Wasteland

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

As we walked, Coulter stared back at her as if he couldn't believe she was really there.
"Does she know we're here?" He asked.
"I...think she's noticed me," I replied, trying to sound uncertain. News of the confrontation would spread quickly throughout the men and women gathered here, but until it made its rounds, it was best to enjoy the silence.
I glanced back, watching as the blonde haired "Sage" wandered back to talk with her. i saw the woman's expression, pressing and serious, as she spoke but couldn't hear the words.
This surprised me. Usually Andidria covered herself better, made closer friends than this woman seemed to be. They came here together, and the woman had taken her side in the confrontation, but it seemed they knew each other only a little, not even enough for Andy to have set a few cover stories in place. in the time I followed her following the day when she'd stabbed me, I'd noticed that, while morality had failed her--she used people like their entire purpose in life was for her own convenience--she had an uncanny skill at deception. This woman, however, had not been fully decieved. That caught my attention.
I watched as the woman returned to Walter's side, asking how long the resistance had been working with Andromedians.
"Well," Walter began, "in actuality, they aren't. The New Republic isn't part of the original resistance, but a branch of something new, hopefully the acorn that grows into the oak. Most of the resistance still views Andromedians as the enemy, though no shots have been fired between the two for quite some time. We believe that saving the world for humans alone is a foolish pursuit. We're outnumbered too greatly, and the Andromedains, like many of those races now living on this planet, are trapped here, unable to leave. That makes this their home as well..."
"So, Thallon, What was that back there?"
Madge's voice, front in front of us.
"That was...a reunion of sorts. One day, I'll show you the scar." I replied, "for now, I hope our friend is on the up and up."
"you mean YOUR friend..." SHe said.
"No," I shook my head. "The other one. THat's where their strength lies. SHe's the leader, and she belongs here..."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Madge

I could tell from the spiteful glances between the two, Thallon and our new visitor, that their history was one of the Romantic persuasion. But to pull a weapon on her? He'd reacted similarly up top when he'd first seen Coulter. I waited patiently to hear this story, but decided not to pry at it now. i thought instead of Sten, who'd fought so valiantly for our cause, lost in battle.
A good fighter, I thought, I will miss you, Friend...

 

[poohlive]

"We're going to need some help," he got onto the radio, calling out to anyome who could here.
"May day! May Day. Can anyone hear us? This is two..." he looked at her, "Humans on an escaped Lucian ship. We're being chased by fighters, any assistance will be helpful."
The radio shot static, no one, nothing. He tried again, but again nothing.
"Is anyone out there, over?"
"...... tcha!"
"Hello? Hello!"
"Co... own, We.... ight."
The words came out very staticy. He didn't know what they were saying. Shit.
"The explosion must have screwed up the comminucations. Just take us down as planned, we can do this."
Somehow, though, he seriously doubted it.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

Things were happening and they weren't good, he knew that much. But he was happily surprised to see Sage here and all right. But when she had given him that hug he had worried for a few moments that she was going to break another one of his ribs. But that still didn't matter nearly as much as this apparent hostility that Thallon was showing the one human.

Another thing that had him very very perplexed was the woman who looked like Sage's twin. That was very disturbing to him that humans, usually so variant could have two look the same. But, it wasn't his concern right now, it was getting the hell down farther underground that occupied his thoughts more.

As they walked and listened to Walter talk to the Sage-like woman, he looked down at Sage and asked her. "Is she a clone of you? And thank you for your concern, I am glad to see your alright Sage." and with that he gave her a squeeze with his two right arms and they kept walking while Sage thought up a reply.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

We traveled quickly, eventhough we were carrying many supplies and trying to properly move the wounded. Valerios was showing signs of brightening, talking intelligibly to Sage as we carried him. He was beginning to grow heavy, even with two of us supporting his weight. I guessed as we got even deeper beneath the surface, he'd be almost impossible to carry.
Still, I was willing to help without complaint. As we walked, I thought back to the Rabbits again, how they'd come streaming over the dunes, angry and wild, wanting to kill us. Coulter had fought them with vigor, already wounded. He'd been one hell of a soldier in those days...what had gotten into him, running with Andidria like he did? Allowing her to stab me and leave me for dead? I wondered if he was a full party to that.
I glanced over to him. he was still fascinated with Andy, glancing back to look the girl over, as if he wasn't quite sure she was real. Maybe that was it...maybe he'd just fallen blindly for her. SHe wasn't beautiful, but she certainly had a way about her that was damn-near undeniable...undeniable, that is, until the bitch stabs you in the lung.
I glanced over at Sage, smiling as Valerios spoke to her, carrying the Andromedian without complaint, as I did, totally willing to help a friend. I shrugged Andy off then, telling myself to stop thinking about her. That was the past...perhaps she'd turned over a new leaf after all.
I looked ahead at Madge, her eyes red from crying again. Sten's death coming back to her, no doubt. SHe saw me looking and smiled weakly, wiping at her eyes.
I smiled back, then looked away, granting her her privacy.
"Walter," Hum'Battaan shouted, hurrying past us, "We've picked up a communication from somewhere above ground. It appears to be a call for help, but the message is broken here and there."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Madge

