." Had to watch screwin' the plugs back in. Gorram old style ceramic. "Then Lily came in and drugged the sheriff then we left there in a hurry. Once we got back to Hale's she had me hide in her ship.... Where she had some explosives. I could smell the chemicals strong in there." The plug wires went on pretty easy. "Bram got there to take me and AuroraBlue off Hale's and far away from the system. Thought he was gone. he thought I was dead. We didn't have a lot of time to get AuroraBlue from the orbital. As soon as I had her strapped in with our gear, Bram headed into the black."

"We landed late. Was pretty dark and quiet outside of town. Bram set the ship down well away from anywhere local. I could handle hikin' into town. We talked for a a short time then he had to go. Wouldn't be good for folks to come lookin' for the strange flyin' object here. Seems they get a might spooked over that sort of stuff. AuroraBlue was asleep so I carried her and the pack out to the beach I r'membered from over a year ago. Was quiet there. Set up a place then tucked her into the sleeping bag. It wasn't long b'fore I had a small fire lit and and a spot where I could stretch out my own self." Made a check of the oil. Was down a half liter... Pints... Aiya, had to get that right.....I shook my head tryin' to get it strait. "When mornin' broke we broke camp and wandered into the small community of native Ams. This place was a lot like Earth that was. Even down to places like old time reservations. Old books talked 'bout em. Pretty sad how folks had to live there. We were greeted like family. The old story teller, more like shaman r'membered me and invited us to stay with him and his family."

Wiped down the lip of the oil feed then tightened the cap. "Felt a little like home. They were havin' some troubles with indigents and some of the young fellers were dealin' with it. To be safe they told us to stay close to town or the homes on the desiganted reservation land. They were pretty taken with AuroraBlue too. One of the kids gave her a small dream catcher. Said it was special. She looked at it with a big smile then showed me. Was god to see her happy. She went and played with the kids while I sorted out work and clothin' for her. Then I was out there with the kids my own self." Yeah, I'm big kid my own self. Had to chuckle at that. "Felt good to just by my own self. Not havin' to watch my back. And bein' a friend for AuroraBlue. She was losin' teeth.... Had to get her new shoes for out here cause the ground was cold and wet. That and a few pairs of clothes. Lucky for me one of the lady folk offered to help buy stuff that fit better on AuroraBlue. Her old clothes were gettin' too tight and small."

"We heard word of some hikers gettin' killed by a bear, or a pack of wolves. Seems this planet's teemin' with wildlife." Better then reavers, I was thinkin'. Most times fire and loud sound's'll scare em off. "We went into town the other day. One of the fellers was visitin' a friend. Seems she was in what they call high school where we got to meet a few Kids there. One girl come up and was taken with AuroraBlue. Was sort of both ways. Not sure what all that meant, but so long as she was safe and happy, that's what mattered to me. They shared their food with us then AuroraBlue was tryin' to let me know she had a headache. She had a nose bleed too. Got me real worried. I took her back home and let her rest up. Then she tore through another pair of pants. Was lucky I had a bigger shirt on her. Found a bigger pair of pants for her to change into." The nose bleed had me wonderin' if it had to do with her abilities.

"She showed me a few pics she had. One of Krenshar and one of Lily. I had to choose one. Not sure what all it menat. I chose Lily as someone who'd be there for her in case somethin' did happen to me. Krenshar, I warned her away from. She went to the old computer cortex that was in the room. Brought up a pic of Lily and Kitten. Then they were gone. AuroraBlue wavin' at em. Not sure what all that meant. I hope I picked right. Lily was one of the closest things to family, like Kitten, and AuroraBlue." She wasn't even talkin' to me in my own head of late. Got me worried. But in her own time, maybe she'll say somethin'. Just got to wait for her to decide when.

"My little one knows what I'm thinkin'. Seems we got a connection. More then Kitten or Lally had with me. It's like we can see into each other's mind. See what all's there. Feel it too. Lily said somethin' 'bout it to me. If I got hurt bad AuroraBlue'd know it.... maybe feel it too. Same with her. I think why I didn't feel her when she fell was cause Kitten had my brainpan all messed up..... No walls now." And there was a lot there. "I seen what all AuroraBlue had in her head. A lot of the past. She, like Lily, knew what all went on in the past. She needed to be able to make sense of it and I'd do what I could to help. At least for now we could deal with it while we're in hidin' out here. Where it was more peaceful. Where she could grow at her own pace. I had to try to explain 'bout AuroraBlue's growin' to my friends. They accepte it quietly, vowing to keep our secret." One of the other mechanics turned the enigne over. It started up right off.

"Lot happened for only a short time. But these last couple day's been helpin' me and her have fun as kids. So yeah, I'm older, bigger and a lot stronger, but it felt good to laugh again. To forget the verse for a while. I could see the time we been spendin' rompin' 'round with the kids and havin' a good time was helpin' her a lot too. You could see her more relaxed. Not like she was back on Hale's Moon. Here she could just be a kid and play with other kids. Took her fishin' yesterday too. She had fun when she caught a salmon her own self. She wanted to hold it up and show it off to everyone when we got back to the house. I couldn't of been more proud of her." The other mechanic drove the old truck outside while I went and washed the grease off my hands. "Yep, we ate good that night. Tonight'll be good. Seems the community on the reservation's havin' a night of stories and a big old cookout. Here we don't have to hide. The 'verse's vast. A lot of places out there. Some the 'laince just let go and forgot over the years. Leavin' worlds and moons to develope or revert back on their own. Hidin', but not out in the black."

Gravity

2010-07-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

"It's been one long night....Sittin' here on the floor in the clinic. Anna got hurt... Hurt bad." My heart was still hammerin' over seein' her all broken."Somehow things over the last few days been.... well, complicated..... Not sure if thats the right words for it. I went from bein' spun 'bout to caught in a gravity I can't escape. Like a planet settlin' into it's orbit for the first time." I signed thinkin' of it... Only a few days..."Lily was all excited 'bout her new dress... Weddin' dress. Even said she had one all picked out for Anna. She went to talk to the shepard 'bout doin' the ceremony, then told me 'bout that a few days ago.... but then things started to get gorram confusin'."

"Anna was growin' again. She'd gotten taller. Looked older too. Noticed how her hair got a little darker... and her eyes... They looked different too... Not blue... almost a golden brown.... Seems Lily'd done somethin'... She shut down... no, she severed all the feeds and conections to everythin'... and everyone. She even killed the feeds for the cortex here on the moon. Said it'd keep Anna safe. She was babblin' on 'bout stuff, but not stoppin' to explain what all she was sayin' or doin'."Reachin' over I took AuroraBlue's hand. Holdin' that little hand was like a lifeline for us both.... "That got me worked up when she said it was to keep Anna safe. Thats when I hightailed it to the mines. I knew then then my little one was not on Boros for sure, but down there."

"Deeper, I went. I could catch her scent.... Soft smellin' like a meadow full of flowers on a warm summer day.... It'd come up on the slight updrafts flowin' through the dark shafts. Didn't need much light to go by to follow it. And the sounds... like the whole moon was alive. She was down there. Took me near a whole day of climbin' to get to where all she was. She jumped out from a boulder tryin' to surprize me." Had to chuckle at her excitement and big smile, "I scooped her right up, like she was a feather in my arms. My little sunshine." We talked while I climbed back up. Sometimes lettin' her piggyback on me, sometimes climbin' with me. She told me it was a secret to be down there. That her and Lily played hide and sneak down there."

Lily..... What could I say..."She come up to me the other day wantin' me to talk to Anna 'bout stayin' out of the mines... It was all dangerous... And not for cave in's.... No... Somethin' lurked down there.... Bot's.. Warbots... And the motherbot... Lily ain't one to be tellin' tales on that stuff, so I said I'd talk to her. Of late it's been hard to say no to Anna. Who can? AuroraBlue. She decided she wanted me to call her AuroraBlue. I could still call her Anna when folks were 'round. She was right. Her name was AuroraBlue. She was growin' up. Went to talk to Seana and there was Lily... She was gettin' agitated when AuroraBlue showed up. Lily was harsh speakin' to her. Got me riled to see Lily actin' like that. I took over and started to tell her when Lily up and grabbed my lower leg... And dug her claws deep. Even hissed at me." Scratchin' my healin' wounds, I still couldn't figure what all she did it for. "Anna asked me to let her. As a compromise, I offered to go with her next time she went. Lily'd have none of it. She yelled at her and made her follow to Lily's small apartment. Said for me to stay out of it. It had me fumin'."

The echo of Lily sayin' her and Gallagher were very happy with Anna, echoed again in my head...."Lily was still thinkin' of Gallagher. My friend G..... Not 'bout her and me.... she got to talkin' to AuroraBlue.... but then my world shifted out of focus.... Somethin' had hold of me... my head was buzzin' like no tomorrow. I lost track of what all happened for maybe 'bout an hour or so. Took me a while to get back to town. It'd been happenin' of late. Like someone hangin; onto me. Wasn't all sure what it was... But it's got me bothered."

"Headed back to Fook's. Maybe Anna and Lily'd be back there. Seana was talkin' to Lily...But then I'd heard somethin' 'bout poison and hair needles... Lily had a few for emergencies. Was just happy my little one wasn't harmed. Don't know what all I woulda done if somethin' did." Thoughts of a sun goin' supernova and crushin' me sounded close...."Ended up on Fook's roof. The old Osprey was settin' there where someone had parked it. Could hear Lily and Owl talkin'. My ears can hear pretty good at distance. So it wasn't hard to hear when Lily and her got to talkin' of broken hearts."

Decided to lean back against the cool concrete of the clinic as I watched her breathin' steady. In rhythm with mine. Slow and steady. "Lily wasn't really wantin' to marry me. It was to hide her own broken heart... The one for Gallagher." I squeezed her little hand in my big one. "I knew I had to talk to Lily.... B'fore we both made a bad mistake. When Lily said she'd sent AuroraBLue to me later that day, I wasn't happy. She never made it to me. I decided to head to the mines. Lily could come or not.... Her choice. Nothin' like a good dose of mad and worry to spur you to move fast. Got deep down into the mines pretty quick... And there she was. My little one... grown a little more. She was taller. Her hair seemed a little darker then a few days earlier.... she wanted to show me her new mask..."Looked a lot like Lily. "Had to chuckle at that. It was cute. Then she wanted to show me her new dress for the weddin'..."

"She went into a side tunnel and changed.... While she did, she told me somethin' that got me real riled up. Lily took her to an adoption agency. To give her away. That was somethin' she had no real right to do. She'd have had to talk with me and Seana on that first. I told AuroraBlue, no way was I givin' her up. It hurt to even think of my AuroraBlue taken away. Lily'd gone too far this time. That was 'bout when she came out of the tunnel in her dress. She was growin' into a beautiful young lady. For the first time I was taken aback... Like puzzle peices... scattered fallin' into place. I told AuroraBlue... no, promised her, I'd never leave her. My proof of what I meant was all made up into one bracelet. Silver and gold. What all I had left of my stash went into makin' it. Put my name on it too.... Wasn't sure why I made it at first... maybe to keep my own self busy while I figured what all to say to Lily. But at that moment I knew I'd made it for her.. for AuroraBlue."

"She looked at it and put it right on. When she said she was Aurora Winterwolf, there was nothin' else. What all could I say. Bein' blind and seein' the sun for the first time. Gravity shifted. My world fell into orbit. there was nothin' else. The Sun shone beyond time itself. Her eyes were not the eyes of a child." I rubbed my eyes with my free hand knowin' it all sounded too far fetched. "Now gravity was goin' to change my life forever. It wasn't Lily. She was the hydrogen, the spark that set the Sun to burnin' so powerful. In turn it created the gravity that caught me. Stopped my spinnin' 'bout."I shook my head thinkin' of how it all sounded. "Now b'fore you go to judgin' this, you best listen careful! AuroraBlue was a baby not all that far back. She grew fast. Not like a regular baby. She could talk well b'fore most youngin's can walk. She could read through a manual as fast as me. Her growin' is part of who she is.. and will be. I watched as she grew a foot in a day. Felt her pain when she screamed as her bones stretched."

"AuroraBlue'll be a teen b'fore long. Then a grown woman in as much time. She's been workin' out information as fast as she can b'fore then. She knows she'll be older soon. It's what she's meant to be. Nothin' any of us can to do stop that growth> For now I'd be her friend and guardian. Whatever she needed me to be." I looked back up at her, prayin' she'd wake up soon. Needin' for her to. "Seein' her so still....."I swiped at the tear. "I said I'd stay with her. I meant it. What got us in this spot tonight? Like I was sayin' earlier.... I needed to talk to Lily.. to stop somethin' we'd both end up regrettin' in the end. Lily showed up in her white gown... She looked nice. But it still wasn't what I was seein' at that point. I wanted some answers.. Some truth. I'd always been honest with her. Told her stuff.... Here she was, plannin' on takin' AuroraBlue away. I wanted to hear her explain. I knew Anna was up on the roof... But not on that gorram old ship... Lily was out the door to go get her. Next thing I know She's askin' me to hurry out to help her. My whole world spun out of orbit.. wobbled in its gravity... There was AuroraBLue layin' on the ground all broken and bleedin'.. She'd fallen off the ship and landed on the ground next to Fook's. Three stories up."

I could see no changes in her as she lay there. "I picked her up like she was a fractured glass egg. Lily ran to call for help while I moved slowly with my little one. B'fore long Sentry, Yanto, and Venice showed up. They worked on her best they could... When Sentry told me how bad she was hurt.... It felt like that nova was goin' to crush the life out of me... and send me spinnin' out of control. Broken bones, damaged vertebrae, ruptured organs. Yanto used somethin' to stop the bleedin' inside. Two things mixed to help... Then she started to heal. her body was respondin'.. my world started to spin back into orbit again. Sentry scanned her again while Yanto and Venice checked vitals and wrapped her injuries. All I could do was stand back and watch. Tillery showed up offerein' any help he could too.

"Later, Lily finally decided to come and check on AuroraBlue. She was quiet and distant when she saw me. She didn't ask much... just how the cub was.... then she said some stuff. Stuff 'bout how wakin' and sleepin' you saw only that one person. Like knowin' their scent. Workin' together like night and day. all the while she was pullin' off the weddin' dress and tossin' it to the ground. Like she was sheddin' her old self for somethin new." Lily had it right. "I knew AuroraBlue imprinted on me when she was a baby. It was somethin' that no one of us had control over. It happened. But I knew she was a part of me. She was whole cause a part of my soul was livin' in her. Blue knew it. When I went into that big reactor all that long ago to get Lily... I aughta have died that day. But it was Blue who protected me. Needed me to do the right thing. I was willin' to die to save Lily. That small part of me was saved to finish the puzzle that was AuroraBlue. Lily didn't know at the time. She found out later I think. Cause then she told me."

"Gravity does some strange things. Alters tides, changes seasons, keeps the atmo around the world. The sun warms it, helps it to grow and bring new life. Keeps it stable. Holds everythin' together in the verse." And that verse just got a lot brighter.

Whispers

2010-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

"It's been a while since I had a chance to not have to hide myself. Yeah..... Gallagher's Idea. Ever since the gorram 'laince showed up and took my ship I been stranded. Then a couple of bounty hunters showed up.... Never heard em or saw em. I was tryin' to get a bead on where I could find a new hidin' spot." I sighed. That wasn't it.... "I had my guard down. But somethin' was botherin' me. Somethin' in the back of my head. Like.... I don't rightly know..... like whispers. Faint." Shakin' my head, I decided to move further down into the mine. I know she was there..... I could sometimes catch a faint scent on the updrafts.

"I was workin' on out runnin' em. Had to get away. Instinct? When your hunted you run or fight. Somethin'...... had me runnin' instead of squarin' off with em. So I did. One of had some sort of power armor on.... I could hear the whirrin' of the gears as it cought up to me. Then somethin' hard slammed into the back of my head..... Then nothin'...." Yeah, I got hit... but what the gorram hell was it? What had me runnin' instead of fightin'? I wasn't scared of a fight. Never was." Next thing I know, I got cuffs on and Gallagher talkin' to em. One of em threw a warrent at him and told him to back off. For once, G was at a loss. He read it and said he was sorry to me. I knew it wasn't his fault."

Yeah I was makin' a big humpin' mess of it, "I ended up in one of the cells. Wanted to get my hands on at least one. Flexxed my arms and saw the links warp. Flexxed again and they warped more. Thats when one of em decided to weld the cell door closed on me. Got me riled. Then they left, grinnin' over their catch..... But not b'fore one said somethin' 'bout the 'bot who set the bounty..... The only 'bot on Hale's Moon....... Krenshar." That got me. Krenshar and I had a mutual if grudgin' respect. Cause we both loved Lily." Lookin' 'round carefully, I headed for the mines again.... I was feelin' the need to go further into the mines.... to see if she was there or really on Boros.

"Lily Broke me out later that night. Blew the door off it's hinges while folks were at Firefly's. No one heard the explosion. She hid me in Bramm's place. He wasn't 'round.... He'd been gone a while. I didn't want Gallagher involved. He was a friend and I didn't want to ruin his connections and standin' with the 'liance. But he offered what help he could. Then G came up with a plan to hide me in plain sight...... Right... I stuck out like a sore thumb... Waitin' to be cut off while I hid at the Hemlock."

