NationStates Jolt Archive

AST Manchuria, Sub-Space Continuum, En-route to Epsilon Pegasi

Amy Keane, Consul of Klonor, sat within her cabin and read. An excellent novel, she was engrossed and oblivious to her surroundings. That had happened often recently, since her little mental pow-wow she'd been more withdrawn than before and more willing to sit in the dark while contemplating the Universe. However, the recessions inwards had happened less and less as time moved on and she was more outgoing whenever she happened to be in public and surrounded by other people, she'd grown more appreciative of the companionship that she'd previously shunned. Just as she was getting to a good part, the heroine was about to arrest the bad guy at a meeting in England on Old Earth, the ship shook briefly and the lights flickered.

What the hell was that?

A normal Sub-Space transition was barely noticeable, a slight internal kick that most people didn't even notice. There was never noticeable vibrations or a disruption of ships systems. Concerned, she approached the intercom built into the wall and called the bridge.

"Excuse me, this is Amy Eio in cabin 7W (She was using her mothers maiden name to avoid the hubub that would result if her identity was known). Can I ask what just happened?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, we're not quite sure. If you'll remain calm we're planning on giving a public announcement within the next ten minutes. We'll tell you what we know then."

"Okay, I'll wait."

True to his word, the Captain made an announcement a few minutes later.

"Attention please, Attention. Approximately seven minutes ago you might have noticed a slight bump as this ship made the transition to normal space. I'm sorry to say that the bump was our Sub-Space motivator vaporising itself, Sub-Space travel is impossible until we can manage to repair it. We'll have to dock at Epsilon Pegasi for longer than anticipated in order to commence repairs, we expect to be in this system for at least a week. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. If you are in a hurry I'm sure alternate transportation can be arranged, if you're willing to wait until repairs are finished we will compensate you for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience. Have a nice day."

A whole week in Epsilon Pegasi......excellent! I've wanted to spend some time here for quite a while but could never get away from Deneb. Maybe a little vacation is in order. I think I'll wait for this ship to fixed rather than booking a new one.

She grinned to herself as she bent to her book again, frowning slightly as John Nike manages to escape Jennifer yet again.

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Elome Hotel and Resort, Epsilon Pegasi, Associated Systems of Klonor

Amy Keane, still using the Eio surname, opened the door and walked into the luxurious sweet that she had checked into for the duration of her stay in EP. It was a grand room, with a warm bed, Vid access, mini-bar, everything a person could possibly dream of.

Not bad, not bad at all. Of course, compared to the Palace it's a ratty little hovel. But, then again, compared to the Palace the White House on Old Earth is a hovel. This will due nicely for my stay.

Quickly freshening up, including changing into a comfortable and revealing outfit more adequate than the stuffy and restricting clothing she'd worn on the ship, she headed down to the lobby looking for a good place to relax and finish the rest of her novel.

I think a Rory's would do nicely. It's been to long.

Walking down the street she entered the futuristic equivelant of a Burger King, sat down in one of the booths, and started to find out how Kate escaped from John Nike.

OOC: The OOC Thread, please keep all Non-IC chatter there: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=407688

The Previous thread: Just so you know what she's been through recently: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=407802

ooc: I am just so curious about other nations. So she is Consul of Klonor, but no one recognizes her face? Sorry, I havent had time to read backstory or anything.

OOC: The OOC Thread, please keep all Non-IC chatter there: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=407688

The Previous thread: Just so you know what she's been through recently: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=407802

OOC: But since you've already posted here, it's just so that she doesn't have thousands of people all flocking to her when a maid at the hotel who reads her name on a guest registry tells her friends; people she meets face-to-face could easily recognize her.

