Flight of the dragon

[Xeenah]

HATCHING

Cher muted her comlink and let out a long breath.  She needed silence and privacy.  The short Opifex was standing in the small between two hills, behind the location of what was supposed to become the Twin Suns Temple.  It would never be now, would it.  Juxiao was gone, and there was no hope to ever see him again.

She took off her sunglasses and looked down at the valley in front of her.  Jux always had a good eye to find locations that were inspiring.  Just like he did for Ridge.

Ridge was back.  At least, Ridge and Clen came back.  Cherelle let out a sigh of relief.  At least, those two are back safe and sound.  She nodded and glanced down at the flowers she had laid down where Juxiao has been standing.  I should have gone there and pull you out myself, damnit...  Cherelle shook her head.  "I'm sorry, Jux.  I hope you'll forgive me" she whispered to the gentle breeze.

She let out yet another sigh and realized she had clenched her fists.  She unfolded her fingers and sat down.  It was impossible to avoid those thoughts now, all the "should have".  None of them would undo what has been done.  She could feel the pain from the loss.  It was there, burning inside her stomach like a steady fire.  She wanted to cry for Jux, but she couldn't.  Too many things happened.  Maybe Cord's right...  Maybe the job has sharpened me.

The amber eyes turned their glance on the flowers again.  Sister Mary...  Cher grinned sidedly.  Nice way to put it, Cord.  That's what I was.  She sniffed out slightly.  Oh, I still have the insight, yes, but...  Sister Mary seems to take days off from time to time...  And Mrs. Clay too, as well as Cher...  They're leaving their place to Advisor Clay instead.  And not only because I have more on my hands.

Extending her fingers, Cherelle bent forward to delicately pick up one of the flowers.  She brought the flower to her heart, then held it in front of her.  With her other hand, she slowly started to pull on a petal, detaching it.  She let it fall and watched it swirl away erratically on the breeze for a moment before it landed softly on the ground.  Cher started to detach the petals, one by one, releasing them to watch them fly briefly on the mild wind.  The suns were shining bright upon her.

People die and others come to life.  Things change.  But ever, life goes on.  What do you choose, mademoiselle?

Her fingers let go of the stem which fell among the other flowers.  "Your sacrifice won't be forgotten.  Rest in peace, Jux...  Let us worry about the war now."  She let her eyes embrace the valley before turning around.  She inhaled deeply and let her breath out quietly.

Cher smiled mirthlessly.  I don't even have to shake myself up to get myself together...  She quickly frowned before rolling eyes.  A little chuckle escaped her mouth.  Don't worry more than you have to.  You're just sharpening up, sweetheart, nothing more.  Just don't let joy die in your heart, now...

She unmuted on her comlink, greeted Jaston who had joined the nightshift and hopped in her Yalm before sealing down the hatch.  She turned on the music, playing low, and pushed the engines at full speed, enjoying the sharp reaction of the vehicle.  She smiled wanly.  "It really was a beautiful location..."

[Xeenah]

And he got the nerve to tell us that he's disappointed!  Cher was pacing back and forth, feet stomping through the living room from one window to the other.  The nerve!  She was fuming.  She had kept her head cool when she had to, but she had to blow off some steam, now that people had cooled down a bit.  She extended her arms, putting her palms on the window, and leaned on it, watching outside.

Commander, you have no idea of how hard it's been to carry on your orders to stand down about Bori.  NO idea.  And now, you turn around, change your mind and just ooopsie-didly forgot to let us know?  Fecking hell, I've demoted a man for that!  She clenched her fists and tightened her jaw.  She dropped her head, arms stretched out above her shoulders against the window.  I've been loyal and followed the orders, because I thought 'Hey, there's probably a bigger picture, so I won't compromise it by screwing up the orders...'  And there was none.  Not a damn one!

She pushed herself back from the window and started to pace back and forth again, breathing heavily.  Silverstone wants to crank up the heat on Omni-Tek, I'm all for it.  But damnit, he shouldn't dare come back to snap our fingers when we follow his orders!  We're not Sentinels because we're mindless sheeps, for crissakes!  He should have let us know, not show up to start prancing us!  She slumped down on the sofa, combing her fingers tightly on her hair spikes, and let out a growl.

After a while, she lowered her hands down on her lap and inhaled deeply.  The hell with it.  For now, there are other things to address.  She stared out at the orange clouds, the sky fired up by the twin suns setting down.  Yes.  I have to do this.  It's the only way I'll get any plan down...  She stood up and tuned her comlink on the private Monastery frequency.  She would need a quiet retreat if she wanted to be able to think clearly.

We have what it takes.  We just need to assemble the parts right...  So that we end up with a result greater than the sum of its parts.  Assemble and win.  We can do that.  She tilted her head when the screen blinked and displayed the image of her Master.