"First was the change of clothes..... I felt like all strange wearin' a suit..... Never liked em much. Then He told me to let my hair grow out....That and grow a goatee. He handed me glasses and a watch to add to the whole mess. I spent a few more days while workin' on tryin' to sound..... more like I was from the core. G gave me some wave feeds to practice with. Yeah.... me passin' off as a businessman... workin' for Dharma.... And sellin' ship parts. One good thing.... The 'laince didn't go into the Applecado containers that had the stuff I salvaged a while ago... Had some good stuff in em ready for sale or use for my cover. G introed me a few days back. I wasn't likin' bein' so exposed and no weapons." That was goin' to change.... I needed to get a gun or somethin'... A knife even..."Later, met up with Lily... she knew who all I was.... Even with the cologne G had me put on. I couldn't stand the stink."

"Her and I danced for a bit. Was good to be with her again. Just the two of us. Dancin'. Didn't take long b'fore someone showed up and Lily in her way tried to hide who I was. Lily had to go work that night. Finishin' the Companion house. I ended up in Firefly's bar. And there was Xoxo...." She was the one person I didn't want to see. "I kept goin' over work lists in my head when she started talkin' to me. She didn't look as well as she used to. She was lookin' tired... Worn.... We sat for a short time and talked... Shop. What else could I do.. I had to keep the work lists in my head. I knew her.. knew her abilities."

"She went for my hand, so I thought of those lists. Looked like it sort of frustrated her. She gave me her card sayin' she'd like to see me again.... Not likely to happen... Don't want to be alone with her... She'd blow my cover in a heartbeat. Too much goin' on..... I left, tuckin' her card into the borrowed jacket. I had to leave... But where's there to run, when the 'liance is in orbit and no ship to esacpe with.... Then theres Anna. I know she was in those mines. Hid way down on the lower levels...." Yeah, I was missin' my little one. She was my bright spot in all the chaos.

"Thinkin' 'bout her playin' with me and dogs down in Hemlock helped some. Then suddenly she had a growin' spurt. A bad one. Lily suggested the river up at the companion's Hotel. I climbed into the stream and held onto her so she'd be safe. It 'bout killed me to see her hurtin' so bad. It was sort of strange how when I went to touch her little face Lily was thinkin' the same thing.... Was doin' the same thing. But then Lily had to leave. Lily said there was clothes up in the office Anna could wear. Then things really changed... She had a huge growth spurt.... She grew again... Sudden like. I knew it'd happen, but not so gorram fast. Now she was bigger and screamin' at me not to look at her... I think I was more embarrassed then she was. I grabbed a towel and handed it to her behind my back. My little one wasn't so little now....."

"We made a visit to Krenshar at her request. I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but took her. The meetin' wasn't so good." rubbing my neck didn't help to ease the tension, "He wanted some of her DNA. Didn't care 'bout her. Here was the truth of it. She was whole. Fixed, by his terms. But he didn't see it. Didn't see AuroraBlue. He saw nothin' but a DNA supply....", I growled rememberin' the whole scene as it replayed in my head. "Jai was there, so was G. Krenshar didn't realize that AuroraBlue was whole. Real. Perfect. She was complete. His intent was to make a new Aurora.... But I knew he'd be makin' a big mistake.... Without a soul, AuroraBlue couldn't exist.... She'd die. Just like b'fore.... Relivin' the whole ugly mess. When Xoxo told me to find Lily that one day.... in the big reactor. And Blue saying he would never hurt me....Its when I realized my part in it..... A small part of me for a part of AuroraBlue. The last piece in the puzzle to fix her. Somethin' I don't regret. Maybe why she imprinted on me. Cause she had part of me in her."

Sighin' and movin' down further, I stopped to grab a breather. Didn't need much in the way of light, just a small set of chem sticks. "Then there's been the nightmares all over again...... Somethin'.... Not sure what all it was.... But the whispers.... Thats the only word I could put to em... Not sure why... I ain't a reader. But somethin'd been botherin' me of late.... Like somethin' bad's goin' to happen...," Deeper... Had to go deeper. "There it was again... I could hear it... All in my head. One of my nightmares.... Kitten, settin' in a chair. Her eyes wide open... screamin' but nothin' comin' out.... " I'd remember her sayin' it was bad where she was bein' trained. They hurt her.. Put needles into her arms andinto her head...." I felt myself gettin' mad. Real mad. So I started movin' faster down into the dark. Not makin' a sound.

"Anna had run off after huggin' me and sayin' thank you and that she loved me. Tore me up bad. Blue said I'd have to let go at some point. I just didn't know who.... or when. Then she was in the main Mine shaft... the main truck that led to the other parts. She asked me for the ring. The one ring Lily gave me. I couldn't say no. That ring'd been a part of me since Lily gave it to me. My lifeline to her. Anna took it sayin' she knew it was. Then she was gone... Deep into the tunnels. G and I just stood there. I couldn't move... I was numb.... Hurt... She was gone. Lily was on spice... Kitten gone." My chest was hurtin'.... not from the workout I was gettin' form bein' down here searchin'....It was somethin' else. "That whisper again..." Frownin' I stopped, tryin' to listen to it....." Lily was talkin' to me today... 'bout her shuttin' down the communications..... Everywhere in the area 'round Hale's.... Said she was cuttin' off Ardra's growth. Then Lily thought she saw Anna.... I chased her tryin' to get an answer.... She was confusin' me with what all she was sayin'. That and the gorram whisper... It wasn't lettin' up.... I told Lily I had to find AuroraBlue.... I needed to make sure she was ok. I didn't want to lose her to Ardra like I amost did with Lily."

"I was Anna's Protector. I'd die for her. And here I was all muddled with stange sounds in my head... And her down in the tunnels. Hidin' or scared... Not sure which one." I was pretty deep now. The whispers were even here. Dark and silent, 'cept for the slow drip of water from small condensed rock. "She was my Little one. Needed to know she was safe. Got to find her." The whispers still in my head, the climbin' helped me stay focused. "Nothin' else matters but findin' her.... Maybe she was the whisper. Maybe my conscience for lettin' her run off down here."Either way I needed to bring her back safe."

New Revelations

2010-06-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

"Sounds tend to carry, even down in the Hemlock. I was hearin' somethin' up by the Shadow. Couldn't see up there, but I sure could hear when the aft hatch opened. Gorram, someone was in my ship. I contacted Brooke over the wave to see if she could check into it." Walkin' outside in the dark when most folks were inside was the only time I could get outside now.... gorram martial law here. "Seems a few days later some trooper was in the bar tellin' folks they took my ship and was lookin' for me. Miya contacted me. Was her who told me what all happened. Got to watch out now.

Climbing up to the cliffs was gettin' easier. And a quicker way to skirt town without bein' seen. "Anna's been wantin' to do more of late. So I been takin' her for midnight walks along the hills just outside of town. Showed her some survival stuff while we were there. She might be small, but I know how smart she is. She picks up on everythin'. She started growin' a little too. Had to find some new clothes for her to wear. Wasn't easy seein' as how the department store was hit by an asteroid. Had to take a few pairs of clothes folks hung out to dry for their little ones. Not wantin' to just steal, I left em with some money. Hung it from the line for em."

"Then there's Lily..... She's addicted to spice.... She says to keep her small. Keep her from doin' Mindo's work. Thing is, what was his work exactly? Hell, I knew he'd had his hands in a lot of projects. Even one that he tried to get his sister to do.... One she refused. It's why Lily came to be. But Lily had more orders in her stored memory. he set her on tasks and recorded it all. Sort of like Kitten when she was chipped." I couldn't shake that somethin' was wrong.... Kitten was out there somewhere in the verse. And she wasn't communicatin'....or not able to....

My thoughts rattled back and forth over Kitten, Anna, and Lily. Family. "Anna, I knew what was goin' on with her. I was watchin' her learn and grow. Lily, not as much. She was tryin' to stay small with synthisized spice. And Kitten..... " I shook my head to try and clear it. "Now add Mister Krenshar into the mix. I think he's gone a might touched. He's been tryin' to run for sherriff. He says he's in pretty tight with the 'liance.... And that spells a lot of trouble for a lot of folk here. Somethin' else was botherin' me 'bout him.... somethin' I think Gallagher mentioned. Krenshar might be dosin' on spice too. If he is, then it's scrambled his artificial brain. Gallagher don't like it either. He's thinkin' its dangerous. We been tryin' to tell Lily that. She hears us, but she ain't listenin'....."

"Seems When somethin' happens, Krenshar has the means to fix whatever it is.... Like he planned it that way. I doubt anyone's goin' to listen though. They just want everythin' fixed. Seana is offworld. Not sure what all she had to leave for. Ain't goin' to ask either. Too many 'liance troopers movin' 'round. Looks like they even took over the mayor's office." Anna was runnin' 'round chasin' the dogs. She was movin' faster and gettin' more agile. I was proud of her. My little one was growin' up. Someday she'd be there to protect folks. "I knew more 'bout Anna, then anyone, save a few. Xoxo, Lily, Seana and a few others knew her and her origins. How she came 'bout."

"Lily told me some stuff of late. It set me back a might. Anna had a soul. A true connection with bein' human. it was the last part that was needed to "repair" her. It made her whole, and perfect. My little one. She was more a part of me then anyone will ever know. Lily even said as much.... well not in those words. But I understood for the first time what my part in Anna's life was. But Lily said somethin' else that turned my blood cold..... Krenshar was tryin' to build a new Aurora. One with no soul. He thinks she was better that way. He's insane. Maybe some cynapses failed in his brainpan. What he creates will be his own undoin', I think. No soul means no compassion or mercy. Not even for him if he gets in her way. I saw how Aurora treated him when she was alive. It wasn't good. She showed no respect. No carin' for anyone save herself."

Rubbin' my face, I could feel the tiredness creepin' in again. "Needed to stay awake and listenin' for trouble was more important of late. Sometimes Anna'd wake me up after I'd fall asleep." Seems she's started to listen while I was sleepin'. "Was her that told me of the asteroid hit. I was so gorram exhausted I didn't realize what all it was." I checked the time on the wall. Was gettin' late again. A little more time and I could take Anna back outside for a night walk and more survival trainin'."

"Lily contacted me to help with the space dome what was bein' built for the companion house. Went up there to do some weld work on the dome seals and the main platform. Took some days to do. She made sure I had a small shuttle to work from. Gorram short range shuttles. Ain't good for much but it got me back up into the black. Felt good to be back up there. Maybe when the 'liance leaves... or I get my ship back, I can get some salvage done again. Brooke ain't sent any waves. Startin' to think I'm bein' avoided. Can't blame anyone though. Anyone caught harbourin' a fugitive....." Sighin', I walked to the console to check on the radar high above Hale's. At least I could watch the air traffic from here. "While I was workin' Mister Glaze showed up. Lily went all strange when he showed. Not wantin' to get in the way of their reunion I went back to work on the welds. Made double sure everything was solid b'fore I moved to the next welding spot. When I was done, Lily asked me to follow her to one of the rooms. She said it was to check out the beds to make sure two people could lay in one."

My mind went back to the long convo we had when we lay there, "She told me a lot of stuff. Even accused me of killin' Mindo.....". My mind rewound and played the scene over again as he pulled the trigger and blew his own brains out. "I told her he did it to his own self. Told her 'bout his outfit and the strange way he was actin'. How I tried to hide the whole scene from Anna's eyes. Lily bit me cause she was so riled over it. I was a might riled myself for her not b'lievin' me. Afterward, she started to calm down and we talked. She told me 'bout Krenshar's plans for his own Aurora.... And 'bout what all he wanted. Somethin' I had hid away that he'd never find. She told me she knew everythin'..... I mean to say, everythin' from the past. Even with the reboots. She said she was still wantin' to marry me. Said she even bought a dress too. I want to marry her, but I don't know what all'll happen with her on spice. That and Ardra still bein' 'round. She even said somethin' 'bout Krenshar wanted her on spice too.... to control her? For what? Its got me bothered too. I'm goin' to have to tell Gallagher 'bout that. See if he can find anythin' out. We talked 'botu a feww more things b'fore Gallagehr found us layin' there in bed. We wasn't doin' nothin' but talkin'."

Then a few nights ago she was in the mines with me. She and I got to talkin'. I told her I might need to come down there to hide. I didn't tell her I might need to have Anna with me. I know for sure Anna'd be with me. No way could I just leave her with anyone now. Not with what was goin' on. Lily told me a lot of stuff was hid down deep... Burtied and hid well. In places most folk couldn't go. She got close to me again. I missed her bad. Lily was so ingrained in my senses. She purred as we hugged. Somethin' I missed too. Then she bit me in the neck. Two bites in near as many days..... I had to sneak into the clinic and grab some stuff to treat the bites. Seein'as I was down inthe mines more, didn't want to have em get infected. Just hope the doc don't notice I took a few things. I don't know when Lily and I'll be gettin' hitched for sure. Might have to be a quick and quiet one... Seein' as how I'm bein' looked for. Best get goin'.... Don't want to miss my walk with my daughter tonight."

Whispers in the Dark

2010-05-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

I watched as Anna climbed up on Toby's back again. Wasn't easy gettin' that 'bot dog down here into Hemlock. She was thrilled no end. "Seems like I could almost hear the sounds of Lily's diggin' in the mines. I'd gone down there to see her...... Got a gorram shock to see her too. She'd changed....." I rubbed my face then looked back up at Anna as she giggled, "There she was, small like a kid. Wirey and all wild. I caught her scent. That I know didn't change. But she was now no more'n a child her own self now." Wasn't goin' to admit how it tore me up inside. "Now Lily was a whole new entity. Not my Lily, not the Lily we all knew. Some little feral child."

"She don't really know me or anyone, 'cept maybe Xoxo... And that's questionable at best too. I had to take AuroraBlue with me. No way could Lily handle another jolt. It might foul up what remained of her original programmin'. I think if Lily were in my position, she'da done the same. Keepin' Anna safe was the most important thing right now. But for how long could I protect my little one. I knew the 'laince'd be after me b'fore too much longer. I couldn't very well take her on the run. It's why I came back to Hale's. I had an obligation and a promise to keep." Anna was tuggin' on Toby's collar like it was a set of reins. She giggled and babbled at the old animal 'bot.

"To much goin' on in my head.....And with reaver's on the increase, I wasn't goin' to leave Anna unprotected. We listened sometimes to the distant wails and screams in the darkened Hemlock." I heard em way too well. It brought with it the nightmares from my past......"I woulda gone up to help, but it'd risk Anna and my chances of stayin' hid." That and I needed to keep her away from em. "Xoxo wasn't actin' right either. She'd been actin' more and more strange. We'd got talkin' on stuff. Stuff I already knew. What she didn't know was Lily'd bit me. She was a might unsure how to take that, seein' how Lily's the PAX. I don't mean square. I mean she's been built with PAX. Seems her bite didn't effect me. Didn't change me into a reaver. For whatever reasons...... Don't know. But it got Xoxo a little worried... Saw it in her face."

"She asked me 'bout Kitten... Where all she was. I kept wonderin' too. Where all was mei mei. Not like her to be gone so gorram long and not contact me. I have to let Brooke know she's gone missin'. But gettin' a wave out could be dangerous. I didn't need Brooke in trouble over me makin' a gorram mistake." Started pacin' the floor again. Anna looked up at me with her big blue eyes, "Papa.... Wong?" Lookin' back at her, I didn't know what to tell her, "Nothin', Little one. It's ok. Nothin' wrong." I wish I coulda believed it in my own head. "I could still hear the noises in the dark. The whispers from the past. The sounds of the dead. Whenever I closed my eyes, I heard em."

Lily came down to Hemlock the other day lookin' for somethin'. I was just glad I'd takin' Anna to the bunk room to nap when Lily'd come on down. She was like a small animal. She wanted to know where HAL was. Wanted it for bargainin'.... For what I didn't know. She left when I said it wasn't down here. Barely talk to me. I knew she was not thinkin' of anythin' b'yond the here and now of it. Needed what she needed and then she moved on." Whispers.... Darkness..... Cold and lonely down there. "Darkness was supposed to be quiet. Was supposed to be where you could heart your own heart a beatin'. Instead, it was sounds of ships and people moving above us." Anna'd leaned forward and was huggin' the old dog 'bot. And as usual the old thing kept callin' her Anya. Xoxo couldn't fix that. At least she had a play toy. Not just Dog and me now.

"I'd spotted Lily that other night out playin' in the little playground. Like she always did. But then she went to the department store and stole a big old Sapphire. Hid it in her old worn and dirty coveralls. I woulda stopped her, but what good would it do. I wasn't a deputy anymore.... I'd thrown that by the wayside when I shot the Marshall at Eavestown. She run off after that. Was Lily really gone? Who was this new Lily?" I looked down at the ring a Lily gave me to hold onto. Three tears on a silver band. Whispers of who Lily was. Xoxo was able to remove it when we were trying to save Lily from Ardra. Now it's stuck like glue on me again. But then again I wasn't goin' to leave it there on Xoxo's desk. What was Lily was still in there. Maybe it' was her whispers in the dark that I'd hear when I tried to sleep at night..... when things'd quiet down above us.

Leaky Brainpans

2010-05-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

"So there I was, done cleanin' the Aldea's cargo hold. Then Lily finally showed up. But it wasn't her by much. Ardra was makin' her check systems. She wandered on past me to read the equipment. Once Ardra was done with her. she let Lily be herself again. Only then did Lily talk to me. She was becomin' Ardra's personal vehicle and puppet." Me pacin' 'round the Hemlock was startin' to make me feel caged up. "But it wouldn't be for a few days, that I'd found out Aldea was still 'hot'. The doc found me, explainin' Lily told her 'bout it. Lily told her too that I was not talkin' to her. Thing of it is, I wasn't talkin' to her cause of Ardra. Wasn't so much I didn't want to talk to Lily. I did. But when I tried Ardra'd take over and make Lily ignore me. It was a waste to even try. So long as Ardra controlled Lily, it was talkin' to a wall." I clenched my fists just thinkin' of it. I was gorram mad.