Seke walked into the bar, his short form robed in similar fashion to the Sith in the Starwars movie. The Fact the Drow had just seen the movies for the first time a week before and had adopted the dress to hide himself no one would know, but then again, no one would know anything about him anyway, cause no one cares about short people. He looked around in disgust, his red eyes searching out the Highlander ((Term for humans)) people for signs of a table. He found a table, which happened to be in the line of sight of the Both Amy say in. He sat, pulling back his hood to reveal his Elven like Face with the squinting red eyes. Besides the Darkness that came with the face with red eyes, he looked quite Handsom.

His Eyes darted around the room, Watching Highlanders and the others that came in, a look of sadness on his face. He shrugged, making a slight clink as the Mesh he wore underneath banked together. He nodded when his order came, and pulled out a curved knife, which he used to slice the burger into four quarters, he then speared one of the quarters and looked at it before taking a bite out of it. He smiled as he ate it, thinking one thought. No matter where you are in the universe, their is always some equivilent to a Burger.

He looked at the food in front of him again, before longing his vision to see past it. He was suprised to be looking at a Highlander who looked like Valshare before she had died. His throught constricted at the thought of his lost love, and he watched the girl as he took another bite out of the Burger.

Amy was absorbed by the novel, flinching at every blow dealt to Jennifer and grinning at every defeat which fell at Johns feet. When Buy was shot she nearly screamed in pain and when Kate finally called Jennifer she almost broke down into tears of joy. But she wasn't a complete moron and she knew that a woman sitting alone without a single thought in the present was just inviting trouble, so she kept an eye on the restaurant around her. Nothing but the usual families out for a mid-day meal, except for this one guy who kept staring at her.

Great, that's all I need. I'm here an hour and I already have a stalker. Dandy. Oh, well, if he tries anything I'll simply bisect him slowly and then cook his lower intestine. For all I know the guy might actually enjoy that, the people here are into some strange things.

Epsilon Pegasi's reputation as a Space-born Vegas had reached even to Deneb, and up into the heights of the Vicegral Palace. Getting up from her tabel she paid her tab and walked to the door, planning on a brief walk through the park before returning to the hotel.

Get the stick...I want the stick...must get the stick...I got the stick
A warm happy feeling filled him as he bit down into the soft outer covering of the "stick". Ukie's small body landed on the soft grass of the park. He turned and ran back...

The tummy stuff here smells weird...I miss home... The black pup dashed back across the park in towards a man sitting at a bench working

Daddy...Daddy...I got the stick...see...throw the stick...please daddy please!

Matt's brown eyes looked up from his notebook and gazed into the pup's. "Alright...you have way too much energy pup..." He picked up the foam covered batton and tossed it hard.

The blue batton flew out into the air with a black streak in close pursuit. The man returned to looking down at his notebook.

Get the stick...I want the stick...must get the stick...
The puppy jumped again. High this time, but at an angle. His teeth clenched down on the metal batton just as he passed it mid-air.

I got the stick again...

The puppy and batton took a new path down to the surface. One that dropped puppy and batton into a trash can.

Ah, help me Daddy!

The sudden yelp brought up Matt's head. His eyes grew wide as he couldn't see the dog. He stood up from the park bench and looked wildly about for a moment.

A second yelp from the garbage can made the brown haired man run strait for it. "Ukie, how in the bloodly blue blazes did you throw yourself away..."

He began to extridite his somewhat frightened pup out of the trash mumbling as he did so..."Go see the universe, have your dog throw himself into interglactic trash..."

Jacob Dalton sighed as he breathed the vibrant yet somehow calm air of Epsilon Pegasi. He'd been to Klonor only once before in his life and he'd found it to be intoxicating to many. Full of alcohol and wild parties, two things that he had only had a cursory interest in even before his admission to the Order. Still, let it be said that Klonor is an excellent place to lose, or find oneself after the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune have spend their shot. In a way, that was why Jacob was there. Looking for a place where he could sort out his life. Looking to patch the hole left in his heart after she died. Looking for an opportunity to do some good in the world.