"Greetings, Master.  I need a favor...  Would it be possible for me to use a room as office at the monastery, one with a connection to the gridnet?  I need to get work done and I need quietness and peace to think..."

[Xeenah]

The big Yalm roared as she pushed the engines to take a sharp turn.  She was frowning slightly, tightly fastened to her seat, her eyes fixed upon the unfriendly landscape of the non terraformed areas.

Usually, she would have taken the chartered shuttle from ICC; this shuttle was equiped with cloaking devices, so it wouldn't give away the position of the Monastery.  However, she now knew the itinerary, the only difference being that she would have to fly below the possible radar line.  Her new Yalm being stealthy enough though, so Master Eyyot allowed her to fly directly.

Cher was clutching the handles tightly, the Yalm reacting to her slighest move.  Her mind was focused on the flight.  It was challenging and required all her skill.  Her thought briefly turned to her dad.  A sharp little grin grew up on her lips as she was zig-zagging between the steep sides of a canyon, slaloming between the mountains.

Emerging from a chain of mountains, she finally saw the bubble, or so the students called the protecting shield around the Monastery area.  She approached until the dashboard screen flashed briefly and slowed down to full stop, the Yalm floating above the ground.  She quickly tapped on the com panel, sending the data sequence that would allow her safe passage inside the bubble.  After a few seconds, the screen blinked, turning to green.  She proceeded to cross the shield's opening and initiated the landing procedure.

She stepped out of the Yalm, pulling together the panels of her cloak.  The breeze was crisp, making her shiver briefly.  She rolled her tense and sore shoulders and started to unload her belongings from the Yalm.  "May I help you with this, Mrs. Clay?"  The monk had been very silent and made Cher startle a bit.  "It would be really appreciated, thank you."  The monk picked up her suitcase.  Shouldering her backpack, she followed him through the bushes and plants, where the student entrance door was hidden.

Walking down the hallways, they arrived to a room, not far from the library.  The monk opened the door and put down her suitcase in the room beside the doorframe before coming out of the room.  "Here we are, Mrs. Clay.  Should you find anything is missing, let me know.  I have been appointed to your attendance during your stay.  You can call me brother Torin."  He bowed his head, palms joined.  Cher saluted back, entered and closed the door behind her.

Cher studied the room a moment.  It was actually a double room, with a half wall hiding the other section.  After a quick visual scan, she determined that this one had all she would need to work.  She picked up her suitcase and walked around the half wall and raised a brow, smiling.  "Bedroom...  Oh, and a shower too!  Wonderful.  That will save time." she said to herself.  She swung her suitcase and dropped her backpack on the bed and started to rummage in them.  She took off her cloak and shove it on a chair.  She picked up her computer, her com unit, her coffee machine and a holoframe, displaying changing pictures, and carried them on the office desk, save for the coffee machine, that she filled and turned on.

She put her fists on her hips and nodded once.  "Now we can begin."

[Xeenah]

The cup was resting on the low table, a strip of steam slowly emaning from the hot coffee.  The amber eyes were blind to the sunrise, focused on the holopad screen before them.  Cherelle took a sip, her eyes never leaving the screen as she proceeded to the next file.  This gotta be taken care of.  We can't let 'em go away with it.  She switched to the third file.  Odd.  Two martial artists.  Coincidence?...  Bahirae's students?  ...Meh, I'm prolly reading too much in this.

She reviewed the files once more, one by one.  The Atrox soldier, Gremmach.  Not your friendly neighborhood Atrox.   Brutal, loves his weapon... and loves using it. Cher switched to the Kordash file.  The picture appeared.  A frown grew on her face.  Not good...  Not good...  This one's a sadistic...  Shame to the profession...  She moved on to the last file, Akronit.  Cher tilted her head to the side slightly.  This one's not bad to the bone... yet.  She let out a sigh.  Her intuition was both a blessing and  curse.  As were her dreams.  "Damn F.O.S.S....", she muttered.

Cher quickly chased her thoughts, shaking her head.  She closed the ID files.  She accessed four new files.  On the holoscreen, the clan gridsite appeared.  She accessed it, bringing up two different pages in separate files.  She opened a new file in which she brought up the Assembly roster.  She then accessed the draft she was working on.  Good...  I gotta finish this a.s.a.p. and get it done with.  If I can spare Jen some heat, by hell, I will...  She switched quickly between the files and started to write, frowning.  She took another sip and put the cup back on the table.