I took a mo to brush the curls away from Anna's face as she slept. The only bright side in everthin' goin' on. "Then there was the whole murder thing. Turned out it wasn't that Conan feller. It was Luscious Applemoor. Woman who lived in the upper Apartment over the office. Soon as Gallagher found out, he placed a big ol' wanted poster out. I was bettin' she already left Hale's. When she left, Lily, Bram, and Kitten disappeared. Was worried 'bout the three of em." I kneeled down to kiss my little one on the forehead as she slept peacefully. "A few days later Bram showed up. He said somethin' 'bout workin' on the ship and had trouble." I got back up and started pacin' again. From the couch to the big consoles and screens then back to the couches across the Hemlock's underground base. "Lily was back movin' 'round Hale's, then in orbit doin' what Ardra wanted her to do. So, while I was takin' the gorram treatments for the radiation exposure, Lily was sendin' word via the doc. Lily told her to tell me she was mad and went off and married Bram instead. That got me real riled up. I was ready to go and shoot someone... or mess em up real bad."

When I got back to the couch, I grabbed the old ball that was settin' on the wire spool table. Dog picked up his head waggin' his tail at the thought of playin' fetch.... Again. "That was 'bout the time I got the call from Ziggy. He said he had a job I might want in on. I told him sure. I'd had enough Whiskey to most stuff sound pretty good. What the hell.... It got me away from watchin' my 'verse spin away from me at near light speed. Or watchin' Lily collapse under Ardra's mass. If I could find a way to fix Lily I would, but I didn't know squat 'bout how to fix a genetic construct. Xoxo got hold of me 'bout the same day with some ideas and told me to look for Dr. Qui. Man had a gorram long last name. He had what Mindo needed to fix the mess. A Quantum Bus, or SQUID. Said it would remove Ardra's program and save what was left of Lily's programmin'. I had to head out anyway, so I went to Persephony. Had to meet Ziggy there. No Queen Betty at the docks meant Ziggy wasn't there." I threw the ball against the far wall where it bouced high shooting well over Dog's head as he charged after it.

He leapt up, missin' it, then chased it as it kept bouncin' 'round the floor. "Later, I saw Immy on her horse. You don't forget a horse like that. Nothin' like the roundup ponies they used on the docks for cattle movin'. She had two 'liance people checkin' her ID. I could see the flash of the card from my spot on the roof nearby. The trooper was goin' to hand it back then stopped. That got me thinkin' she might be in trouble. I could take the heat off her and onto me til she had a plan she could work out. I shot at the one in the armor knowin' it'd just push him back and send em scramblin' after me. It worked too. I fianlly had to shoot one of em to slow em down long enough for me to get to the shuttle I came in. Even with the body armor I felt the hits. Even thought I was holed. Didn't want to think of it til I reached Botany Bay. Was sure the 'liance wasn't goin' to show up there. I put a call in to Brooke to let her know where all I was goin' to be. When I landed Svet ended up meetin' me and took me over to the med center."

Dog came trottin' back with the ball all slobbered up. He dropped it at my feet wantin' to play more. I obliged him with another throw. "While Svet checked me over, Brooke, Sentry, and Dylan showed up. Luckily it was bruises and a few hairline cracks in three ribs. Dylan did his healin' stuff to help speed the healin' up. He even threatened to charge me for all the work he's done on me." The yellow Labrador chased the ball down playin' with it b'fore trottin' back with it. "I spent the night on MoonShel. Brooke wanted to keep an eye on me keep me outa trouble. I tried to sleep when I got there.... But I got to thinkin' 'bout Kitten again. Where all was she? It'd occured to me she never even said she was leavin'. That was somethin' she always tried to do. Sort of kept me from worryin'. Somethin' was wrong. I couldn't put a finger to it."

Have you seen this girl?

"Got to thinkin' Brooke might need to know. But then next mornin' no one was 'round. Gallagher was tryin' to contact me. Said he found Dr' Qui and what we needed."

"He picked me up and brought me back to the Hemlock base where we met up with the Dr. We started talkin' 'bout somethin' Krenshar got from the 'liance. The old maiframe. The one I recognized from the old power station. We got to talkin' 'bout Mercedes too. She was involved in the Ardra thing as a kid. She was part of the think tank at the time. Shortly after that, we went lookin' for the mainframe. The thing we'd put Ardra in once she was out of Lily. Ended up we found it in the mountains not far from Destiny." I threw the ball again, watchin' it bounce 'round, and Dog chasin' it happily. "Once we knew where all it was, the three of us went into Blue Sun to connect the SQUID. That and fix the damage Lily caused a week or two ago. Took a bit, but we got the stuff back up and runnin'. But things weren't 'bout to go our way. Lily sent a strange call for help to Seana b'fore cuttin' out. Somethin' 'bout Mindo. Xoxo went searchin' for her and ended up bein' taken by Mindo too. Then I got a call from Mindo.... The ring for Lily." The ring I was still wearin'. It was my link to Lily. Reminded me of her, and how I was literally holdin' what made her, her, in my hands. She'd entrusted it to me to keep it safe. Like Anna.

"That was 'bout the time Brooke had the name changed on the company. We were now called Applcado Transport And Salvage, or AT&S for short. I din't stay long. Way too much to deal with back at Blue Sun and Hale's." My brainpan was all spun 'bout again. I looked back at my daughter. She was the closest thing to bein' a part of me as Kitten was. She was sleepin' peacefully after playing with Dog all afternoon. "Next mornin' I got a call from Mindo....He sounded real strange..... Called from somewhere tellin' me to meet him at the Mayor's office. He kept insistin' he was Xoxo when I talked to him. From the vid I could see he'd died his hair red, was wearin' makup of all things, and earrin's. He'd gone completely nuts from what all I could tell. Said he and Anna would meet me at the Mayor's office. When I got there, I was at a loss for words."

"He was wearin' a peiced together outfit from Xoxo's own clothes.... Was I really seein' him dressed in a skirt!?"

I picked up the drooly ball, lookin' at its worn dull surface covered in dog slobber. Not sure what I was lookin' for. Somethin' in the mix... somethin' I mighta been missin'. Dog waited patiently for me to throw the ball again. That ball was like Mindo. His thoughts bouncin' round randomly in his brainpan. like the way the ball bounced off the uneven stone walls here in the Hemlock. Mindo. "I asked Seana to help me understand why she was playin' along with Mindo actin' like Xoxo. Was I missin' the joke or somethin'? I wasn't findin' it funny. He went on sayin' Mindo wasn't really bad, but he needed to be stopped. He also had my Anna. She was glad to see me as much as I was to see her safe. How he got her was beyond me. I was just glad she was ok."

Findin' a new place to bounce the ball off of, I hurled it. Dog in hot pursuit. "Mindo had a headache. Seemed it was gettin' worse from what Seana saw of it. He was complianin' of one then near passed out. Seana got to him and helped him onto a beanbag chair. While he slept, Anna tried to tell me and Seana where Xoxo and Lily where. Then he woke back up and we had to play at him bein' Xoxo again. He said he'd show us where Xoxo was and led me outside with Anna in tow. We got out into the street b'tween Firefly's and Jai's office when he stopped and turned 'round. I think there was some confusion on his face. That's when he said goodbye to Anna and me, pulled a gun from the wasitband of the skirt he wore, and put it under his chin. I knew then what he was goin' to do. As quick as I could, I scooped Anna up off the ground, my hand shieldin' her eyes from it. Gorram.. he was goin' to do it.... I moved away as quick as I could. That's when he pulled the trigger. We both jumped at the report. I stopped. lookin' over my shoulder, not sure whether to believe what he did or not. What I saw stopped me cold. Mindo layin' there, his brianpan leakin' from the hole he made. He'd ended himself. It left me stunned until I felt a small hand tuggin' on my collar. Next thing I knew Anna was pointin' into the sky with her little hand and sayin' somethin' that sounded like reavers. I asked her if it was and she nodded."

I rubbed my neck feelin' the tension there again. I could still hear the report of the pistol in my head and Mindo's lifeless body on the ground. Seein' someone endin' themselves made me feel queezy. "I ran back to The Mayor's office carryin' Anna and callin' Seana 'bout Mindo and the incomin' reavers. Once inside Seana sealed the buildin' with blast doors to wait it out. We figured out where Xoxo was with Anna's help while we waited. It'd have to wait til the reavers were gone b'fore I could get to her ship and go after Xoxo on Blackburne. Oh how the memories flooded back in. Ones I didn't have time to take care of. Time was runnin' out for Lily, and maybe even Xoxo. Without Xoxo we couldn't fix Lily. I got there and found Xoxo tied out to a dead tree. She asked where her brother was..... I told her. 'Showed' her from what I saw. We got back to Hale's as fast as we could. She was mostly in shock the on the way back. When we landed I got her some water and had her sit. She was exhausted and weak. Sickly was all I could think of when I looked at her. She ended up fallin' asleep so I put her up in the AT&S office upstairs."

I chucked the ball hard across the Hemlock, maybe a might too hard. It bounced off the welcome area glass, leaving a big dirty smear. "Next day she was yellin' at me for messin' up the placement of the SQUID. Ended up havin' to fix that, run wires to the old mainframe, and makin' gold foil for the floor in the lab. All to stop Ardra. In short I was Lily's replacement as a gofor for Xoxo. The scanner on the wall was linked to Lily. We could see what all was happenin' as Ardra started fightin' with Lily for control. Watchin' Lily slowly bein' overwritten...... I knew it was gettin' bad. But when Xoxo said she was sorry we were losin' her, I was feelin' my own inner world bein' torn out of me. I think Xoxo was payin' me back for tellin' her 'bout her brother. She knew it was tearin' me up inside. Her Jab at me. Then she showed me somethin' else. A coin..... Gave it to me. Told me it was mine." The one that had who I was on it. A lab coin. Just like Kitten's. Like the other experiments out there. Don't rightly know how she got hold of it or why she had it.... Don't know if she'd ever tell me either."Made me feel downright sick at my stomache when I saw what it was. My brainpan was ready to shut down if I didn't get back to focusin' on what needed doin'."

"Then Xoxo reminded me of what she'd said a few days earlier. Ardra was addictedd to spice. The pure, refined stuff. That maybe even Lily was addicted too. She had me send out a gorram rumor 'bout Global Pharm wantin' to have their shipment checked for purity. They were sendin' out a big shipment to Blue Sun to run the tests and it was from a new source. Not Al Raqis. It got me thinkin' back on why would a computer'd be needin' highly refined spice. And how could it be addicted to it. But Xoxo saw it. even got a hold of a bunch of bags from the Ardra source."

Ardra Takin' in pure refined spice on a continuous feed. For what reason?

"Xoxo'd grabbed a few pic's. This one and one of what the pure spice looked like... Near to bein' a pure crystal.... And gorram dangerous too. I contacted Brooke and told her what Xoxo told me to say. But this wasn't over. Now I was wantin' to know what a machine needed with spice. Or was Ardra just a go b'tween for someone or somethin' higher up the food chain."

Dog got the ball decidin' I was gettin' to rough with his toy and took it to his basket. "Took me all night to make that gold foil, lay it out on the lab floor, make it look like the floor with conductive paint, then hooked it up to the cables. That way when Lily wouldn't know what she was standin' on. Next mornin' Jai and Xoxo came into to the office, followed by Gallagher. We all waited for Lily to finially show up. She wanted the spice for Ardra. When we didn't give her what she wanted, she offered a blastomere, then demanded to know the new source. The jihar, she called it. Whatever the hell that was. Maybe it meant the source of spice." I went back to pacin' the floor. Dog wagged his tail every time I went by. "She stepped on the foil in her need for us to answer her. Then she stopped dead in her tracks halfway across the painted floor. We all waited to see what'd happen. Includin' Blue. Then she wasn't Ardra's Puppet.... No more Ardra. But not quite Lily either. What came from it was a clean slate I suspect. Ardra was now scrambled and in the old mainframe. Xoxo had me go unhook the the cables, which I did.... Barely able to think... Knowin' the Lily I was used to wasn't goin' to be there 'cept in a ring...... I wanted to say somethin' to her.... ask her to remember....... But Blue stopped me.... Said it was Lily's choice. Out of respect for Lily I had to step back and allow her her right to be. Had to bite the inside of my lip to keep from sayin' somethin' or doin' anythin'. "I handed her the ring with the strand of hair wrapped 'round it. She unwound the hair then looked at both. The ring she set on the desk. The strand of hair she put into a little glass jar. She'd made her choice. I just hung my head. Still not sure what all happened. Like Lily askin' me to choose. I chose, not what I wanted from her, but what we all recognized and loved 'bout her. What I fell in love with 'bout her."

I stopped my pacin' to sit next to Anna. She needed me to watch over her. It's what I needed to do for her and Lily. "I'm still all spun 'bout. Been hard to think strait and deal with the now. I had to go back to the lab. I had to get the ring... needed to take it... Somehow felt wrong to be without it on. I'd picked up the roll of gold then stopped to look at the notes Xoxo scribbled in Mindo's notebook.... Then I tucked it into my shirt and headed back for the Shadow to drop off the roll f gold. I tucked the coin in under console with some weld tape. The notebook went with me to the Hemlock so I could try to read some of the chinese... or get it translated somehow." Then I'd find a place to hide it too. Someplace well out of the way for safekeepin' til I could get myself back on track.... and my own brainpan wasn't so gorram messed up.

Changes

2010-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Walkin' round that big firefly Lily parked out at the langin' area didn't make me feel any better. I was goin' to miss my little one. I frowned, pickin' up a discarded peice of equipment and takin' it back to the toolbox in the cargo area. "Lily's been gone for a while now. I'm gettin' mighty worried where she went. Ardra's got her. Makin' her do stuff even she's probably not likin' much." I tossed the tool into the box, lookin' down at it. Thinkin' that's what might happen to her once Ardra's done with her. Usin' the toe of my boot, I closed the toolbox. The sound of it echoin' in that big empty space.

"Lily'd been Actin' strange.. well, moreso, since that gorram program took over. So I asked Seana to watch Anna. Keep her safe... from Lily." Rubbing my eyes, feeling the pain behind em. Not from headaches, but from frustration. "Gallagher sent a message last week to that Conan feller to get out of town. Our main suspect in the deaths of those folks. No one's seen him since. But where's he gone.... and how many more bodies he got stored for ealvin' b'hind is anyone's guess. Questions. Lots of em. Then there's Brooke. She's lookin' into the daeth of a brother she never knew she had. Seems he was a slaver. Maybe traded bodies off at the Necronom station. Or maybe sold those poor souls off as harvestable organs. That was twenty years ago Maybe, just maybe he got what he deserved. Lurn shwei jah jwohn...."

I sealed then picked up the old battered toolbox to put back in the cabinet. No sense in havin' loose tools floatin' 'bout in zero G. "Then there's Xoxo...... We w nt to Necronom, and that wasn't a real fun evenin' either." Shruggin', my mind raced back to that night Xoxo and me decided to head to one of the Umbrella corps labs.

"Was floatin' in orbit. Big ol' round thing with the symbol painted on it an big as you please. Xoxo found the entry and got the door open for us. Can't say as I liked it overmuch. Was so bright, my visor tintin' was at near full, that and the sound. Even with a gorram helmet on, the sound was piercin'. Scans lined the walls showin' who all knows what. I bet Xoxo knew.... We went to an upper level where we found a couple of containers of... well.... one I did recognize.... the twin babies Lily was tryin' to hide some time back. A couple others had organs in em. There was one, marked for Lily and me..... Xoxo called it a blastomere.... some sort of genetic material for makin'...... well, I don't want to know what." Closin' the cabinet, I rested my head on the cold metal. "Where was Lily at. It got me worried where all she is.... what's happenin' to her..." I looked back up at the old barrels, layin' empty in the corner. Walkin' over to em, I grabbed one up to drag outside.

I sort of felt like those barrels. Left on the wayside. Seems I been tryin' to hold together somethin' I know I can't. Things change. I changed too. "I ain't no kid anymore. Since takin' care of Anna, I started realizin' that. Responsibilities. Me... "I chuckled at that, "I was never the responsible one b'fore. Not 'til that night the reavers come. That's when things changed... started to change... Now bein' a sheriff's deputy, bein' a Pa, and maybe even a husband." The barrel clanged when I set it on the ground. I walked back up the ramp for the second one. "I don't know. "'Til Lily gets rid of Ardra though, I don't wanta think of gettin' hitched. I love Lily, but not with someone controllin' her."

The second Barrel went pretty much the same. A sorry soundin' clang sounded from it, "I can wait... and hopin' Lily'll be Lily like she was. I told Xoxo I was gettin' worried 'bout it. All she said was it might already be too late. If thats the case...No I ain't goin' to think of it." My fingers clenched around the edge of the barrel, maybe graspin' at it for answers. "Xoxo and me had a talk... Maybe not what I wanted to talk 'bout, but it was more'n I ever did 'bout my family." I swallowed hard. Even now the sounds and smell came creepin' back up from the black pit from the past. "I got to talkin' 'bout Lally, not kitten, but my baby sister. The natural reader. Sickly as she was, she knew stuff. Knew the night the reavers came." I could hear her scream across the yard on that too quiet a night...."Got us up when they got to the ranch. Then all hell tore loose. Then there was nothin'...."