As we walked, i thought of Sten, unable to get him out of my mind. I'd only known him for some time, but we'd formed a strong bond. He'd saved my life more times than I could count, and I'd returned the favor as often as I could. His time had come, and I couldn't stop it, I tried to tell myself. But the tears came anyway, welling in my eyes, one escaping and falling down my cheek here and there. Many had seen this, and some knew, but I tried to cover them anyway, wiping at my eyes often and turning my head away from larger groups.
I felt eyes on me constantly, but only once were these eyes close.
I glanced to see Thallon looking. I tried to smile, seeing a similar mournful look in his eyes that i guessed were somehow related to the girl he'd threatened earlier. He looked away then, more to be polite than for any other reason.
I looked ahead, seeing Hum'Battaan rush by, shouting to Walter.
I let him pass, not paying attention to his words, and thought about Sten. I'd met him five months ago, while fighting in the desert. I'd been scavaging, like so many people these days did--and I guessed many more would, with Zion in ruins--and he'd been with a small group of men fighting off a fairly large brigade of Martians near Filda.
My friends and I had nowhere to run, and took arms along side of them. The rest was a slowly developing friendship--and more--which I'd never known the likes of.
And now he was gone.
For you, I thought, the war is over, but in our hearts, you win the better fight.
I sighed heavily and trodded on.

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage looked up at Valerios.

"Clone? What is 'clone'?"

"Someone who is made to look exactly like you."

"Make? Make me?"

"Yes, she is identical to you."

"Identical? She has mother's face."

"No, Sage, can't you see... she is exactly like you."

"Like... me?" She asked with a half smile as if Valerios was making a joke.

He frowned and then pulled out a mirror from his suit.

"Look Sage..."

Sage took the small mirror and looked into it.

"Mother!" She laughed, then frowned as the face moved.

"How you have mother's face?" She asked.

"No Sage, that is YOUR face."

"My face?" She looked back at the mirror and made faces watching as the image mimicked her. She laughed again and watched the image before a slow realisation came over her.

"I have mother's face too!" She said with some surprise.

Valerios managed a nod. She went to hand him back the mirror but he made a motion saying she could keep it. She beamed at him before becoming quiet. Thinking about this new thing she had learnt.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Lunden (Andidria)

I was getting tired, walking through the caves and carrying bags full of whatever items I'd been handed was wearing me down. I wasn't meant for this type of work, lugging things around and doing other such manual labor, which I guessed would be forced on me soon enough. I wasn't made for this sort of thing, and I wasn't taking well to it at all, that was for damned sure.
I thought long and hard on it, then made a decision...self-preservation...that's what was most important...SELF-preservation.
We stopped to rest and to care for the wounded and eat before pressing on. According to Walter, we would travel for a few more hours, then camp, and be where he wanted us after a short distance in the morning...something about an abandoned ship underground.
When we stopped, I dropped the items on the rocky ground with a 'thud,' getting a brisk warning from one of Walter's flunkies about being careful, then excused myself, wandering off into a side tunnel to see it the thing would work so far beneath the surface. Supposedly, they could find a signal anywhere, but who would have invented something thinking that someone would attempt to use it at this depth, beneath solid rock and sand?
Before I could get it started, the militant looking woman who'd stood by Thallon as he threatened me with the rifle.
I started, surprised to see her and wondering if she intended to finish what she'd started.
"Don't be alarmed," the woman, Madge, said, "I didn't come back here to hurt you..."
I tucked the device behind my back, concealing it and hoping she wouldn't notice.
"Is that why you pointed a weapon at me?" I asked, nervously, but wanting to appear as a true rebel would, a fighter, which I wasn't.
"I backed those I was with, that's what we do here...take care of our own, but we truly are in this together...we're both human and after the same thing." She explained. "We can try harder to get along. Whatever is between you and Thallon, if no one gets hurt, I can leave that to you..."
I thought about that, thought about telling her something, a blend of truth and fiction--something I'd grown good at since leaving my home with a friend to join the rebellion so long ago--that would make Thallon appear the bad guy and possibly help me create an ally out of an enemy, then decided against it. If she'd pulled a weapon on me, she was already HIS ally.
I nodded, "Okay, but when it comes down to it, IF it does, anyway, I don't want you in the way. He's not who you think he is..."
She seemed appeased at this, curious about what had happened, I 'm sure, and I doubted she believed Thallon responsible for anything that had happened (the asshole had a preputation that...hell, half of it wasn't even TURE!), but pleased with the outcome, nonetheless. SHe nodded back and walked back to join the others. I waited to see if anyone else would come, thinking, Self-preservation is the key here, then went back to what I was doing...