— Morning, hon...  Already working?
Kotras was leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom.
— Mm hmm, Cher answered.  I said I'd go through with this, so I am.
— Hmm.
He frowned but didn't say anything.  He knew better.  He walked toward the table and sat behind her, gently massaging her tense shoulders.
— Mmmm...  This is not helping me focus on my work, hon..., she said, raising an eyebrow.
— Mm hmm, but it's gonna help you relax, he said, grinning behind her.
— Yeah, maybe...
— When d'you think we'll be ready? he asked, rubbing his palms firmly down her shoulders.
— I wanna get this done for the weekend.  If not, it's gonna be the weekend after, at most.  Don't wanna delay it much further.  It's overdue anyway, hon...  We know all it.

He kept massaging her for a while until he felt her shoulders tensing down.  His hands left her shoulders.
— Thanks...  I needed that, she said, smiling blissfully.
— Anytime, hon.

He sat next to her and grabbed a croissant from the plate.  Cher took another sip and resumed writing, more focused now.  She snickered.  "Think I forgot my velvet gloves at the Monastery on my last retreat..."  She grinned.  Kotras glanced at her, the corner of his mouth lifting in this typical grin she loved so much.  "Cracking the whip?" he asked.  "Nuh huh.  Dusting off memories and going to the roots."  He tilted his head a bit, shrugged and bit on the croissant with hungry teeth.

[Xeenah]

She was standing at the counter in a bright, wide kitchen with a large table surrounded by many chairs, filled by people with familiar faces, the chattering going on happily while Cher was flipping the crepe in the pan.  "Who's next?" she asked playfully, bringing up a couple of plates in the air.  "Oh no, Mack!  You already got 4 and Luci only one!" she said in a laugh, while sliding the crepe in Luci's plate.  "Mack will surely.  Is to trying work.  On getting fat.  Now that he will.  To being a married man!"  Luci said with a smile, giving Mack a side glance while rolling her crepe.  "Meh?  Nah, I'm gonna look good 'til I get ta 350 pounds!" he retorted, smirking.

"I think we will need more dough, they're very hungry", Jen whispered, tilting her head close to Cher's ear.  "Oh yeah, that they are!" Cher replied, smiling.  Cher put the pan aside to prepare more dough as the chattering was still going on, punctuated with laughter and occasional happy outbursts.  While Cher was mixing the dough, something caught her ear.

"You're putting too much sugar..."

It was just a whisper and she turned around to see who was behind her.  Nobody was there...  They were all sitting and talking.  Cher shrugged and turned back to face the bowl, resuming mixing.  "You're sweetening it too much!"  This time, it was  two people, but she couldn't match the voices with any of those sitting in the kitchen.  She frowned and again resumed preparing the dough.  "You're gonna waste it!  It's too sweetened, it's gonna crack when under heat!"

This time, it was a collective shout that made her freeze.  She dropped the mixing spoon in the bowl, standing very still.  She took a deep breath and quickly turned around.

They were now standing up, looking at her silently.  "Sweeten it too much and you'll make it weak under heat."  She could hear their voices but their lips didn't move.  They were just standing there, watching her.

Cher looked behind her at the bowl, took it and poured some dough in the pan.  It soon turned brown, caramelized and started to crack, smoke swirling up.  She quickly took the pan off the heating element and slid the crepe in the empty plate, then tossed the pan on a pan mat.  The handle slipped from her right hand and the pan slided, burning her left hand.  She let out a brief skrieching shout...


...and gasped, opening her eyes.  What a stupid nightmare...  She muttered and tossed around.  "Y'alright hon?..." Kotras mumbled with a sleepy voice.  "Yeah, 's nothing, go back to sleep, now..."  He moaned faintly, already diving in his own dreams.

Slowly, she slid out of the sheets, tiptoed to the living room and grabbed a Kappa berry in the fridge and cut it in half, putting a half back in the fridge.  She walked to the sofa and slumped down on the rug, leaning back against the sofa.

Symbols, dreams, premonitions.  What was that supposed to mean, this time?  She couldn't help thinking about this... feeling she had when she was talking to BP in the HQ.  Mack was there when she had this flash...  "It's you...  You are the next one..."  BP had answered that it would be Hunter, but no.  It has been BP, he has been the next in line.  Cherelle shivered a moment, mumbling.  "I hate this FOSS...  What's the use to have hints that something's gonna happen to someone when you never know how it's gonna happen, huh?"  She rolled her eyes and took a determined bite from the Kappa berry.

Do you think a dragon is a cute little puppy?  Do you not think it claws, roars, bites and breathes out a devastating fire?  It is not always a wise and quiet entity, it is also a force of nature.  A dragon heart is generous, faithful and brave, but it's a dragon's heart still.  It has to be.  And most of the time, a dragon stands alone.

Cherelle sighed impatiently at the memory of her Master's words.  She didn't want to become a dragon.  Stand up, walk, and fly!!  She groaned and with her teeth, tore another bite from the Kappa berry.  I don't wanna become a dragon.  No way.  She munched stubbornly, trying to ignore this little voice inside of her.  "Too late, you're already hatching...", it said.

