Eye of the Beholder...

"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

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.....

"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....

"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...

"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

"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

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......"