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Brianna--As Lactide

Lactide was too constrictive.
That would be my first complaint when I got back, how constrictive it was. It was well-constructed and well-designed, as most of the Doc's equipment was, realistic to the eye, and it moved with full believability, mimicking even the most trivial of things, such as the noticeable heartbeat, and the way their eyes tended to narrow when thinking. I hadn't noticed these things until I was among them, walking as though I were one of them, mimicking their gestures and hoping they wouldn't notice any of my mistakes, were there any. Lactide, the suit, did most of the work for me, most of the convincing. It would make the heart and pulses beat and narrow the eyes, it even translated when I spoke, from English to their language.
Amazing. The Doc had outdone himself on this one.
But nothing was perfect, and the suit was too constrictive. That would be a problem for anybody wearing it. Also, the head was far too heavy, making it almost impossible to balance. How the Martians did this I wasn't sure, but I guessed it would take quite some time to strengthen the neck enough to support it well. Now and again, my neck would cramp from the effort and the head would lean to one side as I tried to cope. They didn't seem to notice, but I worried nonetheless.
I felt better when I was out of the city, heading across the stream with the others on the small raft toward the barge. They talked among themselves, the words coming to my left ear through the small earpiece were English, but through my right, I could hear them speak in their own language, the words blending. Enough of this, I thought, and I'll be able to interpret myself.
We reached the barge and all off-loaded, carrying the equipment with us. Once we were onboard, the raft headed back, and we were heading down the river to the next city, thirty soldiers, Lactide among them, being transferred to Diablen. They were growing more cautious after someone destroyed Althemidy, growing incredibly cautious, and therefore, becoming more dangerous. That made me uneasy.
I tolerated it, though, given no choice in the matter. We offloaded again at an intersection between rivers, where we were led to a land cruiser, a transport vehicle of some sort.
I pressed the outward communication switch over to Interior Com. only.
"Are you getting this?" I asked, whispering.
"Everything," Fawn returned, his voice obviously concerned. "It isn't much use, but I can see it. Remember that this is just a test run, that we're not taking many notes except on how the thing functions, and don't take any unnecessary chances. Get back here as soon as possible. Doc's orders."
"Gotcha," I returned, then switched back to Ext. Com., not wanting to go too long without hearing them, concerned they would attempt to communicate with me. Not a problem usually. They seldom spoke to one another, nonetheless to the "New Guy."
Well, I thought, where do I see a way out of this?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Fawn

As she switched off the communication, I sat back and watched the screen, black and white, and not a particularly good transmission, broken here and there and always a bit fuzzy, but still a visual account of all she went through. I wasn't too happy with the doctor's decision to send Brianna, but I understood his logic. The Martians were small of build, standing only about four and a half feet, seldom taller and often shorter. Brianna was also small, only 4'2" in height and weighing about eighty pounds. Her firey short red hair would be of little consequence in the suit, which was snug to say the least. Her limbs were thin, though she was in good shape, she wasn't overly muscular, which would make her limbs, which unlike her head were very near the suits surface, covered just in the thin coating of organic latex, too thick to appear like theirs.
"Not too much longer, Brianna," I muttered, talking to myself as if she could hear with my ears.
"Worried?"
I turned to see Dexter standing in the doorway.
"Yes," I replied. "A little."
"Why? She can handle herself as well as any of us can."
"She's a scientist, Dex, we ALL are. Chances are, none of us could handle ourselves there." I turned to face the screen again. She was walking toward the transport, carrying something.
"She'll be back soon enough, and the Doc'll be pleased with the test run. Looks like Operation Lactide has been a success."
I nodded.
Yeah, she'll be back, I thought, but not soon enough.