[Xeenah]

Her glance fell on the glittering dragon in the little box.  The second wing was there.  Many weeks have passed since the Ceremony.

It was an impressive ceremony.  Many masters from other monasteries were present, travelling all the way to the Temple for the occasion.  The Temple of the Purple Dragon has been buzzing with activity to prepare the occasion, to make ready for our guests.  For three days, Cher meditated, went through several purification rituals, had special fighting trainings with some of the masters and of course, with Master Eyyot.  Cher didn't feel she was belonging among them but obviously, they had another opinion on that matter.  They had decided that she was to be inducted among the masters.

"Master, I can't imagine myself as one old and wise master, all calm and all...  It's not me" had she said to Master Eyyot.  Cher remembered his amused glance when he asked her this question.  "Do you really think all masters are alike, paragons of perfection and virtue?..."  She had grinned and raised a brow.  "Of course not, master.  Now you're being rhetorical."  He had grinned back at her.  "You got your answer.  As you know, perfection is subjective, Cherelle.  Deep in your heart, you know you can do it.  Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

So she decided to trust their judgement and went through with the preparations.  And so it was done, she received her second Purple Dragon wing, the one she was never looking for.  All she did is to follow her way, trying to stay true to herself and what she believed in so deeply.  Good thing she wasn't bond to open and run a monastery.  She could if she wanted to, eventually.  But for now, she had other things to care for.

She turned her glance to the pond in the park and replayed the voicelog of yesterday's night shift.

Xeenah taps her index on her chin
Xeenah: I think we've let the Pols relax enough.  They prolly think they got us down on our knees, by now.
Xeenah: Which is perfect.  They gonna start being careless.
Kotts nods
Kotts: human nature and all
Xeenah: I think it's time we start hunting again.
Xeenah slowly grins
Kotts nods
Xeenah: Do a lil' stalking, reckon...
Xeenah: Then hit.
Kotts: and get the hell out
Kotts grins
Xeenah: People thought I was cold hearted when Jux died.
Xeenah: That's the difference: they go ballistic right away...  I let it simmer months and years.
Xeenah: Just sending people to reclaim won't do.
Kotts nods quietly
Kotts: been watching a few choice insurance patterns
Xeenah: Hitting their installations, forcing them to lose time and reorganize, then hitting key people and snatching them...
Xeenah: Oh?
Xeenah raises a brow
Xeenah slowly grins
Kotts: the fireing squad
Kotts: if you want something done right, do it yourself
Xeenah nods
Kotts: Just blind side them when their insurance has lapsed, find a terminel they use, and disable it, something along those lines
Xeenah: Pretty much
Xeenah: Oh I love the way you think...
Kotts: hit first, hit fast, and hit true
Xeenah: Surprisingly, BP was talking about something along those lines
Xeenah: Disrupting the insurance process
Kotts: I knew I liked him for a reason
Xeenah grins

The Opifex eyes narrowed, blind to the pond in front of her, her mind sharpening up as the voicelog was being replayed.

Xeenah: The score needs to be settled.
Kotts: no question there, ten fold
Xeenah slightly nods
Xeenah: What they did to Jux, then BP...
Xeenah: I can't stomach it.
Xeenah: I can't forget.
Xeenah watches Kotts quietly
Xeenah: We must start working on it soon.
Xeenah: Our people are ready.
Kotts: and What about Sovi?
Xeenah: They are craving for this, even.
Xeenah: Sovi is lost.
Xeenah: Lost to us.
Kotts shakes his head
Xeenah: And I may have been the trigger.

Cher brought her knees to her, bracing them, and set her chin on the top of her knees, staring blankly at the pond.