Slowly, I let go the barrel and went back for the third one. "I was runnin' to get to Lally at the porch where she was.... Then the sound that set off the barn, turnin' it into kindlin'...Then there was nothin'." I stopped at the cargo bay, door grippin' the side of it. Maybe, that's why I had a need to go back. To say I was sorry for not gettin' there in time to save her. My responsibility.... "Was up to me and Cory to make sure Kitten and Lally were safe. Changed in the blink of an eye."

"Xoxo , Like Brooke, asked me to look into things. See what I could find out on, one, Mercedes Celestalis. And, two, on the organ/ slavery thing. I wasn't sure what all I might find. I had limited resources. G knew more on who to 'talk' to then me. He knew some of the back doors into and out of the 'laince secrets. I only know 'bout the organ stuff from Jai. She told me some on it. That some of the Blackburne residents were prime for the pickin' after the reavers. Both for organs and experiments. Maybe some of those bodies left 'round were neighbors...." I stopped in my tracks halfway to the barrel when that thought hit me. Somethin' I needed to ask Gallagher 'bout. "As to Mercedes? Jai told me stuff 'bout her. Like she had some of my DNA... not sure from where or when.... Maybe when I got took by the 'liance a while back. I didn't want to know what she was doin' with it. I didn't know if I shoulda said somethin' to Xoxo 'bout it. I couldn'ta stopped it any more'n a flea could hold back a flood."

"Jai knew stuff. She found out 'bout the IDs that were found on the derelict ship that was found a while back... with a fraction of the bodies. She told me some stuff that could be part of the link to some of this whole mess with the bodies, and the organ ring." I finally got to that last barrel, starin' down into the empty openin'. Feelin' like it was goin' to swallow me. I picked it up and set it next to the other two. The clang resounded off the other two, makin' my own ears ring. "I asked Dylan the other night to keep an ear out for anythin' on Mercedes. So at least I can offer somethin' to Xoxo...." Seein' her the other night had me bothered. She was more of a shell of herself. In one day she looked weak and tired. Like Lally did all the time. She Told me Mindo was still unconscious. That it was Mindo who forced her into bein' a test subject. That she ran from the last one Mindo had for her..... But Mindo was also the key... The key to a lot of locked things... A lot of dark things maybe he aughta never had played with. He was Pandora..... and he opened the box and played with it."

I went back inside the ship, still feelin' like I was bein' watched, "He might be the only one to put things back inside and lock it up. Xoxo needed help, so did Kitten.. Kitten bein' missin' has got me thinkin' either she run off again.... or...." I stopped that train of thought cold. "Bram, now Kitten and Lily. At least I had an idea where Gallagher went to. He had stuff to be tested in the core. I can't abandon my post here while the sheriff's gone. Again.... responsibilities. A cold hard knot layin' in my belly like a rock. People I care 'bout, and folk that depend on us." I slammed' a fist into the bulked, not realizin' I dented it badly. It was gettin' harder to focus. Changes... I could feel it.....

Time Tickin' Down...

2010-04-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

((Ok folks, if you weren't here for the rps, then you can't use the info in this blog. Sorry 'bout that. But you can ask 'round to those in the know. If there's anythin' I missed or made a mistake with let me know so I can fix it.))

Somehow I aughta be more excited.... Well I was. Lookin' out the window of the old lookout tower on the hill, I watched folks movin' by the landin' area.. Watchin' em go in and out the welcome buildin'. "Seems I was worried 'bout askin' the question to Lily. I was... My palms were asweatin'. Told her how I felt and all. I got down on one knee, Asked her to marry me. All she could do was stare at the ring I got her. Big ol' diamond. Got it while I was doin' a little side trip to get some minin' done for Jai. She said she'd be thinkin' on it. She needed time to decide.... Time, I could wait on her. It didn't take too long later b'fore she come screamin' back at me sayin' somethin' 'bout me shrinkin' her down to shove into my heart... Not sure what all got into her to be sayin' that to me.... Got gorram confusin'. Somehow got me riled too. I was feelin' hurt.... Didn't even think to ask her why she got that idea, 'cept she said the Doc said somethin' to her.... I'd have to talk to that doc later"

Settin' down on one of the wood chairs there, thinkin' of what to do. Time was not helpin' over much. "I love Lily. That much I can't get out of my head. We been through a lot together. Then she gone and done somethin' I'm real worried 'bout. She got a new program inside her... Her friend, she says. Somethin' 'bout that program got her to wantin' to scare if not kill some woman by the name of Mercedes Celestalis. The woman worked at NVI, from what I gathered. I been there a few times. Gorram scarifyin'." Rememberin' the place made my spine crawl, even to makin' me shake for a mo. It was gettin' late from the time on the wall.

"Yeah, I was all angered, b'tween Lily all scared of me and me fearin' for Anna, I had to go do somethin'.....Maybe it was all wrong timin' or somethin' not in my karma.... who all knows. Gorram gravity kicked out as I was tryin' to get to one of the datastream consoles. I was needin' info on this Merecedes.... I know Jai said she mighta been involved with organ stealin', and takin' folk from Blackburne 'round the time of the reaver attack... Maybe just maybe.... "My brain pan was startin' to pick up speed. Time sped up while my mind chewed on the info and questions. So many what ifs....... There could be folk still alive from that attack... Maybe even family...... if.....

"When the gravity cut out, it tossed me into the datastream of Necronom.... Don't ask me how I survived. I don't gorram know my own self. From what Kitten said, I was floatin' there nice as you please. I could feel my nerves afirin' and janglin'. It had my brain pan goin' wild. Don't even know how much time passed while I was in there. Don't know what all happened after. I just know I woke up in the clinic at Al Raqis. Kitten and Dylan were there. I got a big feelin' Dylan did some heain' on me too. Nerves were still feelin' like that were on fire for days....."Sighs, watchin' folks head for Firefly's, "When I got up and sat in a chair, I was contacted by.... Not sure how.... By an Ardra drone. It tried to play conscience with me. Not like I don't already have my own demons. But I got to talkin' with it. No one else could hear it but me."

Seemed real strange it wanted to talk to me... But there mighta been somethin' in there..."It said that it was conveinient for Lily to be so acceptin'. That bothered me.... A lot. Then there was info that Barbosa, the feller I had to buy Lily from was plannin' on cheatin' Blue Sun. He sold the contract to Merecedes too.... The huen dahn was playin' a real dangerous game.... But this here drone was tryin' to ask me 'bout free will on top of it all. Got me real bothered. Seems it was tryin' to get me to think mei mei was playin' me for a puppet. Maybe hintin' that Ardra was doin' the same to Lily. But somethin' else.. It said somethin' 'bout the fact Mercedes is not as important as Mindo is to Blue Sun, if somethin' happened......" Gritted my teeth at what they done to all those folk they hyjacked into storage boxes. " Somehow I was gettin' the feelin' I was bein' led down the path to talk to this Mercedes. Don't know if I like it over much. "Yeah, I wanted to do somethin', Wanted to deal a real hurt.... Maybe for all the hurt me and Kitten had to endure.... Time don't always heal everythin'....."

Some folk were headed towards the Bar... Good thing too, "Found a couple more bodies.... Posed and out in the open. Like someone tryin' to make em into some of those fancy sculptures.... Had to seal em b'fore the smell attracted animals into town.... causin' an even bigger ruckus. Don't need no one gettin' mauled while headin' to the market...." Sighin' I rubbed my neck, feelin' all tensed. "Somehow, I ain't even feelin' like myself. Lily wasn't all too right today. She'd been soundin' downright different.... Her gettin' all angered at the doc today and kickin' at doors and such.. That ain't Lily. And the fact that after her tellin' me to get Anna away from her while Ardra was 'round... then today sayin' she wants Anna to meet Ardra. I won't have none of that. Even Anna don't want to be 'round Lily right now either. She been scared enough to tell me "bad machine". At first I didn't get it, but now.... I'm gettin' real worried for Lily. Here eyes even changed.... Gone from yellow to brown. Got me a thinkin' somethin's bein' changed' in her. I just hope Ardra ain't makin' Lily change over... It'll kill her... And that's what I'm fearin' 'bout. But how much time does she have?"

"Got to tell Seana, warn her that her Lily, ain't the same now.... Not like she was... Since Ardra come to stay. More like her takin' over Lily and pushin' her out. Somethin's got to be done, but what?", frownin' I got up from the chair, went on down to the door. "I was startin' to wonder if I'll have to hightail it out somewhere with Anna to keep Lily from findin' her. I made a promise to protect Anna with my life. Her and Lily.... but I don't know what to do for Lily, or how to get Ardra out of her.... It's killin' me as the program changes the woman I love. But I also got a commitment to a little child who's more important then anyone knows. A child who's part of my life. I know I'm goin' to have to make a descission, and time's runnin' out...... I love Lily with all my heart, but Anna's a part of me. She's my little one."

Leavin' the tower, I shut down the lights and walked slowly toward the bar, feelin' the pain inside me with every step. Time is against us right now...... Tickin' away with every step, every breathe.... Every heartbeat.....

Catchin' up with the family

2010-03-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Putting together all the salvage was a bigger job then usual. "It's been near two months now. Had a couple of jobs to do. Salvage for me and Brand. First of em was a smaller haul. Which was good for us. We needed it. That and I needed a little distraction. I knew it was gettin' close to Lily up and leavin'.... Did a lot of thinkin' durin' that time.... Well since Anna come into my life. Little one, I sometimes call her. Curls and big blue eyes.", I chuckled just thinkin' of her doin' the Rawr thin'.

"Lily can't know 'bout it, I been told. So I did. I kept it quiet. Had to for Her safety and sanity. But I had to do somethin'. I didn't want to lose Lily. Took a lot for me to get up the courage to ask Seana for Lily's hand. I had a ring I even made." Could even feel it layin' against my chest on the chain. I sighed touchin' it. When she was ready, I'd give the ring to her. Walkin' back to the pile of boxes, I checked the list then checked the last of em off.

Frownin' at the last box, I sighed thinkin' of how I'd shove it into the container, "Brooke disappeared only to put out a call for help... She was on Al Raqis. Found her in the bar there. No one 'round, Beat up bad. Got me real riled up as I lifted her, takin' her to the clinic there. Ended up puttin' a call in to the doc there. We got a medic, Anythin' at this point was a blessin." The crate was not that heavy, but the aches were a little agrivatin'. Was able to get the box up and inside.

"Ember came to the call, 'long with Bram. Em did her stuff and found out who did it. Brooke warned me to watch out for Wind. Seems he was gunnin' for me", Chucklin' I had to shake my head. He was out to get me... again... How many times this make? "Bram got Brooke back home while I took care of some other things what needed doin'. The there was visitin' with Anna, chasin' her through the fair too, Hehehehe. Seana's been a real big help while I been so busy.... and keepin' her out fo trouble, while I been dealin' with Kitten and her moods of late..... and Lily.... I'm gettin' real worried over when she's thinkin' of shuttin' down."

"One day a few weeks ago while we were finishin' moving furniture to the new buildin's what were finally opened for use, Lily up and told me it was her last night there.... Gorram tore me up inside knowin' what she was plannin'. But strangely I knew too, where she was headed. Of all folks Svetlana contacted me.... Wanted to know what all was goin' on with Lily." Breathin' in, wipin' my face, I looked once more at the cargo container. Puttin' down the list, I closed and locked the door."Went to Botany Bay a day or so b'fore the whole thing went down with Lily."

There's nothin' like havin' to wing a plan as best you can. Sometimes it's all anyone can do, "She left me standin' there. The ring settin' in my pocket, my heart in my throat, and feelin' the pain as she run off. I grabbed Bram and Kitten, hauled ass to get to Botany Bay b'fore she got sold to anyone. I had to speak to the feller what was interviewin' her. Managed to do it through the comm system. Said I was there to get Lily back. Needed to. For her's. Anna's and my sake.... "Sides, I made a promise to Seana to get her back.... And to Krenshar to make things right." It'd be a promise that'd cost Lily most of her memories to to get Anna (AuroraBlue) into her arms, and finish what needed doin'. Resetin' to restore the balance. Was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do...."

My mind went back to that moment...."I'd knelt down, pulled of my spacesuit helmet. Used the suits to hide who we were. Had to say a few hard things to Lily too. Tore me up inside to say em too. But Was able to get her back. Even talked to Blue 'bout what I was doin'.... He didn't like it overall but knew I was willin' to end myself to protect Lily and Anna. To give em somethin' more normal.. to be a family", Shook my head feelin' the ache there, "Then as Lily stood there and me on my knee, I proposed. I meant my words. Didn't ask it lightly either. I gave her the ring. While she stood there stunned, I grabbed her foot... Even as she said 'Yes', I'd already started the shutdown process....." Takin' in a slow breath, stll feelin' the heartache, "Picked her up[ off the deck, carried her to my bunk and brought her home... Gallagher was there to guide us home, cause I was too unfocused at that point."

"Seana was waitin' for us, sheparded us to a place where I could lay Lily down. It's where I set Anna/ AuroraBlue on her lap and restarted her. Lily sort of knew us.... Sort of. Anna at least is with her momma. What it was for. I still love Lily. That ain't changed. I love the little one too. Family. What's more important then that?.... Kitten and I been arguein' for a few weeks. Her and Bram been buttin' heads too. But we talked for the most part and got it sorted. She's family. Yeah... My family's real unusual, but I don't much care. It's what makes us one."

As for the latest? Brooke callin' us in on a murder scene she come upon.....Been doin' a little minin'... Oh and won a cage fight.... Immy, Gabe, and Ziggy.... Almost went down my own self.... After the whoopin' I took.. But I walked with the purse this week.

(Ok folks, if you were 'round for any of this stuff, thats ok. If not you can't use it as IC knowledge, so please respect that. Thanks for stoppin' by for the read. If I missed anythin' let me know I'll ammend it ;) ))

A New Chapter in the Story

2010-02-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

I looked out the cockpit window feelin’ tired. “I got a call from the Blue Sun office sayin’ Somethin’ was left for me there….. A blanket and a nest….. All I could think of was Lily…… I went down into the Mines…. Musta fallen asleep….. Woke up to Xoxo yellin’ at me….. Said I needed to head to the old relpicant order power core…. Wait for her there.” I rubbed my chin, then my eyes. “I waited…… Then Xoxo came…. And Lily….. Lily had to shut her friend down for a short time. While everythin’ played out how they aught to’ve been the first time. I don’t know if I had much part in anythin’ but getting’ in the way….” There was the small pile of ruined curcuit boards. The EMP pretty much destroyed the equipment in the Shadow.

“Then it was over. Lily was gone. Then Xoxo handed me a note….. I read it and did what was asked of me. Had to make a distance flight….. then had to head back to the Drift. Kitten…. She sent me a wave…. Up out of the black. She told me Lily was ok…. But I saw her get taken by the core…..” Diggin’ into the Cockpit console, I pulled another dead board. This was startin’ to get frustratin’. “I hid for days. But I knew I had to let Brooke and Dex know I was ok, I just needed time. There were other thing’s needin’ my attention. I didn’t have enough time to deal with my grief……Spent a few nights tryin’ to make contact with someone ‘bout this packet what needed delivery. I did….. finally. But it was a hard thing to do….. You hang onto somethin’, you start thinkin’ you don’t want to do the delivery……. “ I frowned at the growin’ pile of stuff I was needin’ to replace.

There was goin’ to be a lot of salvagin’ to find what I’d need to make all the repairs. “Desmond, come ‘round a couple odd days ago. He found Gallagher’s brain. Then Lily and I had to get Diesel and knock him down. We both got beat good in the process….. But we got the gorram ‘bot. Desmand took care of puttin’ the brain into the bot….. Who knows how Gallagher’ll take it. One thing down…. How many more were waitin’ to happen…..” Pullin’ open another panel, there was more dead ‘lectronics to rip out. I sighed unhappily. I hated bein’ grounded.

Throwin’ down the last panel board, I slammed the main colsole with my hand, “I went back to make sure….. Had to deal with a few things……Xoxo was back on me ‘bout stuff… Not unusual for her. Seems she can find somethin’ to give me grief over most times. I decided to head for the last place of peace of late. I was too tired to be flyin’….. The mines. Went down there to be left alone……. It’s where Kitten and Bram found me….. Don’t remember much of the convo…… Then later, I was hallucinatin’…….. Lily on a white horse….. in the mine?...... Now I know I was seein’ things.” Getting’ up, there was a lot more panels to pull and rip electronics out of. “Last couple days been havin’……. To deal with whether it was a dream or a hallucination from lack of sleep and not eatin’….. Then there’s been the waves……. Short bursts only…… But I knew who and what they were……. Knew all too well……. Damn Xoxo……”

"Then Kitten was startin’ to act strange…. Yeah… I know, she’s not right…. But there’s a difference…. And it ain’t good. She’s been eatin’ worms… Testin’? Some sort of test she’s bein’ told to do. And she’s got a chip in her head too now…. Dylan found that out…. He’s a reader who can sense stuff like that….. Then Kitten was activated…. Started with blind sidin’ me. I don’t know if Gallagher went after her, but he was there when I come ‘round….. Then it was Brooke, Bram and me tryin’ to get Kitten and kill the chip in her head….. We set the small EMP off in the Shadow…… I knew we’d lose evrythin’ inside… But better that then Kitten killin’ everyone….. Chip was dead, but her objective wasn’t….. Gorram painful too..... Got bit and kicked……. Then she got my pistol…… I don’t remember too much after…. As for body armor?.... It don’t hold up well at point blank…. Woke in the clinic. Seana patched me up…… Then Brooke, Dex and their friend come in…. With Kitten…. They got her… But it was lily what shut the controls down on her……. And Jai was there too…..”