Jacob was having what might be termed a 'crisis of faith' where his confidence in God, himself, and society in general was almost nonexistent. Seeing someone you love commit suicide right before your eyes has a habit of doing that. Indeed, anyone would be a little bonkers after seeing something like that. A beloved lover’s blood flowing freely into the water from a set of slit wrists, watching powerless to help as her very life drains away and she shuffles off her mortal coil… Most men would have simply broken when confronted with such a sight, turning into incoherent; disturbed wrecks. But Jacob’s psyche was hardened by years of harsh training and rigid discipline as befits a disciple of the Lord. A normal man would have gone insane. Jacob only felt a deep and penetrating sense of loss.

Jacob looked into the mirror of his hotel suite. It wasn’t an expensive suite, nor an expensive mirror but it was good enough for him. It was plain and Spartan, but he’d been in far worse. If anything, he was accustomed to it's lack of comfort. It reminded him of his erstwhile home, the Fortress Monastery of Opterra, and of his own vessel, the Purifying Flame that now rested in the hands of his former comrades. Physical hardship is an old and well-known friend to a Paladin, and Jacob was no different.

Jacob’s eyes shone like dusty emeralds, their light faded and expended. He was unshaven, with dark, thickening whiskers growing outward from his face. A navy blue bathrobe hung loosely around his fit and muscular, although scarred body. Taken together, he looked like he had been through hell and back. Oh, his body was not all too bad. It had a thousand scars from a thousand different wounds, but they were but a child’s model of his real pain. Scars would heal with time, but his pain could last a lifetime.

The way he held himself, his sullen gait, the sheer sadness and regret that seemed to radiate off of him in waves. It all spoke volumes to one astute enough to listen. It spoke of a man whom had a broken spirit. It spoke of a man who had no hope and was just going through the motions of life. A man with nothing to live for.

”Lord, look at yourself. Woe how the mighty have fallen.” He thought to himself, examining his physique with a careful yet somewhat apathetic eye.

Jacob ran a finger through his dark, almost raven colored hair. Despite his depression, cabin fever was still starting to set in. ”I need to get out of here.”

Frowning, Jacob picked up his vibrorazor and began carefully slicing away follicles of hair, eliminating his beard with but a flick of the wrist and low hum of the blade. Such a trimming for his scalp would have to wait until after he got back. Perhaps a quick jog would clear his head.

Jacob slowly and laboriously disrobed, shedding the fuzzy material and donning a simple sweatsuit, unadorned except for two things. A shining sword and golden Earth on his shoulder, proudly proclaiming his citizenship in the Human Empire, and a swirling blue-green vortex crossed with golden bars over his breast, announcing his [former] occupation for all the world to see. Verily, few in this part of space would know what either insignia meant, but the symbols adorned all of his old clothing, literally woven into it. They were impossible to remove, despite Jacob’s best efforts to the contrary. He no longer wanted to be recognized for who, and more importantly what he had been. He was not worthy of it. He did not deserve such recognition.

Finally, after several minutes of fussing over the suit and insignia, Jacob was ready to go for his run. Except for one most important thing. His wallet. Jacob was unaccustomed to handling money. The Empire did not use it particularly often and he certainly hadn’t had much use for it in the Order. But here, it was king. Almost like a god, worshipped by the millions of enterprising Klonor citizens out there, from the barber across the street to the executives of the universe famous Klonor Ship Store. Or perhaps worshipped was the wrong word. Respected and feared fit more fundamentally, from what Jacob had seen.

“Now where has that damn thing gone now!?” He cursed aloud, to no one in particular. Currency was a most annoying thing to have to deal with. Just like car keys actually. The wallet he sought was right where he had left it, on top of the bed. Jacob smiled and pocketed the small leather pouch and strode out of his door, into the cool and crisp air of the Epsilon Pegasi noon. Jacob hadn’t planned on anything particularly strenuous for today, perhaps twenty miles or so. Yet sometimes, you have to confront the past before you can advance into the future. And who can tell what the future has in store for them? Jacob certainly couldn’t as he went out for his soothing run on that fine day.