 

[Lady_Siren]

Lucia flew the ship where he instructed and when they reached the city she felt her heart beat quicken. Just as Terrin said they started shooting like crazy. She dodged shot after shot, when she saw the fighter pilots still behind them she dove for the city glad they were in a small aircraft. She manuvered through the buildings expertly and smiled when she saw that most of the fighter crafts were gone. "We just may get through this after all" she said as she dodged another missle. Her Joy was short lived when she saw a dozen other human fighter pilots coming their way. Being in a Lucian aircraft they would immediatly be taken for the enemy. "Shit" she cursed under her breath "What do we do?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Fawn

I held out as long as I could, but eventually turned it over to Dexter, who patted me appreciatively on the back. We seldom got along, but he was always appreciative of my efforts to stay with it, to sty on top of things.
I exited the room, leaving him to handle the situation for the night, and started toward the P-Bay, located on the far end of the complex. As I walked through the corridors, I admired the various types of fish that swan by outside the glass walls. I never grew tired of that, the way they look in at us, totally unaware of what thoughts are moving through our brains, how destructive we are, how much work we put into being more destructive than our enemies, although we never really succeeded at that.
The aquanet, an unbelievable invention we'd inherited from two generations of scientific research, spanned almost ten miles across the floor of the humongous lake, the perfect hiding spot from our enemies, which felt humans lacked the knowledge to build such things.
There were rumors that other aquanets existed, even a rumor that claimed one had been built beneath the ocean's surface, but who knew for sure? Such things were certainly possible, but likey? Not given the amount of work put forth to build this one, and the amount of loss and failure that resulted in the effort.
I reached my quarters a few minutes later, forgetting all about the fish, swimming lazily through the thick, dark waters outside the glass walls, and fell asleep in my day clothes.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

He was tired, but happy talking to Sage as they walked down the tunnel deeper into the earth. But he still couldn't believe she had never sen her face. So he gave her his mirror from his pack which was usually used to cook food out in the desert via sunlight. Her obvious joy in it made him smile. When she went to give it back he merely told her to keep it as a gift.

When they stopped he sat down against the wall and eating quickly closed his eyes in an attempt to get some quick sleep in before they left for the next part of the trip..

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Madge

We stopped to rest for the night, each of us collecting a bedroll and settling in for the evenings rest. I wasn't sure what had happened up above, but it didn't matter much anyway. If the missile hadn't destroyed the city (and I hadn't heard the explosion) then the Martians would be patrolling it in mass by now. We needed to move...where we would wind up was a different matter.
I lay down, tired from so much movement, wondering how Coulter would be coping, if he were still awake yet at all. The wounds he'd taken up top were pretty bad. Were it not for Valerios, he'd have surely died.
I thought of Sten again, big strong Sten, gullable yet sweet. He'd been by my side in nearly every battle, always concerned for my safety, and I'd grown to him, wanting to know more about this man who fought so well and smiled so sweetly but afraid to get to know him better. I'd gotten to know a few men in the time since I'd joined the rebellion, and they'd all been killed, some heroically, some in less honorable ways. But all had died.
Sten had grown on me regardless, large, well-trained and ruggedly handsome in a way none of the others had been. And sweet, always sweet.
I dozed off, thinking that...and smiling.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

We'd been unable to trace the signal we'd overhead, but it didn't really matter. We couldn't be of any help anyway. We could tell the source was distant, and sounded as if it were moving. From here, undergrouhd, there was no way to even find the source, nonetheless help.
WHen we settled down for the evening, I made a point of ensuring Valerios had everything he needed to keep warm (Walter had said that at night, it often got cold, especially now, as we were near a large underground river) then settled down next to Sage.
According to Walter and Hum'Battaan, we would surface somewhere to the East of the Great Desert, in the grasslands of Mid-Continent. We'd need to find a place to hide out, possibly setting up base in the high grass and trees, making small bubbles (large enough for perhaps five people at once, all standing) to hold oxygen, and camouflaging ourselves from the enemy overhead. We'd need to be very careful in order to move around, but it was at least a possibility, something to start with and build on. In order for any of it to be worth while, we'd need more soldiers, people to support us and offer supplies.
At no point in time did it occur to me to leave. We were already in this, it seemed. To back out would be to deny ourselves the honor of doing our part to save the species.
I glanced around, taking in those around me. Sage and Valerios, of course, came to mind first. I glanced through unfamiliar faces to find Madge, sleeping it seemed not too far away. Coulter leaned against the stone wall almost twenty feet from her. A new friend and an old one, even if Coulter and I shared some bad blood. I even looked over to see the new woman, who looked too much like Sage not to like. SAtra, Walter had said her name was. hat name sounded familiar, as though I should know it's meaning.
Perhaps in the morning I'll ask her where I should know her from, I thought, then closed my eyes to sleep.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Fawn