Not a good thing to do.. set off an EMP inside a ship. Kills everythin’. “Now Dex’s missin’… Brooke’s real worried….. Lily’s startin’ to become human….. She don’t believe it though…… Kitten’s fightin’ with another reader what showed up….. She knows her……. Then last night…….. Lily’s tryin’ to say she’s cuttin’ me lose…… And goin’ to get fixed by Krenshar….. more like dismantled…… I couldn’t let that happen….We had a discussion in Seana’s office….. Didn’t go too well……Was getting’ real riled over Xoxo and her rules….. Kept tryin’ to tell Lily to hold off from destroyin’ herself. Just a little longer……. That’s all I was askin’ for….. A couple days…. Just that…….. I said somethin’ Maybe aughtn’t’ve…. Ra ra boo….. It was all I had left to offer Lily….. Most like, Xoxo’ll have me ended for it….. I don’t care much…… If Lily’s gone….. and the future waitin’ on what I can’t give now…….” Somethin’ rattled ‘round in my head after that……. A mother and daughter readin’ their book...... together……… Its a story….. still bein’ written….

A Flower named Liy

2010-02-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

I leaned back against the cargo container, lookin’ at the huge pile of sand….. gorram sand…..” Couple days back… things were different. I just got back from one salvage job, was getting’ ready for the next. Decided to go to the dancehall, see who all was there. I was hopin’ Brooke was there so I could tell her the second container was ready for bein’ sold. I saw…..Lily…. All dressed pretty….. Hid her ears… Cause someone said somethin’ unkind.”

Ran a shakin’ hand over my face. It hurt to think right now….”We danced close…. Smell of her her scented hair…. I love her. She said she wanted to sleep with me in the new ship I got fixed up…… She climbed into the top bunk…. Said it’d be like a sleep over… She asked if I was goin’ to sleep in the lower bunk….Yeah, I was. I got a lot of respect for her. Always will.” My head was startin’ to hurt bad…. Another migraine…. Ain’t had one in a real long time….

Closin’ my eyes, I couldn’t stop the pain…. In my head……. or my heart. “Next day, was work…. Sorting more salvage b’fore I headed out….. Heard Brooke and Dex’s shuttle comin’ in, so I went to talk to em… Got to see the new K18 security system. Bot dog….. But somethin’ more….Then Lily come back…..She was real upset ‘bout somethin’…….That’s when the ‘verse started to collide for us……” Time… runnin’ out like sand blowin’ in the wind….

Jai was there and saw…… Saw her just layin’ there on the floor…….”Lily said a jar with a brain got stole….. Was Aurora’s……It was taken from Lab 81…..,” Time was slim….. Lily…… “We tried talkin’ to that gorram bot what was in the offices… was ‘bout as useful as headache….” Like the one splittin’ my brainpan…”Then there was Blue. He was tellin’ us what to do… He wanted the brain…. Keep it away from Mister Krenshar at all costs or something worse then b’fore was goin’ to be made….. Had to find who stole it first…. Turned out to be Mercedes…… Jai nearly got ended by Lily.. She was so angered…….Then there was somethin’ that Jai said. Somethin’ ‘bout Mercedes sendin’ it somewhere… We had to track it down…. Or grab it b’fore Krenshar could do anythin’ with it.”

“Talked to Vegas… Said he’d help us….. At that time we had a day and a half……Then Blue started testin’ Lily and me…….’lectrified fences… Gorram…..We found AuroraBlue’s book sittin’ on one of the rooms. Thoth, Miya, Vegas, Lily, and I looked at the story book on the table where AuroraBlue’s picture lay on one page. There was Lily’s little book filled with Sanskrit too. I only seen a pic of it durin’ a cortex tour my Ma showed us durin’ schoolin’. It was a copy… I closed it and gave it to her anyway. Seems the page had a bunch to say on it…. Rememberin’ the words was too easy now…. Repeatin’ em…. Burnin’ behind my eyelids….’Chosen one. Creation. All part of the plan. Perfect….. and she gave up her life for the flower….and he placed the coin in his mouth and transferred the images to the woman….. the flower bloomed….. Chosen one.’”

Didn’t know how much longer I could hold out…. Shakin’, feelin’ sick….Pain……”BerryBell said Thoth would bring live to AuroraBlue….Yeah….. found out it was the book. Miya got real riled over it. Thoth said somethin’ ‘bout a contract for Krenshar.… Another confusin’ problem..… Then we’re back jumpin’ through hoops with Blue… He’s playin’ games with us…….Lily went to the power plant below the replicant order lab…. I found her sleepin’? In the core….. I went in after her…… Lily didn’t know how she got there…… For a mo…. Just a mo.. I thought I heard Blue…… Commentin’…..Then we find out Gallagher ain’t him…… It’s that gorram diesel bot…. Says he killed Gallagher….. Lily went crazy….. She just attacked everyone…..The bot, after a while decided to leave some orange sand, an apple and Gallagher’s Dharma keyring…… It hurt… Gallagher was a real friend of mine. Lily loved him……Bot said he was in pieces…..”

The migraine was startin’ to blind me…… I wanted to heave….time was shiftin’ out of control….”Me and ….Lily….we went to tell Seana…. But the mayor wasn’t in……..Then Lily collapsed…..then she… she shut down….. She gave up….. Took her to the Blue Sun compound…..Blue told me bring her inside…..Not much else I could do…..Blue told me he wanted Kitten….Was it another test?” I couldn’t see strait…Had to talk to Seana. She needed to know. “I heard Blue say something… ‘Rest Lily, AuroraBlue….Very soon now. Not sure what all it meant….Just needed to tell someone…. Had to….In case I failed the test…. I saw the not-Gallagher…..Told him he caused Lily’s shutdown….Mad? I’m full of grief and gorram mad!” Walkin’ to The Mayor’s office didn’t cool me down….It followed me….The pain and the bot……

“Seana, she knew somethin’ happened……I guess I showed it pretty well…. And the gorram bot.. Parody of my friend….. Walked in b’hind me…… The mayor was pretty gorram mad too… She wanted to talk to Xoxo… and Blue….. Said she wasn’t goin’ to Lose Lily either…..Don’t know what’s goin’ to come of it….Just don’t know…… Lily….I love her……” I kissed her, lay her gently on the floor and left her with Blue….

((OOC: If you weren’t there or seen the folks here in this Blog, you can’t use it… Sorry… You got to find us to get the IC story. ))

Life and Death

2010-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

I started the landin' cycle for the Shadow.. Home... The Drift. Aiya, it'd been a long time since I was back here..."I said to myself, 'Welcome home'. No one 'round to say howdy, but then again it was for the best. My mood ain't too good 'bout now." I sighed, but the feelin' 'bout what went on wouldn't let go. "Weeks of watchin' Lily, tellin' myself not to grab her hand and drag her home. I made a promise, and gorram, if I was goin' to break it. I followed her, keepin' watch.... tryin' to make sure she was safe..... Waitin' for the cub to show. Oh it was there.... The scent was in the air." I lowered the ship onto one of the small landin' pads the Drift reserves for shuttles.

I could feel the Shadow's belly touch tarmack, started shuttin' the systems and engines down. "I don't know what happened day b'fore yesterday. Lily started to remember... Remember everythin'. Right down to when I told her she was the prey and not the hunter. She started to cry then. I wanted to comfort her, but we were runnin' out of time. I'd already signalled Seana to bring the ship closer so we could get out of here." Puttin' my shades back on, I popped the canapy, feeling the opressive hot air rush in along with the over bright sunlight. "Gorram....." I pulled my jacket off b'fore the heat overwhelmed me. "I signalled the Shadow to land in the small clearin'. Was halfway b'tween the ruined city and the village we'd been stayin' at. The folk there weren't happy 'bout me takin' Lily back home.... Got downright angered."

"That's when we hoofed it out of there. They chased us into the trees. We got lucky there. The weapons they threw missed more then they hit. Lily got ahead then stopped short.... That's when I cought the smell..... Reavers... and not a small group. I think the villagers made the same realization when the first reaver howl echoed through the woods." I slowly climbed out of the cockpit feelin' pretty dirty. "We had one chance to get out of there. Liy knew it too and headed strait for the ship. That's when the reavers set on us. Musta seen the ship comin' down and wanted it. I pulled out my swords and tossed one to Lily. After that it was a blur...."

I grabbed the small duffle from behind the pilot seat and headed for the river. "We had to get home. Lily popped the rear hatch and moved to get in. One reaver got lucky, Cut her bad across her back. She howled. That's all it took for me to ignore the other attacks to cut that reaver down. I pulled my pistol out in the other hand and started firin' into em. Lily crawled into the back, me b'hind her. I hit the controls fast, still firin' on em." Every few steps, I left a peice of bloodied clothin' b'hind. Didn't care if anyone saw at that point.

"I got Lily onto the small bunk and sprayed some wound seal on her Cut back. It was bleedin' bad, but the seal worked.... so long's she didn't move 'round too much. I got to the cockpit and cycled the near silent engines. I know I cooked a few of those reavers... could hear the screams. It was slow liftin' off with the wieght hangin' on. But my shuttle didn't let me down. I angled it up and headed to break atmo. We had to wait a few minutes b'fore Seana's team could scoop us. Only problem was, no dockin' ring... No way to hook up to the other ship. Sure, we were mag sealed to em like a leech, but no access. I commed em and they gave me instructions on helpin' Lily. I wasn't worried 'bout my own wounds... They were minor compaired to Lily's back."

I dropped the Duffle, dove into the lukewarm water, and started scrubbing myself with the sand. I had to get clean...."We had no food.... save a small snack packet. I gave it to Lily. She'd need it to help her regenerate. Had sugar in it.... Somethin' 'bout her usin' it as fuel. We got back to Hale's. Detatched and dropped down to the surface.... Some feller was sittin' 'round, never offered us help. Then Seana came, got us to the clinic and patched us up. Gorram we were both tired. Lily went off somewhere to sleep while I went to the Drift to see if Brooke was there. Needed to let her know I was back" Swimmin' up stream a ways helped the sand filter out of my hair, "But the trip wasn't an easy one.... We talked... Planned the end for Aurora. I didn't like it much but I said I was ready to do what had to be done. Lily said it had to be done in such a way so the cub woudn't be able to stop her endin'."

Grabbing more sand, I scrubbed again, still feelin' like I needed to get clean. "I called Aurora and left her a message. Let her know I was willin' to talk, and maybe trade. It didn't take long b'fore Brooke showed up at Bootleggers. Dylan was already there, hangin' out. he let me know she was on her way. I can say I was pretty surprized how Brooke was dressed..... Or the lack of.. Dylan said pretty much what we were both thinkin.... Anyway... Brooke flew us back to the nest where Dex was. They got me into that tank to speed up healin'. I needed it. Didn't want to be hurtin' if I had to fight with the cub. I could only hope Lily'd be ok when it came time."

My skin was startin' to sting from my scrubbin. So I sat there as the river slowly moved 'round my body. "The cub called me sayin' not to keep her waitin'. Impatient.... I was dropped off at Mac's. From there I flew to Hale's.. and a meeting I won't forget too easy. I met her at her small apartment. She looked all grown. Wearin' pretty revealin' clothes. And I knew I was in trouble..... We played a game that she tired of real quick.... She decided to change. While she was upstairs, I let Lily and Gallagher inside..... Gorram, I was feelin' a lot uncomfortable. Then the cub started dancin' and tellin' me 'bout her and Thoth... Made me real uncomfortable.... Then she started undressin'.... Now that was b'comin' a lot more uncomfortable. I could smell Lily's scent close by...."

Slowly climbin' from the water, I dug into the duffle for the last clean pair of clothes I had, while lettin' the warm sun dry me. "The cub was wantin' me to get closer. I did. I kissed her. I held her down with my own body weight. Then Lily did it. She stabbed then sliced the cub's head right off. Blood flyin' everywhere.
I got up needin' to wash my face and mouth... Gallagher come up then... he doused Aurora's body and head with fuel and lit it. We left then.... Covered.... Gallagher told us the CSI crew'd clean it up. No one'd know she was there. Or us for that matter. Krenshar'd be wonderin' where she was, but I doubt anyone'd be willin' to tell him. The witnesses knew what needed to be done too. They come to verify it was over. Done." I got dressed, then picked up the bloodied clothes and burned em. Needin' to wipe away the last of what was the cub.... What we did.

As the wind blew the last of the ashes away, I walked to the bar. "I needed a drink. Soemthin' I ain't done in a long time.... Needin' a drink bad. Rose come in along with a minin' robot abotu then. We got to talkin' I needed to....I felt all spun about... and not in a good way. I took one drink and was done. Rose said she'd never tell what I told her. The robot was another thing. No concept of keepin' quiet 'bout stuff." I needed sleep. I could feel my mind driftin' as I went to the other shuttle. "I didn't care if I slept on the deck with it all locked up. It was safe and quiet. At least I kept my promise and got us home safe." Pullin' the blankets from the bench, I dropped em on the floor and lay down.... driftin' off to sleep.

On the Raggedy Edge; Survival

2010-01-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

I looked 'round hopin' no one saw me sneak into the buildin', "Gorram cold..... And little food." Kickin' at the rubble from the decayin' brick wall, I picked up a good piece and chucked it at the trash pile. I was hopin' to flush somethin' from there.... Maybe somethin' to eat. "Met up with a few more folk, but only two knew Lily. I told them too. Storm was one. She's the daughter of Inxy. Good to know. She said she'll watch out for Lily too. Good to know I ain't the only one. I know Seana's got a watch out. She said as much. I ain't seen Xoxo 'round. Wonderin' where she's at."

Spotting the scrawny dog, I decided it didn't have enough meat on it's bones to be worth eatin'. I let it run off. "I spotted Lily and went try and talk to her and run into Inxy, instead. She was real protective. I had to convince her I was tellin' the truth. I let her listen to the last Comm signal I got from Lily. From there she told Lily I was in for the hunt." Sighin', I went lookin' for another big water rat to eat. Nothin' here for pickin' up a real meal. No restaurants, no grocers.... Nothin'.

"Later, Lily decided to attack me. She wanted me as hers. Then she gorram bit my shoulder. Right through the heavy leather jacket I was wearin'. It's deep, hurtin' pretty good now. Had to call the ship down when no one 'round. Changed my clothes and grabbed a ration pack. Gorram last one too. Put somthin' on the bite, but it's already red. Maybe if I could've got to a first aid kit earlier it might not be a problem. I grabbed the antibiotic pack and took that. That'll hopefully take care of it." Hearin' somethin' I moved from the alley, 'round the corner, and down the manhole. Maybe they won't be lookin' for me specific.

"Aiya, this place is full of strange folk. I was able to sit with Lily for a short while, but she don't remember much of Hale's or anythin'. I can see why. I'm even caught up in it. But I got too much to worry 'bout to be forgetful. This ain't the place to relax. You die here if you let your guard down. I been attacked already. Got bit. Was lucky that's all it was. And there were others out there.... huntin'. I been able to get a few quick Waves to Seana and one to Brooke. Then Lily decided to go playin' in some buildin' what had a man in a blue tank. She thought it was Blue.... I had to explain it wasn't. Made her sad, but she needed to know the truth of it." Another noise. Sewers echo.

"Had to keep movin' or get killed. Just last nigh, Lily and I got caught up in a a fight b'tween the folk that took her in and a rival group. A lot of injured after that. Lily run off. Someone come and offered me a place in the group what took Lily in. I figured it'd be better then bein' there without someone at my back watchin' out while I slept." I moved further down along the sewer tunnel listenin'. Somewhere out there was Aurora..... I caught scent of her earlier today. It's got me a little worked up.So far no one's hurt Lily. Yet. But I got a real bad feelin' that ain't goin' to last. I got to make sure Aurora don't get her. Lily has to make it home. And I'll do what I got to to make it happen."

Movin' quietly, I climbed the small accessladder back up and out. "Just hopeSeana can get us the hell out of here soon. We needfood and some tendin'. Both of us. Things got bad again late. Another fight, but with some mutants. Got cut up a little, but I ain't tellin' Lily that. She don't need to know that. Sides I can hold out for a while longer. I just got to get herto realize home ain't here. She got family waitin' for her...." Runnin' back to the woods and some relative safety. Good thing there's folk out in the village what'll watch out for us.... But we can't stay here much longer either. Time's short....

Hunt, Hunter, Hunted....

2010-01-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

Settin' here alone in the cockpit of the Shadow, I watched the planet slowly spin in it's orbit. Down there was someone I care 'bout. Lily.

Things been crazy, real crazy..... "Brooke come into Bootleggers over a week ago. She decided she needed a ride to Paquin. I walked her to the stealth shuttle I had fixed up. Yeah, I been workin' on it in case she needed a way to bolt. If the 'liance showed, or Faith himself, Sentry, Dex and I could get Brooke out safe." Makin' sure the orbit was stable, I checked the auto pilot, "Varahi gave Brooke a place to rest and recover from the flight, while I did some scoutin'. Checkin' for possible problem locations. Yeah, I was playin' security. Someone had to keep watch."

I had to check the satillite position to see if I could send a long range comm signal. Had to make sure Seana knew where I was, and where Lily was at. "Had set up cams at a few key locations in case. Good thing too. We had a few visitors nosin' 'round. Then Brooke went into labor. It's hard to be concentratin' on watchin' when all you can hear's screamin'. Well maybe not all screamin'..... WillieB showed up and gorram if he didn't almost faint away. Dex was helpin' the doc with Brooke while Sentry waited nearby to help if needed. I can say Brooke had her babies, Calius and Kiah." I sighed checking the coords. Looked like the satillite could send the comm signal out system. "Yeah,ended up she did have twins. I joked with Sentry 'bout maybe bein' a reader."