Cool wind, warm sun, a full stomach; there were some times when it was hard to find anything wrong with the world. Starting out on her walk, Amy felt this was one of those times. Her time at the Clinic had been well spent and lead to her regaining what people often called 'sanity', but it had been a while since she'd been able to simply bask in the warmth of the natural outdoors. Actually, forget the clinic. It'd been practically twenty years since she'd enjoyed herself alone, when you're Consul you usually don't get more than three minutes privacy at a time and you never go anywhere without a thirty bodyguard team working as your shadow. It makes those casual strolls through the park a bit more unpleasant.

Now all I need is a cute little puppy to play with and I'll be all set.

Ask, and you shall receive; the sudden barking of a dog in distress grabbed her attention as she saw a man trying to dig a dog out of a trash bin.

Jesus, how the hell did that happen? Maybe I should give him a little help....

Extending her arm she enveloped the dog in a web of energy and slowly lifted him out of the bin, placing him gently on the ground before approaching the owner.

"You know, most people I know don't enjoy caring for their pets, but I think that is the most ingenious approach I've ever seen to get out of it. Hi, I'm Amy Eio."

She extended her hand with a small grin.

Matt stopped as he walked up to trash can and just blinked as Ukie suddenly took flight out of the garbage. His lanky frame just stood there in shock.
Ukie can fly?

Ukie looked even more confused. His brown eyes looking wildly about, his paws flapping in the air wildly. As his paws hit the ground, he shot of in a small quick circle before running over to his master.

Matt bent down and picked up Ukie to inspect his paws. Then looked up as Amy accausted him.

You know, most people I know don't enjoy caring for their pets, but I think that is the most ingenious approach I've ever seen to get out of it. Hi, I'm Amy Eio."

Matt just blinked for a second as Shake the cute girl's hand dolt... passed through his mind.
"Matt Peterson at your service." He moved his right hand, which was full of puppy, to shake her hand.

Ukie reached out and licked her hand instead. Matt chuckled, "And the young cavialier here is Ukie."
Realizing that he couldn't shake her hand with Ukie under-arm he dropped the pup gently back to the ground. "Sit Ukie..." He stated as he realized his hand was now covered in something greasy.
Ukie obayed and sat down, but acted as a coiled spring ready to pop back into motion at any moment.

Recovering somewhat from the shock, Matt continued looking into her eyes and getting a wry grin on her face. "And I am afraid Ukie appears to have thrown himself into the trash. I think he got confused by the phrase 'Eurotrash' he heard in the hotel lobby this morning and thought it ment there was 'Euros in the trash'."

He looked down at the pup, "And little Mr. Capatalist here decided he wanted them for his own purposes."

Matt looked at Amy for a moment, chuckled and looked into the trash. "Yup, he wanted to have...two sticks..." He pulled the blue, foam covered batton out of the trash and held it up. Ukie's tail wagged furiously.

Matt then threw the batton back out along a streatch of grass, letting Ukie chase after it in blinding speed. Matt watched Ukie run off studying the pups gait, "And apparently the only thing he suffered from his latest adventure is a case of very greasy fur."

Matt turned back to Amy, "Now then Miss or is it misses Eio? I am assuming you are the one who just levitated my labrador? Might I enquire as to how you did that?"

"It's Miss, and if you don't know then you must be a tourist. A standard set of force-field emitters under the skin of the palms and behind my eyes, I can pretty much levitate anything I can see."

Thinking it better to not not scare off her new friend she decided to avoid mentioning the other abilities afforded to her through the emitters, mainly the ability to turn anything she looked at into a steaming bowl of goo.

"So, Mr. Peterson, what brings you and Ukie to Epsilon Pegasi? Aside from the bountiful amount of sticks, that is."

Matt nodded as Amy described the devices, "Quite, I thought you were going to tell me your Amy the Magnificent and I should come see your show this evening." He had a wry grin at that.

"Ah do you mind, I need to get a wipe..." He held up his greasy palm and indicated the park bench a couple dozen meters away. He began to walk towards it talking to Amy as he did so.