I awoke suddenly, somebody shaking me.
"What?" I exclaimed, irritated.
"Come, hurry!" Ivana's voice, scared...no, excited.
I sat up in time to see her running out of the room, her lab-coat flinging left to right behind her.
What the hell has her so excite? I thought, getting up and hurrying after her, almost running into the doorframe in my half-conscious state.
I followed her into L-Bay (Laboratory Bay) and then into Labroom five, where the Doc waited impatiently. Everyone on the Doc's team was there except for Brianna and Dexter.
"AH, Fawn," he said, smiling and holding up a vial containing a pale blue liquid.
"I've finished it, and it does work," he said, speaking as though any of us knew what IT was.
"The problem is, getting enough of it, and spreading it around. We can hardly get about above the surface, so we'll be entirely unable to use the syrum, but others, if we can find them, might be able to give it its best chance at success..."
He was thinking outloud, something he did far too often.
"Now, if we can just find--"
"Doc!" I interjected.
The Doc lookedat me, as if surprised to see me standing there.
"What is it? What does it do?"
"Oh," he said, looking at the vial for a second. "Why...it's my newest find. I call it the Z-factor."
"Z-factor?"
"Yes," he replied. "Why Z I'm not sure, but why not?" He giggled, like a child telling himself a senseless joke.
"Okay, Doc, so what does it do?"
"Properly distributed," he began, "the Z-factor should be able to restore most of our environment to a fully functional, breathable atmosphere, as it was before the war. Now, there's no guarantee, but if it works, the battlefield will become more to our advantage, now that we'll no longer need to live nad hide in bubbles and within sheilded cities, like Zion. We can hide right out in the open, no breathing devices or protective suits."
We all stared, wondering if it could be true.
"The question is," he added. "Who do we get to distribute it, when we have enough?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Brianna

Having removed Lactide, I hurried through the darkness, hoping to find a place where I could hold up for the night. The lake was nearly thirty miles away, far too much distance for me to cover in one night, possibly too far for me to cover in two, were I capable of traveling in a straight path, which would be impossible, given that very the Martians patrolled these areas well. Luckily, as Lactide, I'd been on a few patrols, so I knew some of the area already.
I moved until about an hour before daybreak, then found a small cave to hide in, large enough for me to slip inside and crawl well out of the sun's reach. I huddled in the corner, wrapping a blanket around me to keep warm (eventhough I would be sweating my ass off in an hour or two) and hoping that Lactide, buried in the sand about fifty feet away, would not be discovered.

 

[poohlive]

Ooc: Hate to be a party pooper, but we're in a martian city Lady Siren. It doesn't matter much, just a small change in species annhilation.

"Give up!" He threw his hands in the air. As fast and as manuverable as this thing was, it couldn't surpass en entire fleet. They were dead in the water.
Static came through, he looked at the radio, picking it up.
"Yes, hello, come on. We are in grave assistance.
"... Uh.... Cr.... up!"
Terrin glanced at Lucia, his eyes studying her, "Go up. I think we can get a better signal."
It was lunacy, they would give away what little cover they had. As of right now though, they were sitting ducks anyway. Might as well go out in a blaze of glory.
"... There you are.... On the rad..."
"What?" He tried to get it repeated. A low grumbling shook the entire ship, he glanced back as a huge shower of sparks nearly blinded him.
The ship came down fast, shooting at the fighters, and zipping past others. The fighters began to leave in a huge hurry. The cargo ship came to a stop just in front of the now wounded Lucian shuttle.
Terrin looked up in surprise, "SPIKE!"
"At your service Captain. Good to hear your voice."
He nearly jumped out of his seat, "Shit, it's good to hear you too. What is going on?"
"Best to explain later. Come on, those fighters will be back."
The ship turned and veered off into the desert. Terrin pointed.
"We're saved now, just follow their lead."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Fawn

I went back to sleep, only small portions of what the Doc had told us actually sinking in. I awoke in the morning, Dex informing as soon as I reached the Communications room that Brianna was asleep for most of the day, and hopefully in hiding for the rest.
I sat down, thinking over what he'd said. Z-factor...restore the breathable atmosphere...
Now it sank in fully. We would be back to where we started, exactly owhere we started on a biological level, the environment almost fully restored...
But who would be able to distribute it?