"We had troubles though... Someone in the company was passin' info. Willie B sent a wave to old man Faith and we had our answer. Or at least that one. Might be we got another, but I ain't sure yet," I shrugged out of my flight harness and checked on the equipment I'd need on the surface. Didn't want the folk here to get riled up. "But there wasn't no time to spend with Brooke's family, cause Aurora showed up too. She just waltzed right in even after I told her to leave. Gorram, she was downright pushy. I carried her outside and told her to leave. She said she wanted to see the babies. never seen one, she said. We had words, the she spat on me. Disrespect's all I can say. I took her back outside where she jumped the rail down to the beach and run off."

Takin' a few minutes, I changed clothes and went back to the pilot seat to strap back in. "Dex took her to a safe place. While they were enjoyin' family life I was dealin' with Aurora. Aurora came to the Drift to talk to JJ. She was complainin' that Miya was tryin' to poison her. Needed a safe place to stay. And sure enough, poor JJ offered to let her stay with her. Then Aurora decided she had to go back to destiny to get somethin', so I took her back. When we got there, Aurora wanted to play games and sit 'round. Gorram, I had cargo to finish loadin' and findin' Lily. Then the Christmas tree she had in the room fell on her. I lifted it so she could get from under it, then she demanded it be removed from her place. I took it outside where someone was likely to take it away."

Strappin' in, I cheched my landin' zone again to be sure no one would see me comin' down. "While she was upstairs gettin' changed I went to talk to Seana. I knew somethin' was up. Lily sent me a pic and commed me. I tried to warn her 'bout what the cub was up to. Dont know if she understood what I was tryin' to tell her. Seana needed to know Lily was safe. When I got there I talked to the mayor. Gave her the pic too. She told me to go find Lily at any cost. I went back to get Aurora to tell me where Lily was. Then she started tellin' everyone I was crazy. I needed to be in the medcenter there. She went on like that then when no one did anythin' she kicked me. I told Mister Krenshar he needed to teach her some humility and respect. I don't think he understood. Fact was Aurora wasn't respectin' him neither. I said as much to her while the others looked on. Miya and Thoth agreed. Gark was there and was a little shocked at what I had to say. Mister Krenshar was a little b'side himself not sure what to do. Then I showed em all the pic Lily sent me."

The ship moved silently down through the atmo to the area I chose as a landin' area. "Got Aurora real worked up. She tried to tell everyone I was insane, and when that didn't work she tried to say Lily left me. I know Lily. I know she wouldn't send me back the Christmas gift and say g'bye. I knew then that Aurora stole it from Lilys stuff. The cub ran for her ship. Gave me a chance to maybe find Lily, was my thinkin'. she started liftin' off, as I grabbed the crystal. Then I ran for my smaller ship. No one stopped me. In fact Thoth and Miya offered to help save lily." I cycled the ship to start landin' in the clearin' out of sight of anyone.

"Aorora can fly that ship, but she ain't that good. I followed her, keepin' close enough to see where she was headin'. Maybe she would show me where Lily was. It was way out there on the raggedy edge. Some forgotten colony left on it's own for too long. Seems it wasn't on the nav charts. I set the new nav coords and pulled back. Had to get the info to Seana so she knew where we were. I flew back to the drift to get supplies and give Seana the location. While I was there I quickly packed the cargo container so Brooke could have someone sell it off. Wasn't much to load, just needed to get it done fast. Lily didn't have much time. Two gorram days.... her head start. And time was runnin' out."

It was snowin' down there, so I grabbed my coat and put it on. Was a hard choice to leave my gun behind, but I didn't want to have to answer any strange questions 'bout em. "I sent a wave to Seana, tellin' her I'd be here. Had to find Lily at least and warn her. I made a promise not to take her from the hunt, but nothin' bout not watchin' out for her. I love her.. Didn't want to see her hurt... Or worse. I know she could die. 'All things end....'. Somethin' she even told me 'bout herself. Well that ain't goin' to happen while I'm 'round." Grabbin' the sword from the storage nettin' I strapped it onto my back then set the auto pilot. "I went lookin' 'round the place, gettin' a lay of the land. Yeah I saw the map from the ship, but it ain't the same as bein' on the ground. Took a while b'fore I caught her scent. She was 'round somehwere. It was strongest by some arena, but she wasn't there. Some elder was standin' 'round there. Was hopin' he could hel me find her. Talkin' to him was a failure. He just kept yellin' at me and tellin' me to leave."

"First time I made that kind of impression in a real long time. Went through to the small city. Heard gunfire and went to check it out. I was wishin' I did hang on to my gun. Looked like some gang on the hunt..... but no Lily. At least that was a good sign." I watched the ship lift back into the atmo, then checked my compass. "I talked to a few folk there, One said he knew Lily, so I asked him to give her the meesage she was in danger. That it was her what was bein' hunted. He took me back to the outskirts of town and said he'd pass it along. Well it was gettin' cold so I found a fire along a path. Spent time checkin' the clearin' b'fore I moved closer. Someone else showed up and hung by the fire for a while. he didn't know Lily when I asked so he moved on. then last night I run into Storm. Seems she knows Lily too. Daugter of Inxy, Lily's friend. I gave her the message too, and to watch out for Aurora. I knew the cub was down here somewhere....and dangerous."

So here I am in unfamiliar territory, no ship I can readily access, and a lot of dangerous places you can get ambushed in. "Found out from Storm the hunt was over. So Lily was on a hunt where she was the prey. Whether she knew it or not. Now I'm tryin' to keep a distance and watch her. I'm pretty sure she knows I'm here. I'm hopin' she'll understand I'm wantin' to make sure she's ok. A lot of folk, includin' me, care 'bout her comin' home safe. I'm thinkin' there'll most like be a confrontation b'tween her and the cub sometime soon..... When? I don't know. But it won't be a pretty....." I looked up knowin' my only way home was up in the black. The ship'd stay in orbit and contact me once a day. I could send the signal for it to land if I needed to get out of here, otherwise it'd stay in orbit. No one'd know it was there. No transponder, no markin's, no lights.

I sighed, breathin' in the cold air and shivered a little, "I found her runnin' round out with a few folk last night. Just hope none of em are tryin' to kill her. Can't say as I care for the cold and the strangers that're out huntin' every night. It's like they all gone feral.... Well some of em. Not quite reavers but desperate. One good thin' though. It's dark here longer. Short days, and that suits me fine. There might be mutants here, but I ain't all that human with my senses the way they are. It might just keep me alive until I can convince Lily to come home."

The Boilin' Pot

2010-01-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

"I'm tellin' you I could sleep a week with all these crates we been goin' through, "I sighed as I hefted one of the crates of supplies into the cargo container. "It just ain't been a great season to be jolly. First there was helpin' Lily with the final stuff on the Blue Sun walk. At least I got spend some time with Lily b'fore the big hunt." I took a moment to stretch my back and arms b'fore pickin' up the next box. There was a lot of stuff to move.

"Yeah, Spent openin' night mannin' the entry. Had to tell folk where to head and how to get in. That weren't so bad. Sides, the place looked downright shiney. Yeah, I know... All the lights and all. Still it had the holiday feel." 'At least for most,' I thought. " Hell, most of if not all my family was gone. So were a lot of others of late. Shadow was gone. Caliban too. A lot of folk without homes and families on this here time of peace....", Kicking at the dirt, I picked the crate up, movin' it into the darkened interior of the cargo container. "Sometime later that night...And I'm not sure how exactly, but I got taken. No not what you think.... One mo I was at the gate workin', then the next I'm wakin' up in the clinic. My foot was all numb and my boot was off."

I shook my head as I stepped back out into the bright light of midday, "Found myself stinkin' of whiskey and layin' on the scannin' bed. I know I wasn't drinkin'. Hell I ain't been drinkin' much for well over a month now. Since I got shot, I been stayin' away from most liquor. Well, I got up and looked down to see I was reunited with my gorram toe. If you were to ask me how... I'd be as confused as to how as the next man. But there it was.... my own toe." Smilin' I looked down at my booted foot. "Maybe I got an early holiday gift. From who? Got no idea. Anyway, I contacted Brook and Dex. Let em know what all happened. They found me sittin' there confused and dazed. Ended up they took me back to the Drift where we met up with Rose. Seems she got some medical trainin' and checked my foot. Then it was decided they were goin' to check for trackin' devices.... And gorram sure enough there was. Stuck inside a tooth...."

Somehow the thought of them tryin' to decide how to best yank my tooth didn't give me a good feelin'. I grimaced at the thought, "Rose said she could disable it with some device she had in her things. Took her a couple of minutes to find it, then she placed it against the side of my face and pulsed it. No more signal. Dex double checked to make sure it was good and well dead. After that it was decided that I'd be stayin' with Brooke and Dex at their place for the night at least. I spent pretty much of that time sleepin'. Once there I was asked to climb into to a tank. Dex said it was from NVI. After a little convincin' of it's safety, I got in. Dex let Rose take over with the scan and the healin' of my foot and side. I guess I slept through it."

Steppin' back to see what could fit in next, I rubbed my chin, thinkin', "Next day I asked Dex if there was somethin' I could do 'round the place so I didn't go stir crazy. So he gave me some stuff to repair. It's what I did durin' that day. While I was there I did check some of the old messages I loaded up just before we left MacLaren's Drift. That's when I found the message from Lily askin' me to meet her this very night to say goodbye. It was time for the hunt. I asked Brooke to fly me back to Hale's Moon for a short time, then we could pick up some of the food supplies I had set aside to store as needed. When I got there, Lily was all dressed real nice. She looked all shiney." Sittin' down on one of the bigger crates, I wiped the sweat from my face and neck.

"Yeah... She asked if we could take a walk through the Blue Sun holiday setup. We spent the time just walkin' and not thinkin' she was leavin'.... But then the walk was over. We were at the little Santa cabin. Inside, we talked for a short while b'fore givin' each other our gifts. I gave her a big crystal I had found. Seems the asteroid field has some other stuff sides wrecks. Found it in one of the broken floatin' rock. Big old shiney amethyst crystal. Real clear. Not often I find somethin' like that."When I found it, I had hung onto it to give her for a special occasion, and it seemed the right time to. Then she was gone. Runnin' 'round. Then she hid. Most like, to keep me from followin' her. What made me unhappy was her makin' me promise not to go and get her back. And now I got to hold to that."

Puttin' the bandana back in my pocket, I stood back up and grabbed another box, "Afterward, it was stickin' to work. Salvage and load these here containers with saleable stuff. Brand even come by one day sayin' he found a big old ship. We took a day and checked it out. Gorram it was a mess in there. Looked like reavers been in there. Dried blood and gore...... Bodies long dead and dried out. I ain't seen such a sight b'fore. Don't think I want to again either. There was a lot of salvage though. Some good stuff still intact and usable. Trust, we went over that stuff once we got it on the ground to make sure it was still good. When I had the chance I took a day after that and pulled an old shuttle out of it. Looked like it was partially stripped. Once it was free of the wreck, I hauled it back to the space station over Mac's. I talked with the dock manager to let me barrow one of the lower landin' decks to work on the shuttle. Once done I'd have it out of his way."

"Then there's the new situation with too many new faces 'round the Drift of late. Seems Faith's pa showed up. He was talkin' to Brooke..... I bet I know what all he wanted too. And it don't include Brooke. Bri was ready to kill him, 'cept Brazen, who happened to be there, was holdin' her back. For once I stood back and watched. I will tell you this, Faith had a lot of nerve to come all the way to the Drift just to talk. He want's that baby.I think a lot of folk'll hunt him down if he does try. Then a few days later I even had someone by the name of Kari come lookin' for me direct. Said she was Nack Barnes sister... and Lily's sister....Needed to let me know that the hunt was a fake. Wasn't real. Aiya, I wasn't happy to hear that. She offered to find Lily for me. I took her up on it. Seein' as I made a promise, I need to keep it. She also told me 'bout Aurora.... That cub's real bad news..... Kari said Aurora was goin' to hunt Lily and me down. Get rid of us both. And that she grew up. All adult like. And had dark hair. That do bother me a lot." I frowned and hefted the new box, carrin' it inside the larger one. I placed it on top of the other ones makin' sure it was snug.

"Then I Saw Brooke at Bootleggers yesterday. She was lookin' real uncomfortable. I started to wonder if she was goin' to say it was time..... Instead she said she wanted head to the companion's guild for a rest. Can't blame her much. She's been runnin' 'round Like a mad woman for the last little while now. I agreed to fly her there. I'd stick 'round in case there was trouble, or she needed to go elsewhere on request." I nodded, happy with how the packin' was goin'. "Spent the night sleepin' in the Shadow. Left my comm open in case she called for anythin'. Like Varahi said. This is like family. Got to keep supportin' each other. And the thought of bein' a sort of uncle again......", I smiled thinkin' after the family I lost, that maybe this was somethin' I needed. To be a part of somethin' that brings a family together. One small moment, one new, shiney family member."

"Speakin' of.... I got to head back." I closed up the cargo container, lockin' it down, "There's a lot goin' on. On the one hand I got Lily, I'm real worried 'bout. I need to know she's safe. And then there's the Boss. A lot of priorities. A lot of things that could potentially go wrong. It's why I'm handlin' security for Brooke.... Then I'm goin' to start doin' some lookin' for where Lily might be. I won't go there direct, but it dont mean I can't keep tabs."

Explosive Times

2009-12-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

"Well, we found what we were lookin' for. Then we got this call from Sentry and Mikie's lawyer. Said he needed help. Some of us went to hear what he had to say. He wanted to help us get em out of jail til he could clear their name. That's when I headed back to wait for em to come our way. I'd take Sentry to Sanctuary," I shrugged leanin' against the shuttle's exterior hull. "Seems it went a little different. I could hear somethin' on the comms. Commotion of some sort. Next I hear they were headin' for Washburne. Didn't take long b'fore we started hearin' it was bein' bombed."

I sighed, shakin' my head sadly, "That was only the beginin'. I got a call to head to the Drift. When I got there Sentry was standin' there plain as day. Was good to see him back. Then it happened..... The bombin' started. Was pretty bad. Was all we could do to get out of Bootleggers and run for a shuttle. We had to find Mikie.... Lily found her settin' on Shadow by the transponder on the two man ship she took from Sanctuary. We headed there. We caught up with Mikie. She looked ok. Not like she did when Kaezin and I saw her last on Sanctuary. Didn't take long after that b'fore we were shot at by gorram purple bellies. They landed troops and bombed the place. Pod was able to get Sentry, me and a wounded JJ out of there."

"Pod took us to Hale's hopin' the doc there could help her out. JJ was real lucky...Doc Danick come down and worked on her. Got the slug out and stitched her up. Had to let her rest in the clinic on Hale's 'til she could be moved back to MacLaren's Drift. I headed out to see if the others got back safe. Found Cursa was treatin' Tillery. Man got shot up pretty bad. Seems Cursa couldn't get all the slugs out of him. Told him he'd have to see a real doc for that." I rubbed the back of my neck feelin' the strain of the last couple of days.

I moved to the back of the shuttle openin' the rear to check on the new crates I'd salvaged, "Took me, Val and Miya.. Not sure on the last one. Got this here concussion," I chuckled half heartedly, "But that comes later.... Told Val, I'd head to Mac's and boost the signal from the space station there, then head to Till's office on Persephone and do the same. That way Till could make a report from Val's ship when he was able to."

"Had a chance later that night," I frowned not so sure it was, "Or day, to talk to Lily. I know she's gettin' ready for her annual hunt time. She'd said somethin' 'bout the one who done the real bombin' on Londinium was on Hale's..... There's a lot of folk there on Hale's with different feelin's... Just don't know who," I looked through the containers tryin' to find somethin' I could lift easily. "Then Just the other day I heard the call for help from Caliban.....Got into the ship and flew there to help rescue folk. Gorram, the dome was bleedin' atmo and smoke. Krenshar had gathered everyone out by the airlock so I landed the ship nearby. We could see ships leavin' and some comin' in."

"Once everyone was secured and Krenshar told me no one else was left inside the dome, I cycled the engines and started liftin' off. That's when we spotted more bombers comin' in low...They shot off their payload into the dome..... "Clenchin' my jaw, I was feelin' a might angry 'bout what I'd seen. "Then I spotted the big ship in low orbit. Could see they were droppin' somethin' big..... It was a nuke.... They sent a gorram nuke into the dome..... We barely broke atmo when it went off. Flash near blinded all of us." I rubbed my eyes, rememberin' the nova bright flash. "At least we weren't close enough to get cooked. The scan equipment read within' norm where we were. I took the refugees to their new place back on Hale's. Krenshar called it Destiny. The place I mean, not the situation."

"Then when I had time to sit and visit with Lily, it got interestin'.....Started out with her wantin' to show me some new 'fabrics' she got... To her fabrics're clothes. Well..... I'd say those were more like.... well.... not a whole lot of fabric. Then she started belly dancin'. Sometimes life throws you into situations you can't escape from.... like bein' in this one..... And my luck was 'bout to change again. Gallagher showed up. Sort of like the Cavalry, cause I was feelin' the need to escape. Now don't get me wrong. I love Lily.... But I ain't goin' to do anythin' with her. I got a couple of smarts rattlin' 'round in my head." I chuckled at that. "I draw the line on takin' advantage of someone with the mentality of a kid. Not right to do. 'Specially Lily. She deserves a lot of respect."