Xeenah closes her eyes, exhaling a long breath
Kotts: shortly after he left
Kotts: if he's alive there is no trace of him
Xeenah: And another chalkmark for them...
Xeenah: Jux.  Sovi.  BP.  At least, BP made it out somehow.
Xeenah: I don't wanna wonder who's gonna be next, hon.  Not without a fight.
Xeenah: I'm dreaming of platters and heads, right about now...
Kotts: were bruised, far from dead
Xeenah nods
Xeenah: Do you think we can...
Xeenah quickly frowns
Xeenah promptly checks her HUD and radar
Xeenah nods faintly
Xeenah glances back at Kotts
Xeenah: Can we go at Virta?
Kotts nods
Xeenah: Do we stand a chance of success?
Kotts: I think Virta needs tobe a target, at the very least to find out what they did to Cain
Kotts: with the right opening yeah
Xeenah: If not him, significant Pol staff.
Kotts nods
Xeenah: Not the little fishes in the pond.
Xeenah: Some key installations.
Xeenah: Some key people.
Xeenah: One op at a time, we're not that many.
Xeenah: Slowly but surely.
Xeenah: Do you think Jen will give a go?
Kotts: I also want to make an example of the ones that killed Jux
Kotts: more then likely
Xeenah: I understand...
Kotts: heads on Pikes
Xeenah: But while I'd love to make them pay, I'd feel like I'd be just like one of them.
Kotts: they started this
Xeenah: Let some live to tell.
Kotts: no, no witnesses
Xeenah: Hmm, maybe you're right...
Kotts: people think they can own others, own life, and play god
Kotts: and for a time they will, but just for a time
Kotts: it will balance, and that's our job
Kotts: eye for an eye
Xeenah: I want our people to succeed.  We need to have a couple of victories on our board.
Xeenah: Right now, the morale's going down since our losses.
Xeenah: We've been standing down for too long.
Xeenah: Granted, we didn't have much of a choice, we were plagued with internal issues...
Xeenah: But now that we addressed this, we need to move on.
Xeenah smiles
Xeenah: Do you want to get the ball rolling?
Xeenah: I want to.
Kotts: course I do
Xeenah: I think we should have a chat with Jen.
Xeenah grins
Kotts: yes we do
Xeenah: Too bad Roland's not around, he's a wonderful stalker...
Kotts: I know...

The voicelog finish with the goodnights and stopped.  Aside from some leets and a few reets, everything was quiet around the small Opifex frame bracing her knees.  The calm before the storm, maybe?..., she thought.  We have to see what this clan has come to.  We'll see what it's made of.  We used to be able to move as one.  Many have gone, many have joined.  Let's see what we got.

The red hair spikes waved as Cher nodded to herself.  She briefly glanced at the box in which the dragon was resting, nested in its velvet-like cushion, closed it delicately before slipping it in her pocket and stood up promptly.  She started walking back to her apartment.  "Time to wake up, sleepies..." she whispered with a little grin.

[Xeenah]

(from the AO forums)

Pulling the black hood over her head, she walked out of the backyard. The night sky made the buildings stand out. The dimly lit streets were quiet. Hidden behind the Keelar sunglasses, the amber eyes were scanning the surroundings while her head stayed aligned straight ahead. "Gotta love sunglasses..." she thought, keeping a regular pace.

She turned in an alley, crouched and slightly poked her head around the corner to see if she was being followed. "Good..." She entered the room and shut the door behind her.

She checked her proxy map. Nothing. She took off her sunglasses and slid them in their case while walking toward the panel to turn on the lights in the small room. As tempted as she was to pull back her hood, she didn't. She gave a slow circular look at the room.

In opposite corners, there were tables, chairs and bench. On the wall next to the door was a switch panel. She pulled out gloves from her bag and put them on. "Go go, nanobots..." she said to herself with a little sigh. She pulled out a sprayer and looked around.

Starting with the opposite side of the room, she proceeded to spray the tables, the panel switches and door, the chairs, then she moved to the floor and walls, pulling out another sprayer after emptying the first one. She was working backwards toward the only exit door, to cover her own bio-tracks as well. She didn't want to leave a hair or any bio trace that could be used for IDing her. She paid special attention to the spot where the subject has been.

The entire operation took about 45 minutes, spraying then checking with the bio-scanner to make sure all traces were erased. She picked up the cuffs that she had thown in the day before and slid them in her backpack. She sprayed the spot where the cuffs have been resting, checked with the bio-scanner, then turned around to face the door, spraying it and scanning it.

She activated the door, still wearing her gloves. As the door was open, she stepped just beyond the door frame, close enough to keep the door from closing back, and sprayed the spot where she had just been standing seconds ago, then scanned it. She slightly grinned. "That should do it."

She stepped back, the sliding door closing on the room. She sprayed the outside of the door, giving quick glances to the alley and to her proxy map, then scanned it. "All clear... Time to get out of here."

She pulled on her gloves, put them in her backpack, then took her eyeglasses out of the case and slid them on with a little grin. She started to walk, from street to street, and entered a backyard. It was deserted, save for the guide. Going up the apartments access ramp, she headed to the one her apartment key would activate and slid inside quickly, activating the security system.

She threw the black hood neglectantly on one of the sofa and headed to the bar. Uncorking a bottle of Jack, she took a quick little sip and sat on the stool. Drawing a long breath, she glanced at her comlink and established contact.

"Heya there. I'm done with the... housekeeping in the guest room. The guest left yesterday. No personal belongings left in the room and it's now squeaky clean, like if no one ever entered it." The corner of her lips lifted slightly. "As far as I know, our guest was on the party all weekend. She's gonna have a helluva hangover when she wakes up... If there's anything, you know where to find me. Clay out."