 

[Lady_Siren]

Lucia gave a huge sigh of relief and smiled brilliantly at Terrin as they followed Spike. "I can't believe we made it out of here alive. It's a miracle" a million thoughts ran through her head but one sobering thought stuck. She was in love with this guy. How in hell it happened she didn't know. It was almost like what humans called love at first sight. Glancing over at him she frowned, now what the hell was she supposed to do.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Lunden/Andidria

Come morning, one of the Andromedians shook me awake, using two arms to do it and looking down on me quietly, one of her ugly faces looking down at me, smiling. I'd heard her name spoken. What was it? Yourick? Youbutt?
Yournal, that was it.
I nodded to her, letting her know I was awake, then she moved on. As I sat up, I noticed Satra and the others already awake. When she looked my way, i smiled, but she just went back to what she was doing. Maybe she hadn't even noticed. Who knew?
Maybe Satra'd get out of this afterall. She was strong, and unfortunately, her new companions, my old companion and his new friends, seemed to have their shit pretty well together as well. Figured that ass hole would find a way to survive all this time. Coulter was at least injured, weak as always, needing somene else to help him keep moving. But Thallon? The same as always, looking you in the eye with his mind off somewhere else, thinking about what to do next, when there really was nothing to do at all. But standing uninjured, having just the right support around him, just like in the old days. Strong enough within himself, but too strong with his allies.
Already, i hated the girl who looked like Satra. Sage? What the hell kind of name was that?
I got up and walked over to where the others were, Satra waiting a few of the crew, ready to get moving.

 

[Moneytalks]

Zed

"Commander Zed... we have word... as you suspected... they're underground."

"You have the co-ordinates?"

"Yes Sir, they're moving, but we have established their destination."

"Excellent, send out an armoured unit, code red. Satra is to be considered extremely dangerous, a threat to security and a traitor. She will be taken in, dead if necessary."

"And the rebel's Sir?"

"If they surrender, take them in, otherwise, they are not important, dispose of them."

"Yes Sir, and... the informant?"

Zed smiled. "Oh, I'm sure the informant will be fine."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Fawn

"Dex?" Brianna's voice, coming through the headset.
"Bree?" I asked, sitting up straight and looking at the blank screen in front of me. She hadn't turned on visual yet.
"Fawn? Good, I was hoping you were there. You won't believe this, but I think I just saw a human craft flying overhead, followed by a small Lucian craft."
"What? Are you sure?"
"no, but I think it was Lucian. It looked like the ones in the pictures we'd seen."
"Near Diablen?"
"No, OVER Diablen. Apparently, they were fighting with some other Lucains and the human craft chased them off."
"Humans and Lucians? That doesn't seem right..."
"I know, but I saw it with my own eyes," she sounded scared.
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Maybe we've made allies..." I tried to sound comforting, but who knew how to comfort her. She was a short distance from a Martian city, hiding from the enemy in the desert, watching Lucains, another enemy, fly overhead. She was pretty brave, but...
"Stay undercover, and get some sleep. WHen night falls, get back to us." I instructed.
Silence for a moment, then, "I'll try. Signing off."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Madge