"And yes, me and Ukie are tourists. I am in Epsilon Pegasi on buisness. Specifically getting acquainted with the Intergalatic Vegas that is Epsilon Pegasi. Or that is what someone told me I would find...."

He opened up a small satchal and pulled out a wet wipe and began to clean his hand off. "Of course they neglected the fact that people around here have standard neural interfaces with force generators. But then that's why one does research. Just as one carries wet wipes for the occassional bird dropping, doggy do-do, or roaming literary critic..."

Matt paused mid-joke. "And are you a local Miss Eio?" He looked down at the book under her arm, "And hopefully not the local literary critic..." he grimiced, his brown eyes looking into hers.

Ukie dropped his blue 'stick' at their feet panting and wagging.

Staying with the intriguing young man she walked with him over to his case as he retrieved his wetnaps.

"Yes, I'm a local. Well, semi-local. I was born and raised in Deneb, about 700 light-years away. But we're all one big happy family in the Association. Anyway, you don't need to worry about being fondled at a distance by every person you come across, only about 3% of the population can handle having these things in them."

Bending down she picked up the stick dropped by Ukie and hurled it as hard as she could.

I could get to like this dog, she has spunk.

"Don't worry, I'm not one to criticise literature. This is just some light reading for my own pleasure. I have a.....civil service job. It's actually why I'm out here, I'm on my way back to Deneb from Regulus to resume my duties."

Jacob panted as he passed the ten mile point. Sweat collected on his head, falling as the wind whipped it away. The sun was high in the sky, bearing down on him like an angry Cyclops. He was hot, dehydrated, and worst of all, he didn't feel any better. The calisthenics only served to distract him from his anguish for a time. But in a way, that was all he was looking for, right now. Subconsciously he realized that he wasn't quite ready to heal. Or perhaps he simply realized that healing a psychological scar like what he possessed would take the help of others.

Jacob gazed out towards the park. It was lush, filled with trees and live. He felt his mind drifting back to his childhood amongst the blissful pleasure domes. It was an altogether calming feeling, one that was only disrupted when he saw a dog levitate out of a nearby trashcan. “What the hell?” he thought to himself incredulously. The dogs he’d known before in his life certainly couldn’t perform such a feat. He was going to go up and ask the dog’s apparent owner about it when he noticed a…ray of sunshine that penetrated his sad miasma. The dog’s owner was speaking with what Jacob considered to be an excessively beautiful woman. She was beautiful in the physical sense of course, but what really caught Jacob’s attention was the way she walked and spoke. She radiated a confidence. A confidence similar to what he had felt before… And yet, this confidence seemed newly begotten. Almost as though it had been shattered and painstakingly rebuilt, a few cracks left by mistake. Jacob immediately thought of the old children’s rhyme:

Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

Although, the King’s horses and men seemed to have worked in this woman’s case.

Attractive and confident woman or not, that magic flying dog was starting to eat away at Jacob’s curiosity. It was a most irritating question, and one that could only be solved in one way. Going up, braving his natural queasiness when it comes to the presence of cute women, and asking that guy about his dog. Perhaps Jacob would get the chance to practice his proper etiquette, or perhaps the girl was already in love with another. Either way, Jacob *would* find out what he wanted to know. Anything to divert him from his moping, introspective pursuits back at the hotel room.

But wait! The woman spoke! In a voice that sounded to Jacob like so much silk, she explained that she had levitated the puppy. A most interesting feat. Jacob had heard of psychics in the far reaches of the universe manipulating things with their minds. It was altogether unsettling, to imagine that you may be happily laughing one moment, and killed the next by having some psychic assassin constrict your heart in just the right way… Jacob’s hands moved into his pocket of their own volition, unconsciously checking the mind shield therein. It still hummed softly, working perfectly. He breathed a sigh of relief, the woman apparently wasn’t doing such by mentalics. Something confirmed a heartbeat later by her mention of a ‘force emitter.’ Good, at least she wasn’t some dirty psyker or something.