I shook my head gettin' a little off track, "Thing was.... Galagher wasn't Gallagher.... Ok that don't sound right. Yeah... Lily told me the man that showed up was a replicant made to look like Gallagher. Lily got real upset by it. Turned out after the fake left, Gallagher, the real one, showed up." I shook my head tryin' to sort it out myself, "Lily told him 'bout the other one. He got real mad, sayin' the fake was blown apart. Lily said somethin' 'bout maybe Miya or someone else rebuildin' him. Then Gallagher got worked up, he flew us back to the underground facility.... Gorram fake stole everythin' out of there. All the equipment, the bodies, Krenshar's brain, and the canister....."

"We decided to go check Destiny, see if the stuff might be there. Lily and me were headin' there on the ground while Gallagher got in his ship. Next thing we know, lily and me are bein' hit with debris from Gallagher's ship. It'd exploded. We got hit with some of the fallin' pieces. Something slammed down onto my left shoulder. Hurt pretty bad but I was ok. We searched the wreckage for Gallagher. Lily found him, then told me to see if I could find what caused the explosion to begin with. Yeah.... My luck changed on me again. Gorram if another bomb didn't go off nearby. It flung me away, then set off a chain reaction.... At least from what Lily said. Seems more of the ship went up, parts went everywhere... Well luck played into that one again... Some of the debris covered my enough I didn't get cooked."

I looked at the cargo and stopped what I was doin' I knew I couldn't lift much. Sighin' I stepped back shuttin' the hatch, "I woke up in the clinic with a splittin' headache and a lot of bruises. Got told I got a hairline fracture of my left collarbone and a concussion. Figures. One thing gorram armor don't protect from.... Stuff fallin' on you or you fallin' down." Had to smile at that strange logic.

"Went back to the Drift after that. Talked to Brand 'bout needin' to do some salvage. Ended up headin' into the asteroid field again.... Found us somethin' good. An old derilict ship. Had some good cargo on it too. We grabbed some of the containers and loaded em. Good thing it was zero g or I'd be useless. He's goin' to sell off some of what we found. Could use some money 'bout now. Need it to get some stuff for a ship I don't have yet and to get some good supplies we'll all be needin' b'fore long." I leaned against the shuttle again, feelin' tired and achy, but I knew I didn't really have the time to rest.... Not now with the 'laince on our doorstep ready to kick the door in.

"Sentry and Mikie went back into hidin' after all that. Can't blame em that. The lawyer's workin' to get em cleared. Lily's been put back to workin' hard for Xoxo. Seems Xoxo's got her settin' up holiday stuff. Even with all the hell the 'liance's puttin' us through, she's makin' sure we don't forget the holidays." I shrugged. It wasn't goin' to change how the 'liance was feelin' 'bout us. Or what they're doin'..... Won't be no peace in the verse this season....."

An Addendum.... Quest

2009-12-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

"Just addin' a little extra to what all I said last night... got it sorted today," I smiled, feelin' releived, "Lily ain't the one pregnant.... Seems her, or Jai's pet civit is. This mornin' Jai gave her one of the babies. So I was real gorram mistaken 'bout the whole baby thing. And I'm glad to be. Now if you seem real confused by this, best check back with the last time I said somethin' here," Checkin' over the cargo crates, I sealed the large container. (Check the last post ;) ).

"Oh and the hunt for what we need? It's movin' along. Just got to make sure you got all the details. Ask 'folk. They might be able to get you movin' in the right direction. There might be another problem.. Lily says she was on Londinium.... That someone on Hale's is really the one who set the bomb off...... Not sure, but I think we might need some help from Cursa and his MacLaren CSI equipment."

The Rescue Quest....

2009-12-08T20:57:00.001-08:00

Yawnin' and stretchin', I grabbed another crate and moved it into the large storage container, "Been pickin' up salvage. It's been all I could do of late." I shrugged, "Things been rough. Maybe not as far as me bein' hurt. Healin' up real good now. Got me some decent body armor. Have to thank Seana for that suggestion on the kind. Seems it's helped."

"After gettin' holed this last time, and the slow heal, it was time to change my luck. Spent some time helpin' the rest of TTW with gettin' some stuff done.... Won't go into all the details of it. Just we had some cargo needin' to be stored. Sentry, Willie T, Dex, and me took care of the folk who triued tyo shoot at us. Hell, I even took down the ship with a rock in the turbines. The results? Unless you want to damage a ship bad, don't throw rocks at it." I chuckled at that as I moved a nother crate to the barn.

"On another note, I had somethin' I needed to do. So, when I had the chance I made sure I handed the papers to Raivenn over to Duncan. It's his ship right and clear. Can't say Gabe was to fond of seein' me 'round. She woulda cut me apart givin' the chance. The capn' told us to stop fightin' and we did. But things sort of went real strange." I stopped and set the small boxes down on the pile, takin' a mo to wipe the sweat from my forehead, "Maybe a bit of stupid on my part, maybe somethin' I just missed... I don't know. I figured I was off the Raivenn as crew. Felt pretty bad... Maybe a little mad too. I did a lot of fixin' up on that ship. Even got her new hull plate."

Sighin', I put the bandana back in my pocket. Started walkin' to the shuttle to grab a few more small salvaged cargo containers. "Anyway.... Thought I was off. Went and talked to Brooke 'bout gettin' a small job helpin' with cargo if her company needed it. Told her I was workin' salvage in the asteroid field. Gettin' supplies for, well....... If we have fightin'. Better havin' it then not, and it keeps me from under anyone's feet. I ain't forgot what Gabe said. I'm a liability, maybe get someone else killed. I don't want that." I leaned against one of the larger full containers. It was gettin' pretty hot out movin' that stuff.

I looked at the shuttle still seein' a few more crates to offload, "Wasn't a bit later, that Duncan called me out for goin' to TTW. He was rightly angry.... but He coulda told me I was still with the crew when I asked him. So gorram humpin' messed up. Made me feel real bad. Now I lost the one man what was like a father to me's respect. That ain't easy when you have to look em in the face later on. I ain't said much to him since, nor he me. But he's been busy with Gabe. I won't go into that. Anyway, in the meantime, someone come by a few weeks ago, recruitin' for a company," Walkin' back to the shuttle, I grabbed another container feelin' the weight as I lifted it and carried it into the big container.

"Some feller by the name of Doctor Wirefly. looked like some old geizer in a wheelchair. Come by with bodyguards." I frowned at that, rememberin' how they acted, "They had that real tough attitude. Looked like some rich old coot tryin' to find more body guards."Lookin' 'round for a moment, b'fore gettin' back to work,"Then there was Wind. I wanted tyo shoot him right then and there in the bar. Took Dex and Sentry to talk me down. He shot at me the noght b'fore the big battle on the Drift. Decided to take Dex to the barn and show him the nice prize I found floatin' in the asteroids...... A real nice fusion power plant. Cold fusion Dex said."

"Ended up showin' Brooke later that night. We got it moved b'fore anyone found it. Too nice an item to lose. Not like I can find another right off. I'd have to be real lucky to every find somethin' like that again. Been workin' the field since then. Lot of loose cargo bein' mistook for rocks. Covered in space dust from the field. Got to know what your lookin for." Placin' the crate on the pile, I pushed it into place. "Had Cursa do some tests on me one night. Brooke was there to help. Some sort of deprivation tank was used. Don't know the results of it yet. Bout that time Jai showed up when Cursa was goin' to tell me what he found out. Sentry showed up too. We got talkin' ' bout other stuff. Sort of to keep stuff from Jai. I know she likes to know the latest news.... But me floatin' nekked in a tank ain't one of those times."

"Then a back about five days ago a shuttle comes in to pick up those recruits what signed up with the old man. Somethin' bothered me when I saw the woman in military style spec ops gear. Too much like 'laince gear if you ask me. I walked away and went into the bar. Sentry come back.... Brooke, and Ziggy too. We ended up findin' out a bit later what was rreally goin' on. The recruits come back firin' on us, wearin' those black Spec ops suits. So 'course we'd defend orselves. We shot back... When was all said and done, and the smoke cleared we found out they grabbed Senrty. They meanin' some woman in a black fighter took him outsystem b'fore we had a chance to launch a ship. Svet was screamin' 'bout why we weren't usin' blanks in the guns too, and somethin' 'bout a trainin' exersize."

I growled a little, "Didn't like how she was on me 'bout all that. No one said anythin' to us 'bout it bein' a gorram exersize. She kept goin' on 'bout how she was slighted.... Thye grabbed Sentry... Found out a short time later they got Mikie too," I shoot my head. The whole thing was all wrong. "I won't get into it with Svet. She thinks I don't listen..... She kept goin' on and on. Got real tired of it and walked out. I think that's the first time I did. We walk in and try to get Sentry and Mikie, and the 'liance will grab anyone involved. We don't have good intel, equipment or where to go. Without any of that, and we're done for. Cursa brought up a strong point too... We go in and the 'liance will have proof of resistance.... make it more to their favor to come hunt us down."

Lookin' into the cantainer, makin' sureI'd packed stuff in good, I went for another box, "Later that night we had a visitor.... Gorram Faith come 'round. Found his ship 'bout the time he spotted my standin' on it. He scrambled into it as I shot at him and the ship. Looks like I took out the comm equipment. We found out later the ship went down.... Ok so I can say I shot down a ship.... delayed reacion to me firin' a hand gun at it.... Seems while I was fixin' Ziggy's ship we found out Faith mighta planted a body and faked his death. Got a witness to it." Shiftin' the container, i pushed it in, "As for Ziggy's ship, the Queen Betty. Big ship. Real nice. Got the electricals done, even pulled the main engine drive shaft out and repalced it. Have to give Arti some credit here.... He's plenty strong. Couldn't a done it without his help."

"Still there were things to deal with. Too much goin' on to get done", I sighed, feelin' like my own hands were tied here now, "So we're tryin' to get info and equipment. Seems we need some keys to get into the facility where they (Sentry and Mikie) are, ID's and a place to take em to once we got em.... That and a shuttle with 'liance markin's. No small trick. We got a lot of problems... Includin' one small kid mixed into the deal. I ain't goin' there so don't ask.... talk to Seana. So we been runnin' all over Hale's Moon, sneakin' round Blue Sun and Caliban. Got most of what we need but there's still the need to find a shuttle to get em with.... Another problem.... We found out Mikie's real sick. We'll need medical care for her when we can grab em. Not sure who we can find to help yet... Still workin' out the details."

Movin' the last crate didn't take long. "Then there's another problem.... Lily told me she wants a cub.... Then she went and told Xoxo she pregnant..... I don't know how the hell she is... I ain't had any relations of that kind with her. Then I hear she's somewhere 'feedin' the cub'... Well I know it ain't Aurora... Lily hates the kid. And I remember her tellin' me a few nights ago she wanted to steal Varahi's baby as a means of gettin' back at the folks what laughed at her when she went to help Varahi deliver. I got a real bad feelin' Lily took the baby and has it hid. Not sure where, but I got a few ideas. Now it looks like more'n one rescue to take care of."

Battle lines

2009-11-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

Lookin' out the soot covered windows was part proof things happened here, " Things weren't goin' so well of late. Had to do some more recoupin'. Spent a few days with a little fever", I had to chuckle at that. "Don't think I was all there. Lily was actin' all funny now too. She's been talkin' 'bout the annual hunt she's got to go on. Said she's got to do it and I can't go with her. I'd just slow her down. I'm figurin' with healin', she's right."

I shrugged, "At the time I was gettin' real mad. Between bein' grounded, bein' sick, and all, everyone tellin' me to rest. Well, sittin' too long on my backside is like bein' chained down. Don't like it. So I grabbed me a bottle of Whiskey and headed for the ship. Not my smartest thing to do. Lily wasn't to happy with me that next mornin' either." Took a drink of water then set it back on the slightly charred wood table, "Duncan showed up a bit later, so I handed Raivenn back over to him. Told him 'bout her bein' used for rescues for the most part. Good to help but it don't put food in your belly. Got to agree there. That's when JJ showed up, still a little bruised up. Duncan wanted to know what happened and who did it. JJ didn't know," I looked back at the bar where someone was still wipin' down the shelves.

"Lily knew. She was able to find out. She ended up tellin' me. I hinted to Duncan 'bout who it was," I looked down feelin' bad for sayin' anythin'. "I told him not to say anythin' or Krenshar might get pulled apart. Threats by the man who hurt JJ, shot Kash and me. That's when he went into the bunkroom on the ship got his gear and made for the old derelict ship the man was usin' for his place. I watched from a distance as he put torch to it, left a callin' card and returned to the bar. Called on a couple of us to come with him to take care of some things. We ended up headin' for Newhall, where this guy was stayin' at." I took another drink of cool water, took the cloth I was holdin' and started workin' on wiping the grime off the table.

Took some effort to pull the results of the fire from the wood. I moved to one of the damaged chairs, decided it was a lost cause and pushed it back out of the way. "We were expectin' there might be a response to the old ship bein' burned. It didn't come that day. But it sure as hell come the next mornin'. Woke up to see Prosperity in flames. Duncan was yellin' to make sure folks were safe before we dealt with the fires. But it wasn't just the town. They set torch to the bar, and Raivenn. Most places weren't too bad off. Fire suppressors reduced a lot of it. But the ship was a loss."

Frownin', I looked back up out the darkened window, rememberin' The fires back on Blackburne, still hauntin' me. I scrubbed the next chair down, "That's when Duncan got real riled. He asked for a couple of people to go pay a visit to the folks who torched us. So Kash, Svet, JJ, Jai, and me went to Newhall. Duncan and JJ used cover fire while we set explosives in some of the new buildings. They bombs went off leavin' some good damage for em to have to fix."

I smiled at that. Felt good to be doin' somethin'. "We headed back to Mac's to listen to the wave for chatter on the results of our little visit. Sure enough there was plenty. Seemed the 'laince, or whoever they were claimin' to be, were gatherin' their forces to come knockin' on our door. So we prepped. Chatter over the wave was gettin' hot. We had to call out for assistance. And sure enough, they showed. Used air power to make first strike. We took cover, started firin' back at em."

Movin' to the next chair, I started cleanin' it down, "Lot of small fire and a few missiles. We got a couple of their planes, then they flew off. Most likely, they were regroupin'. That's when I got to one of our fighters. Decided it even the odds. Helped too when the next wave came. Shot one down right out and damaged a couple of others so they had to ditch. When I got back on the groun, the others were lookin' tired too. We'd been fightin' for a while." I stopped cleanin' and took another drink, "But it didn't stop when the fighters were recalled. They dropped rollers. Ziggy asked if I could fire a cannon from his ship, so I went with him. I remember firin' on those gorram rollers, then wakin' up out back the bar with people lookin' over me. Things got a little blurred here. The doc there said I was bleedin' inside cause of an infection. The doc hung some antibiotic IV and Lily gave me more of her blood. Then Lily got me up and out of the bar where folks were bein' triaged. I can remember hearin' the gun fire and explosions from claymores and grenades."

"Now we were fightin' a ground battle. I was taken to the corn field to hide in til Lily could grab a ship and get me out. When she got back I got in and she flew us into the mountains. She told me most everyone was evacked. She had to head back to make sure the rest of us got out of there. I must've passed out, cause the next day I woke up with Xoxo standin' over me. She asked some real disjointed questions then left. I can't much remember most of it. Then Lily was back. Got me to Hale's where the doc there took out the bullet fragment. Got the bleedin' stopped. I think I slept til late that next day. Then I get another visitor. Said the name was Wing." I shrugged, No sayin' anythin' much about the person.

"Came to offer me help. Said they were tryin' to protect the soul from those that'd destroy it. Not for sure what all that meant, but I had my suspicions. A little later Lily come in, got me to Fooks where I sat and watched some Earth that was black and white movies. I think she did that to get me to rest without bein' so bored. That night we went on a little recon. Found out Thoth was taken. Checked the cruisers over Hale's and Caliban. We had someone in a fighter fire on us when we got to Caliban. But we never figured where Thoth was. We headed back for Mac's where I was dropped off. Lily had some unfinished business she need to take care of, so I went to the bar to find someplace I could lay down where it wasn't damaged in the fire."

Finished with wipin' stuff down, I sat and finished my glass of water, "Been restin' up four days now and feelin' a lot better. Things seem to have settled some. But I get the feelin' this ain't over. The 'liance's movin' with a purpose. Don'ty know when they start enforcin' more on us, but we best get prepped. It's just a matter of time and we're startin' to run short of it."

Rescued

2009-11-17T23:40:00.000-08:00

"Layin' in bed ain't my idea of excitin'", I sighed, "But Doc's orders. Speakin' of... Docs... JJ's been, well, not handlin' things good. She's been like a gorram light switch. Her moods and memory's been all over the map. Another strange situation involovin' Mindo. Got to talk to that one," I looked up at the ceiling in the small tower room, "Then that 'liance marhal showed up. He's been goin' on 'bout how the 'liance is tryin' to make the indies go to ground. He's been tryn' to get info on Duncan too. I wanted to say somethin', but Brooke motioned for me to stay quiet."

Lookin' to the window, I spotted an eagle flyin', ridin' the thermals, "Brooke's another one tryin' to keep me out of trouble. OK, so maybe I say and do things that do just that. Someone's got to put a foot down. Do somethin' 'bout the gorram guh se the 'liance is pullin' of late," I ran a hand across my chin, feeling I was needin' a shave about now. I sighed, "Anyway, I flew Cursa to Splintered Rock. He was meetin' up with Brooke there. Seems Brazen was there. She wasn't too friendly 'bout the whole business about the comin' war. She thinks she'll be able to hide between the factions. Not likely to happen. She was scared from what Cursa noticed. Fear can make people do things they don't normally do. Least from what I seen."