She set the comlink on the bar counter and took a last sip before putting the cork back on the bottle, then tiptoed to the bedroom. The long slim shape moved under the sheets and a slurry, sleepy voice asked "Hmm, 's going on..." Cher leaned over Kotts head and gently landed her palm on his forehead. "Nothing, hon, just went out for a walk... Get back to sleep, now." She took off her dark clothes, slid between the sheets and curled up against her husband with a long, happy sigh.

[Xeenah]

"Scroll back...  Back...  Stop."

Greetings, people of Assembly

I will learn the ways around here, get more familiar with, well, pretty much everything.  Expect questions 

Meanwhile, though I know I still have the fresh shining varnish of the new recruit, it will eventually wear off.  Then, hopefully, will remain somebody that the Clan can rely on.

I will, eventually, be welcoming newcomers, as I've been welcomed so far, and I thank you for this.

Xeenah

The amber eyes were looking at the message, a smile floating at the corner of her mouth as she was thinking out loud.  "Damn, seems I kept my word... even if it could have been worded better"  Cher chuckled slightly.  "Enough now.  Gotta rummage through files with higher priority."

Quickly tapping in her holopad, she popped up the maps of Tir, Old Athen, West Athen, three main clan cities.

"Tir..."  There was a grid, a public whompah to Athen, Varmint Woods and ICC...  Varmint Woods were not really a concern.  ICC and Athen access were a more immediate concern.  ICC was a doorway from neutral and Omni territories.  "From ICC, they could jump in Tir, then in Athen...  The Tir whompah should be bottlenecked" she muttered.

Her glance trailed slowly to the Old Athen map.  A Jobe whompah, a grid, and public whompah to Bliss, Wailing Wastes and Tir.  The whompah between Tir and Athen was a sensitive line to be protected.  She would have to check out Wailing Wastes and notice where it leads to...  She kept thinking Avalon and Wine, but it would have to be double-checked.  "And a whompah to Bliss...  Bliss is just north of... Borealis.  Nice entry port, or escape route for someone with a Yalm...  From there, we'd lose them easily in Stret West Bank, or Newland, or Jobe...  They could flee in a matter of minutes, not even that, once they reach Bori..."  She frowned, then suddenly grinned.  "Meh, if it's good for them to flee, it's good for us as well."

Cher closed the maps and brought up another file on the holoscreen and started reviewing it.  She raised a hand to her face, rested her chin on her middle finger, her index across her chin and her thumb on her cheek.  Her eyes were skipping here and there on the file content, like watching pieces of a puzzle take place, change position and finally fit together.  "Once they have this down...  The rest is gonna be, hmm, maybe not cake but close enough bakery...  We're suppose to know this shit, damnit..."

The small grey hand released the chin to blindly reach for the coffee cup on the table.  Moving slowly, her fingers touched the cup, her hand molded to the shape and brought the cup up to her lips, her eyes never leaving the holoscreen.  Taking a sip, still screening the file, she set down her hand on her lap, still holding the cup.  "Once they figure out how to use the buildings facilities...  And the routes from grid and whompah...  The rest is tactical training and logic.  But this first part should be basics for all.  I trust Mack will get this moving.  We can't start intel operations before this is done, damnit...  I ~hate~ being stuck like that, it's like being rooted in combat, shit..."  With a heavy sigh, she turned off the holopad.

"I wonder what the shift will hold, tonight..."  She gave a glance at her comlink, raised an eyebrow.  "Hmm...  ~We'll see soon enough, I guess...~"  She emptied her cup in three sips and stood up to go at the dishwasher, tossing the cup in, put on the remaining of her armor and entered the grid.  "Time for some beacon testing..."  She exited in Assembly's city and looked to the East...

[Xeenah]

That's what it requires.  If you don't like it, don't take it.  If you take the job, do your best do do it.  For Cher, there was no middle ground to this.  She was washing her hands energically, splashed some water on her face, shook her head quickly and headed to the grid.

A few words exchanged over the com.  "It's gonna be quiet tonight..." she thought out loud.  She gridded out near the HQ and jogged to the entrance.  Being cleared by Sembly, the doors slid aside to let her in.  Upon reaching the garden hall, as she called it, Cher hesitated a moment.  The board room was too dry for her taste.  She was feeling like enjoying herself while working.  She headed to the HQ bar and took place on the bench in one of the niches.

She was looking at the roster, once again, over and over.  Always the same questions that needed to be asked regularly, but it had to be done, she knew how important it was to keep up to date with those details.  Looking at each name, each file, then looking at the roster in its whole, checking where the lacks were, what needs were to be addressed, what strengths were gathered, what the attendance was, who was on which shift, how regular they are...  Reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of each to have a better portrait of the overall strengths and weaknesses of the clan.  This clan she loved to death.