We moved at daybreak, gathering our things and heading deeper at first, then the ground sloped up suddenly, leaving us treading uphill at an almost impossible angle. Our progress slowed greatly, but we'd reach the top soon Walter kept reassuring.
Finally, the path evened out, narrowing slightly as well. In the distance, I could clearly make out the sunlight. A sight for sore eyes, in my opinion.
We stopped to rest again, and many of us lay down to sleep for a few minutes after eating. I went over and sat next ot Thallon and Sage, noting that the condition of the Andromedian was satisfactory at least. it seemed he was actually getting better already, but I knew little about the Andromedian healing process.
"So, Thallon," I began, sitting next to him. "Who's this girl? I mean, what happened?"
I noted that Sage was distracted by a small flat object that I realized after some deduction was a mirror. I was still amazed how much she and the new woman Satra looked alike. Perhaps I would ask her about that when Thallon and I were finished.
"An old friend..." He began, smiling at me politely. I could see his mind was on the same subject without my questions to press him in that direction. His eyes were those of introspection and the smile the distracted sort that only came with past memories...and loves lost.
"We used to know each other in my days with the Rebellion. She came out of nowhere it seemed. I was used to men everywhere, nothing of that sort of interest, then she showed up, sparkling eyes, cute smile..." As he spoke, he looked off at a rock wall nearby, his eyes seeming unfocused, though they never shifted from where he stared. "We were together for quite some time. I don't know exactly how long, but it seemed to be forever, and at the same time only a day, y'know? Not nearly long enough. Then...Well, she came home one day, and we made love, and she started talking about Coulter and the Rebellion and how they felt it was going nowhere. I didn't argue, since we were amid a long string of consecutive losses in the field. We sat in the quiet for some time, then she got up and dressed and said she had to leave, but that she'd be back, she promised."
"She left and never came back?" I asked, not wanting to interject, but speaking before I thought it over.
He looked to me for a second, his expression unchanged, still thinking back. Then he shook his head slowly and lifted his shirt, pointing to a small scar on his ribcage, no more than an inch long.
"Then she gave me this," he said.
"What...?" I wasn't sure exactly what to ask.
"SHe hugged me, and kissed me, then held me tightly for a moment, tears welling in her eyes for reason I didn't understand, then she pressed the blade of a small knife between my ribcages, penetrating my lung, and left me to die."
I just stared back, not sure what to say or think.
"She said she was sorry, and that she still loved me, then she left...I was lucky I survived, and I still don't know why she did it."
Silence for a few seconds. I glanced to Sage, who'd temporarily lost interest in her reflection and was listening intently. I wondered if she understood his words, but guessed she understood him better than i did by now, even if she couldn't decipher all of his meaning from spoken words.
"I'm sorry that I..." I trailed off, seeing him shaking his head as if to say "don't worry about it."
The others were getting to their feet.
"I guess it's time to head off again." he said, standing.

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage had been inornantly intersted in this strange glass-like gift that Valerios had given her, even so, it didn't distract her from Thallon. She sensed his melancholy in his tone as he spoke to the girl that had brought him back.

This is how Sage thought of Madge. That she had brought back Thallon and so she must be alright. Still hearing his voice she now listened intently to his words. Only barely understanding the meanings but in response to the sounds she slipped her arm through his and hugged him. She looked up at Madge now, inspecting her curiously as she had just been inspecting her mirror.

What had the woman asked to make Thallon so... sad?

She glanced over at Valerios as if to check on him. For the moment she felt relaxed and calm. Having them both with her. She was suprised by how easily she had came to accept them as her own pack. She knew she would fight to the death for them. So many strange things had happened to her these last few days. She was far removed from her simple life of day to day survival. It seemed that her friends were fighting for something. She wasn't exactly sure what or why. To her, war was an alien concept. The closest conclusion she could come up with on her own was that the one's they fought were trying to intrude on their territory and must be stopped. In truth it could be guessed that she wasn't far from the truth.

She thought that humans must be nomadic. Since they had travelled already quite a distance with no indication that they were to settle anywhere.

She looked now over at the one that had her mother's face. She wanted to talk to her, but she was frustrated by her lack of communicative skills. Also, she didn't want to leave Thallon's side. She felt somehow that he needed her.

SATRA...

Satra had stayed clear of the man that had threatened Lunden and his team. She noted that curious glances were sent her way and she assumed that it had most to do with her uncanny resemblance to the girl. The girl seemed almost feral despite the clothing she wore. The words she spoke were inprecise and child-like in their simplicity.

Foremost in her mind though was what to do about her own situation. Zed would by now have a death warrant on her head... or worse... would want to put her on trial for treason. Her whole team lay slaughtered in the dusty remains of sector 12 and she had no doubt, despite the attempts at leaving evidence that it had been a martian attack, that in fact Zed had organised a death squad.

She knew the signs.

She was stupid to have thought Zed would be kept in line by the council. His thirst for power made him dangerous and unpredictable. She kicked herself now for not seeing the signs earlier. How the hell was she going to prove her innocence now?