I could feel the ache from the bullet wounds, tryin' to get comfortable enough, "Cursa'd told her to donate his stuff what was still on her ship before she left the bar. Then Dylan, Brooke's friend, made a right strange offer to me. He offered to heal me of some of my pain. How the hell he knew my shoulder was still hurtin' and the phantom pain's I was havin' in my left foot, I don't want to know. I took him up on it. Can't afford to be laid up any more. Got too much to do." I was thinkin' a lot 'bout goin' back to Blackburne. Dealin' with the memories, and the ghosts hauntin' me 'bout somethin'. Could be the whole 'Controlled Chaos' data device I got. It's time people knew the story 'bout that."

I looked back at the not too familiar room seein' the pics on the wall, "Dylan had me sit, put a hand on my shoulder. For a minute there, felt like I been shot all over again. The pain shot through me fresh. Then the pain eased up, and a small piece of bone come out. Said the nerve damage was taken care of. He couldn't do much for the toe. Sort of grateful he didn't try to fix that.... If the phamtom pain is anythin' close to the real thing I think I can avoid it. But I wasn't goin' to tell JJ 'bout it. I been wantin' to get that toe implant done to maybe stop the pain. But with JJ not actin' right I think I'll have to wait."

"Took Brooke, Cursa and Dylan back to Mac's. Needed to talk, get some plannin' done. We're runnin' out of time, supplies and money. We need both. Brooke agreed we need to be workin' togather on it. Yeah, teamin' up is 'bout what we need to do. Cooperatin' might be the only way to protect our backs now." Took a careful deep breath, felt' the sutures pull a little. Took a moment for the discomfort to subside before goin' on, "Showed Brooke, Dylan, and Cursa a safe haven they could go to on Mac's. Someplace where JJ showed us to go to relax. White Willow. I think they needed the step away from everythin', at least for the night. Said it'd be a good place to talk without anyone listenin' in too."

I shifted again, not wantin' to be lyin' there, "A few days ago Mindo showed up. I was tempted to shoot, him but remembered we needed him to help Immy....Lily said he could help JJ too. Don't know how. He wouldn't give any answers, then he up and run off again. I'm real tempted to shoot him in the foot to slow him down some. It's more polite then shootin' him in, say, the head. Not bein' able to run so good right now, I left him to run back into the hills. Went back to Raivenn, waitin' on Lily and Kash. Was going to check on a salvage job. That's when things went real wrong. Someone come on board.... I could smell the cigar smoke. That's 'bout as far as I got. Next thing I remember, I was in some facility.. a room....but most of it was flashes..."

I shook my head, frustrated by the lapses in my memory, "Too many strange lapses with getting hurt of late. I think I need to get me some full body armor," I stopped for a moment tryin' to get comfortable, feelin' the sutures pull again, "I woke up hearin' Lily's voice. She'd tapped into the comm where I was at. Told me the capn' was comin'. Said for me to wait and they'd be there. Sure enough, some feller showed up to take me out of the room, then they had an alert of some sort. So he stuck me back in the gorram room, lockin' the door behind him. Bout that time I heard A ship outside the walls. Didn't know I was in a sky platform station til I was able to get to the landin' deck. She told me to grab the explosives hidden under the bed... Yeah, she hid stuff in all the rooms there durin' a recon, most like. I used the one there to blow out the door. Had my ears ringin' and my eyes achin' for a bit too. Was able to get to the landin' area where Lily was waitin in her fighter. She helped my climb in, cause I was about spent on strength."

"She said Duncan was there. He was causin' a distraction while Lily broke me out. Said Duncan took the fellers out who took me. I owe him, Immy, Kash, Gallagher and Lily for gettin' my sorry backside out of there. I can't remember much of the ride to Hale's, was sleepin' most of the trip. She got me to the little church they got there. Cursa and Ember showed up to help. Cursa got the bullet out of my right thigh, but the one in my side needed more medical care. That's when Lily went for a stretcher. Took me to the old town...." I looked back out the window seein' a few clouds roll by, "I guess they got the other bullet by the way I'm feelin'. Woke up in here this mornin'. I feel bad Lily had to give up her bed for me, carin' for me while I recoop. And yeah, I'm goin' to get me some real good body armor when I can move around. Better bruised then holed again. "

Win or Lose

2009-11-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

"I'll tell you 'bout the weddin's I ended up goin' to. By the end everythin' went into the realm of real strange," I said. It was about midday at Bootleggers. No one was really around, just a few die hards. "The first weddin' was what you'd call a picture perfect one. A big church, all decked out. Everyone dressed all formal. I think Grey was more nervous then Charly was. Seems he was fidgetin' a lot. Can't Say as I'd blame him." I chuckled at that. I guess I'd be doin' the same thing, were it me.

"The reception was real nice. Big old weddin' cake settin there, chanpagne, Ice sculpture, and everyone all dressed up fine. There was some woman sprayin' folks with a hose if we didn't get up and dance too.... Strange way of keepin' everyone busy til Grey and Charly were done with their pics. Then there was real dancin' and cake. I even got a chance to dance with the bride," Smiled at that, thinkin' back on the day, "She was all decked out floatin' across the floor. Seemed like she was ridin' on a cloud, and real pretty too. I felt all clumsy tryin' to dance with her, gorram foot."

"I even danced with Lily. She's a fast learner when it comes to dancin'. I'd have to say that was the best weddin' I been to in a long time. It wasn't til later that same day I had to get dressed up for Brooke and Tee's weddin'. And I have to say it was a lot different then Grey and Charly's. They had it in the old chapel on Shadow. One of Tee's crew was askin' folks for their firearms. Don't usually have someone ask for em.... We used to leave em at the door in case of reaver attacks," I looked across the room where one person was dancin' on the floor. "Cursa presided and everythin' went off without a hitch.... Til the reception. Then things went downhill real fast. Some feller showed up claimin' to be Brooke's first husband, then Tee went all strange," I frowned remembering the looks.... and the words.

"I ain't seen anything like it. Tee shot the man in the head.... Cold blood. Everythin' went crazy then. I grabbed Tee, and then there was shootin'. I went down hard with a slug in my shoulder." My left shoulder still ached some. A little reminder of how bad a weddin' can go. "Pluto, Bri amd Izzy got me into Raivenn where I flew em back to Mac's, I think. Don't remember much of that. I can say I woke up in the doc's office the next mornin'. Still felt weak. Kitten come and helped durin' the whole mess at Shadow, ended up helpin' Bri too.... Bri had a hard time dealin' with Tee's," I stopped for a moment, rememberin' his real name, "Sorry, Commander William Faith's Betrayal.... I realized when he turned that he used Brooke to draw out her first husband to kill him."

Sighin', I looked back at the coffee mug I just had filled, "Seems that's only part of it. But that comes later, I guess. Found out a few days later Brooke's goin' to have a baby. Not a good time for that little announcement.... She ended up tellin' Faith.... Now we got to find a way to keep it from him." Lookin' 'round the room, I went on, "Then there's the situation with Lily. I had a talk with Seana. Told her I'd like to see Lily regular. Got the ok. Somethin' strange happened about three days ago with her. How she got on an old reaver ship's beyond me... She would've cooked had she been human..... I near got cooked myself rescuin' her. Ended up havin' to take the gorram rad treatment," I made a face thinkin' of the strange smell and taste it left with me.

"Durin' that night, Lily started to change.... She showed me her real form then became human.... I mean real human. But in doin' it it was killin' her. She told me to choose....," I frowned at that, "It was soemthin' that made me think real hard. I could have had a beautiful woman for a night or Lily as she was. Somethin' inside me couldn't take the easy road. So I chose Lily, with all her spots and purrin'. In human form she was downright beautiful, but not at the cost of her life. So we have our familiar fun lovin' Lily. That I can live with."

Takin' a good swig of the coffee, "There's somethin' else that happened too. Doc JJ was kidnapped. We all tried to locate her. Lily was able to use Raivenn's systems to tap into the computers and got a quick view of her on a ship. 'Liance ship.....," I growled at that. "Seems they must of taken her cause, they're huntin' for Duncan. Anyone associated with him's in danger of gettin' caught." Takin' another gulp of the hot coffee, "We had to wait to recon where she was. Found out Mindo got her away from the 'liance.... Why him?" I shrugged, "I got no answers for that one."

"Didn't help that over the last few days more reavers been showin' their ugly heads. They been comin' to Mac's and Caliban. Was there when a new attack come up. Thoth and me held em off. Thoth maybe thought they might have been a clan. Could of been. A bit later... or was it earlier," I frowned taking another drink, "Varahi had a baby. Lily was the only medic available. She was talkin' 'bout faeries and jars and all. Seems the folks there thought it was real funny. Didn't think she knew nothin'," Frowning over that, "Lily's a good field medic. Maybe not helped in a birthin' but she's good at what she does. Anyway, I headed back for Mac's to rest up til we could get JJ. Lily contacted me, sayin' she knew pretty much where JJ was. So I called for medic backup and headed to Hale's Moon. Thats where we got inside.... Blue Sun's hidden facility. Gorram place had strange lookin' reavers!"

I rubbed the back of my neck, feelin' the hair standin' on end, "Not like other reavers.... They had thing's stickin' out their shoulders... and no not just their arms.... More like tenticles.. Six gorram limbs in all.... and fast. I grabbed JJ. had to carry her out of there. Lily told me to get outside and keep the door closed. Not to go inside. I did just that. Got JJ to the edge of Blue Sun where Sentry was waitin' for us. We put her on the ship, and I headed back for Lily. Lily was ok. She had to take care of those things so they didn't get loose on the town..... Xoxo's work, seems like." Another drink of coffee, "Sentry got JJ home safe. Took care of her wounds and got her restin'. Needed rest myself. Head back for Mac's and got some shuteye. Now I got to get headin' out. Need to make a special run." Finishin' my cup, I got up and headed outside to check Raivenn.

Painful reminders

2009-11-02T14:37:00.001-08:00

I lean back with my left foot up on the crate at Bootleggers, "Things been happenin' too fast. Don't know muchof what went on..... a lot was out of fucus in my head." I rubbed my leg feeling the ache in my foot.

I looked at the coffee cup on that same crate, wishing it was a wiskey, "After the whole thing happened at the lab, Krenshar wanted Lily and me. Said we had to stand trial for the damages. Coop covered for us not tellin' him where we were. A bit later, Lily was down in the river, near drowned. I jumped in, pulled her out." I looked out the window as it started to get dark, "Coop showed up shortly after. Lily showed him why she was in hidin. The jars with the babies in em. Left Coop thinkin'... She said she's been lookin' for the coin too. Coop said he'd have a look see." I leaned forward to take another drink of hot coffee.

"Before long Xoxo showed up. She said somethin' 'bout my eyes havin' chips in em... Seein' what I see. So maybe someone'd be watchin' and trackin' me. Said the only way to keep everyone safe was for me to get in her ship and fly into the black...... That lasted a day..... Got stir crazy. While she was sleepin' I go the ship to ground and ran. Don't know where to or how...... Just started wakin' up in a bar...... Jai was there...... then Lily...."

I shook me head, "Lily said somethin' bout a plan. So Jai said some thing's at me I said sure then Lily said yeah, Got handed a ring and was told to go with it, " I took another sip of the hot liquid, "From there I think we'd gone to Hale's.... Danced and then went to Caliban. Jai turned us in. Things started clearin' for me. Lily was sayin' somethin' bout a cub, Krenshar got real quiet. Handed me Lily's coin..... Said somethin' 'bout it bein' me to make her right. It wasn't long 'fore the folks outside were threatenin' to put me in a cage...... That didn't sit well with me.... Lily tried to knock me across the room. Don't know how I kept me feet, knocked me a few steps...... Snarlin', I was ready for anythin'....."I shrugged at that point, " maybe her doin' more then the one hit. We bit each other..... Don't ask. I'm not even for sure why. Well that all ended up with us kissin' in a corner..... Then Lily told me she was settin' somethin' off... Shut the door down when she did. She told me to run, I didn't want to leave her there, but she told me to go, so I got out..... Half blinded by the flare.... scrambled to the nearest tunnel entry. It's how I got out." I frowned, thinkin' of what was goin' on.

"Lily told me to go. I couldn't see well enough to fly out on my own, had to catch a shuttle to one ship then another to get to someplace to hole up." The next mornin' I headed back to Caliban to find Lily and bring her home. Coop, Kash, Gabe, and a few others came to help get us out....... But Coop had somethin' on his mind," I sighed lookin' in my mug and the steam risin' from it, "He said somethin' bout he was movin' on. Handed me the reins to the Raivenn, then turned and left. Just like that..." I frowned lookin' back out the window and into the darkness.

"We got the ship back to Mac's. Didn't know what else to do. We were pretty much confused and a little spun about." I looked back at my Left foot restin' on the crate, " That happened a few weeks back. We worked on gettin' Raivenn ready to work. Talked to Pod. He had a place I could go to have the gorram chip taken out of my head. Thanks to Cursa findin' it was there. So I talked with JJ and Sentry to come get me if they didn't hear from me after a day or two. That was when Jai contacted me. She said there were doc's who could remove it," I rubbed me left leg, feelin' the dull ache in my foot, "So I left, not knowin' Lily was on board. Things didn't seem right. They wanted me in a stasis chamber to be scanned.... Didn't feel right. Call it gut instinct, but I wasn't goin' to climb in. Jai had my shades and guns, at that point. Lily showed up beggin' to talk to me before they did anythin' to me. It's 'bout the time we escaped there." I took another drink of the still hot coffee.

I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure how things got so spun about, "I think we got to Hale's. Hid in the tunnels.... Lily bit me in the calf. Not sure why. I think after that was a bright flash then nothin'. Things went spinnin' out of any control for days, from what I was told." I looked into the cup again, not sure what happened, "I woke up on Hale's. Splittin' headache, tubes in and out. At least that headache wasn't like the blindin' one I had b'fore." Leaned forward and took the boot off. I sighed lookin' at the bandage wrapped 'round my left foot. "Had a gorram hard time walkin' with my foot achin' bad. Seems the 'Liance was the ones who had me. Cut into me. Took some bits, and blood, then cut my little toe off. Not sure why. Don't know how long b'fore Krenshar, Kash, Miya, Kitten, Pluto, and Thoth came to rescue me from the 'liance. That's what I was told later. I owe em all."

Rubbin' my leg again, puttin' it back up on the crate. Made me mad feelin' hobbled, "So been restin' with my foot up, 'til Caliban called for help a few days back. Reavers landed. "Kitten and me, we took Raivenn and flew there. Came to lend a hand or rescue the folk there." I shrugged, "Then yesterday or so Xoxo come 'round lookin' for me. She said I wasn't allowed to see Lily any more, then walked out. I limped out after her, wantin' to know what was goin' on. She said she wasn't goin' to let Lily become human. She'd find a way to stop the process..... Hell if I knew what that was about.... Threatened to kill me. I didn't care, Lily's, well special. She deserves to be more'n someones peice of property or pet.", I leaned back tryin' not to get angered, "I was pretty mad at how she was sayin' she'd stop the process, 'til Xoxo was ready for Lily to be..... Not sure whatall that meant. I said somethin' in my usual fool self way and got slapped for it."

"Yesterday Lily contacted me sayin' she'd be on the ship in her bunk. Then this morning she was talkin' bout findin' Mindo and Aurora. we went lookin' all over. Tried Botany Bay first, then to some place called the junkyard......Where Blue lived. We found the place...... Lily ended up steppin' into the chamber. it sealed and filled with a blue gas.... I tried to get her out of there. But didn't know how to. She said some things that confounded me at first; 'When I encountered Blue Sun single source 041295 Lily, my updates activated. I am now sentient.
I was designed by Weyland Yutani Corperation. My initial programming was done by my creaters. I was upgraded by Alliance Intern 24601 in a stealth update. The stealth program enables sentience.' "

It took a minute to consider what I remembered, to make sure it was right. Sighin', I went on, "I asked Blue 'bout Lily and it said, 'Lilybell Snoodle. Created by Mindo Lupindo. Lily is a genetically seeded organic construct created to bring life to the machine. I must protect Lily. I am programmed to protect Lily, and facilitate the creation of AuroraBlue. That plan has been corrupted.' Then Krenshar showed up. He was actin' like Lily and her like him..... Then Lily stepped out. Krenshar told me to get Lily as far from the place as I could. I hurried her back to the ship as my bad foot would let me. I got her back to the Drift as fast as I could."

I reached for the mug again taking a few good gulps."Then Immy showed up.... Not actin' like her old self. Real strange like.... I started gettin' suspiscious that either Xoxo or Mindo messed with her. I asked her, more like cofronted her, tryin' to find out what the hell was happenin'. She turned 'round and kissed me," I shook my head unhappily, "Not what I was expectin'. She left fast, then come round again. Come on board Raivenn. Kerm , Sentry, General, Charly, and Lorie were there... She was dressed in way too revealin' clothes and actin' all strange. At that point I told her as much. That wasn't Immy, at least the one I knew. No way. The way she was actin', the clothes, even how she never looked at anyone. Like the fire went out inside her."

I took off my shades, lookin' across the room at the people sittin' at the bar talkin' quiet, "She tried again with gettin' close. At that point somethin' inside me started yellin' 'this was real wrong'. She wandered off then, still glassy eyed. Made me mad, I didn't have any answers. It's why I got some pretty cut up knuckles for my pains, punching the cargo container." I looked down at my raw knuckles, finished my mug of coffee, set it on the crate. "It's been too long a day, hell, weeks, what with strange happenin's and even stranger behaviors, all the way round."