She noticed a tendancy in the members to lack initiative.  Reviewing logs, she could see that there was... a hunger?  They wanted something.  Anything.  And they were expecting the leadership to provide it.  Cher grinned mirthlessly.  "Hope they gonna live up to it... and mostly, through it."  She couldn't save them all, she couldn't protect them all.  They were a good crew, despite some occasional whining.  Resourceful, willing, fierce when it was time for it, and aside from some exceptions, they all knew how to have a good time when it was time for it.  She could only hope that they'd be ready.

"They're closing in.  I just hope we got time to prepare and move first...  We're not moving fast enough.  We're supposed to be mobile, not stuck by endless paperwork and authorization requests...  We're gonna have to kick our arses and get moving, damnit."  She let out a faint snort.  "The hell!  That's what we all signed up for.  Well, it's coming now."

She checked the status of the field training.  No report yet, no notice.  She frowned slightly.  "Maybe that just means they're busy doing it...  If not, well, there's not much I can do if they can't escape when they're tailed, now can I."  She let out a sigh, then wrinkled her nose.  "No, don't start now." she said to herself.  "They can do it."

She continued reviewing the logs, the files, the intel recently gathered, the clan roster, the shifts, the needs, the talents and aptitudes available...  Endlessly, she was juggling with the strings of this web, trying to weave something that would be as exempt of holes as possible.  Some of the strings didn't belong to her.  She could only acknowledge what they were made of, if they would hold under pressure in this invisible tapestry made of people and circumstances.

Once the mental image of the tapestry was clearer in her mind, she leaned against the back of the bench, watching her holopad sitting on the table, the dim light of the screen creating a faint halo.  She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes a moment, massaging her temples in a now familiar gesture.

"If I am to be something else than an officer, I'd rather make time for it before things start rushing down on us."  She opened her eyes, her glance falling on the holopad.  She grinned.  "Get a life, Cher!"  She rolled her eyes and turned off the holopad.  Not everything was up to her, after all.  She walked to the grid and encoded herself.  "A bath will be so good..."

[Xeenah]

One.
Two.

"Hello there.  Who are you?..."

A happy, quiet silence filled with muted sounds.  Little lightnings of energy, manifestation of the two.

Another kind of source, or is it so different?  So strong and so quiet at once.  Two.  Filled with love.


"Hmm..."  She tossed in the bed, then kept her eyes closed while she was slowly transiting from sleep to wake.  She wanted to hold back the last fragments of the dream for a little longer.  It made sense only for her, so she kept it to herself and cracked her eyes open.  The sleepy face in front of her seemed so quiet...  There was no grin on it.  She could see the early signs of a laugh wrinkle at the corner of his mouth.

She spent several minutes just watching Kotras' face, then smiled to herself.  "We want it.  If we say no because of this war, we're letting fear win.  We do it for ourselves", he had told her.  She landed a soft kiss on his forehead and cautiously slipped out of bed.  She walked to her holopad, tossed on the window frame and opened her day planner.  After her reminder note was entered, she smiled and slipped back under the sheets.

[Xeenah]

Fourteenth week already...  Thirteen weeks completed since August 5th.  The changes in her body were now visible.  Cher readjusted the bathrobe around her and tied the knot tightly.  Three months already and time seemed to fly by so fast when she was considering all that was left to do...  Three months at last, considering the treshold where the babies could be born safely in case of premature birth.  Twenty weeks.  The magic number.  She wanted to give life to those kids and she didn't want to fail at that.  When it would actually take place was always a mystery, with all that could happen on Ka and even inside herself...  If Jilien's initial scans were right about the cellular division rate, the twins could be born after a seven months pregnancy, in March.  She tilted her head slightly to the side.  "Birthday present?" she whispered to herself, grinning softly as she glanced down at her belly.

The physical strain was not a burden yet, she didn't have that much weight to carry.  She has been feeling their presence from the beginning, something that nobody would ever believe.  She just knew it.  She could feel the faint electric lightnings inside her.  The activity.  Very soon, she could start to feel the twins move...  Their babies.  The flesh of their flesh.  The ultimate union between Kotras and her incarnated.  She realized her hands were flattened on her belly.

After thirteen completed weeks, it was safe to tell the Clay and the Pauly families that they would soon become grandparents.  Travelling there was still possible but cryo was out of the question.  It would be a long, long trip...  But she wanted to do it.  She didn't want to announce over long distance message that they would have a grandson and a granddaughter.  This demanded to be done in person.  She wanted to make the trip and she didn't want to do it alone.

The trip would have to be completed before February...  Even then, it was pushing the limit a bit.  Besides, announcing it to them after 5 months through would be a tad bit late...  Of course, having the Clays and the Paulys coming to Ka in the current context was out of the question.  No way.  Kotras and her would have to make the trip.

This thought brought a nagging question closer to her consciousness than she wanted it to be...  She had the option of giving birth on Ka, Earth or Mars.  She didn't want to think about this but at the same time, it wasn't not too early to wonder about this, it was already time to think about it...  Already.  "Oh well...  Needless to push it back any longer, I must start considering this at some point..."  She sighed.  "Okay..."

Giving birth on Earth or March.  On the plus side, both their families could be there, Cher would have help for the period immediately after.  "I'm strong, but I'm mortal, damnit..."  This thought was pleasing her.  After all, it was a family thing.

Giving birth on Ka...  Much more risky.  The ongoing war and the impossibility for kids to insure safely before 21 was nagging her.  She wanted to give birth on Ka to make a statement.  She wanted to raise them hardened.  But was this egostical?  What about their safety, and what about the silent oath she had taken to protect them?

The idea suddenly struck her...  She would be alone, or close to it.  On Ka, she would be on her own to recover from birth giving, alone to care for newborn twins, while everyone else would be fighting.  Her family couldn't be around, she didn't want to endanger them by bringing them here...

She froze.  "Oh.  Silly Opi.  You won't endanger your parents by bringing 'em here but you're willing to take that risk with your own children.  What kind of freaking mom are you?"

She took a deep breath to bring back some peace in her mind.  Her ideal option would have been to have both family, friends and a safe place for this.  No place was providing all of it.  At this very moment, Earth or Mars were her preferred options.

"Right.  Leave it at that for now...  Let it settle", she said out loud.  She sat on the low sofa in the living room, stared outside a moment, enjoying the full sky view, embracing its peace for a moment.  She turned to her holopad and started to go through her daily paperwork.

[Xeenah]

The vidscreen was flickering slightly from the encoding running to cover the tracks of the call.  Yet, she could easily make out the expression of worry on Kotras' face.  "And will they put their threats to execution?" she asked, her eyebrows slightly frowned.  He shrugged, trying to seem less worried than he was.  Cher knew better, there was no point in forcing him to admit it.  He knew that she knew and that was enough.  She nodded.
— And how are Jerric and Marri dealing with it?
— You know Mom...  She's ready to bite their head off, but Dad's realizing it can go very ill if they're really up to it.
— Holy crap...  How did he manage to trigger this?
— Heh...  Let's just say that one of his little toys picked up something he wasn't supposed to.  It's not like he was looking for trouble, not like him.
— Uh huh...  Well, if they really think your dad knows something he shouldn't and he can't prove that he doesn't...  He's in for some trouble.
— If they think they can just come over and bully him, they're in for some trouble as well.

He grinned.  Cher couldn't help but chuckling gently.  She turned her glance down a moment, still smiling, before looking back at the vidscreen.  Kotras was tilting his head aside, bearing this corner smile that just had her every time.  She raised an eyebrow.
— Whaaaat?...
— And how are you three doing?
— Aaaah, we're expansioning, love.  I don't know what they're doing but they rumble!  They gonna have to find another game because they gonna run out of room soon, y'know?  It's already pretty tight in there for them...
— Hey...  Would you stand up and turn aside?  I want to see...
— You...  Err, okay...?

With an amused grin, she stood, presenting her profile to the camera, flattening her palms on her now very round belly.  She suddenly gasped.
— Kitten?  ...Whoa, what was that?
— Did you see that?...  I'm sure it was a double spin kick!  Argh!

He bursted out laughing.  She sat down.  He was grinning broadly.
— Uh huh, they're doing great!  What about you?
— Meh, I'm okay, just having a hard time sleeping at my usual schedule.  I grab sleep here and there.  I slowed down significantly.  Of course, still no fighting, and paperwork, well...  It's getting harder to focus, they're moving so much.

He nodded.
— You take it easy, okay?
— I have to!  ... Hey, let me know how things unfold on Mars, okay?  And don't to anything stupid down there, you don't have reclaim insurance where you are, and your nanoprograms are, well...  You know.  These kids need their father.  And I need you...

He nodded once slowly.
— Promise.  And Marri and Jerric send their love.  They're anxious to see their first grand-children.
— Hah!  So am I!  I'm gonna travel to Earth soon for Christmas.  If your parents can, I'll see if my parents could have them over as well.  They would be out of reach for a time, at least.
— Oh shit, Christmas!  I must start shopping!
—Why am I surprised, I should have known.

Cher grinned.  He rolled his eyes then smiled.
— We'll meet on Earth, then.  Let me know if I should bring my parents along or not.
— Will do...  I miss you Catboy...
— I miss you too...

They looked at each other for a moment.  Their faces, even through the slight distortion of the screen, were saying more than words could.
— See you soon, love...
— Night, Kitten...

The screen went blank.  She turned off the vidscreen, sighed, looked around at the apartment and checked her comlink.  Everything was so quiet.  "Time to sleep..." she whispered to herself.  She glanced down.  "And you two as well, okay?"  She grinned tenderly.