Jacob had had his curiosity satisfied only to have it balloon into another feline exterminating one. He wanted to meet with this woman. But he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, what with two guys hovering around. To that end, he decided to adopt a ‘wait and see’ outlook, going over to a nearby park bench within easy viewing (and hearing) distance of the woman and her conversation.

At least his depression was beaten back by his innate inquisitiveness, for the time being.

Noticing Jacob's approach, originally thinking nothing of it beyond a simple mental note, she began to pay more attention when she saw him sit down nearby and glance in her direction. Turning to Matt she lowered her voice and gently nodded her head in the new mans direction.

"Hey, do you know that guy sitting down there? He's staring at us and it's a bit weird. I caught some guy staring at me at Rory's earlier and now this, I'm starting to think I'm being stalked."

As she spoke she slowly walked around Matt until she was on his other side and he blocked the view of the man sitting on the bench. While thusly obscured she clenched her right hand into a fist and began to heat up the air contained within, if the guy was stalking her she wanted to be able to do something if he (or someone else) suddenly lunged at her.

Matt nodded, "Your accent is a bit off from the local, or what I think is the local accent." He tilted his head, Intelligent, attractive civil servant
"And I'm not worried, although I am a writer, literary critics very seldom spend time releaving their spleen on the writers of non-fiction. No, if you were a literary critic I'd warn you about him." He pointed to the book indicating the author.

"The rumor is that his antagonist, Jhon Nike was named to get revenge on a notoriusly harsh literary critic, Jhon Bearer. Who said something nasty about the author's wife in Syrup" He paused realizing it was a bit confusing. "Nike, the Bearer of Victory? A bit convoluted...but that is the word around the camp fire. Although they like to roast Aussies and anyone else who isnt European there." He chuckled.

"Well Ukie likes you." He noted as the dog dropped the baton at her feet. "And Ukie appears to be a very good judge of character, or at least I agree with him."

Of course Matt had registered the other man on the nearby park bench. And somewhere the dusty part of his brain where his former corpsman training was stuffed away something registered. But it was only a odd hint of possible trouble.

"Hmm, no...and I doubt he is an admirer of mine, they would likely just walk up to me."

He leaned over and whispered, "Do you happen to have a sensitive government post?" He had gone thorugh similar buisness before with a former roommate's girlfriend. His eyes were now darting about looking for threats, usually kidnappings and assasinations were two or three man jobs.

"Yeah, you might call it sensitive. But don't worry, I doubt somebody's after me for my connections to the Duke. Only an idiot would think to kidnap a member of the Association while in the Association. But....let's just walk over there."

Picking up the stick again she tossed it in the direction she indicated, following it as it soared through the air.

"I figure it's always better safe then sorry. So, I gather you're in the literature business."

As she is leaving

Seke stood almost straight after Amy left the room, before putting up the hood and following the girl. He kept to the shadows, praticly invisable in the no light area. He followed her to the park, at which point he found a dark place and hid.

NOW!

He watched as he talked to the man, and sighed. It needed to be done now, if at all. Thus he produced a Kariki Flower, similar to a rose but with much crisper edges and pointed petals. He quickly scribed a note in sharp heated letters before placing it just in the light. He then concentrated, producing a number of small lights. He spoke words in drow to them, and they wisseled over to Amy and began to zip around her head. The Drow Nodded and began to leave, knowing the lights would not sease until she had picked up the flower, and his note.

The Note

To the lady who will recive this rose.

I have no idea how to do this, thus I will follow my own customs in this endevour. Apparently, you Highlanders call this process "asking someone out" however, Courtship is still Courtship. I have provided a contact number on the note, please call, at least to say no. Thank you.

Seke

Matt nodded and placed his statchel over his arm, "Quite right, although depending on the post...assassination isn't out of the question." He realized this was going to get a look. "I was about fourteen when the Cawahabian Crisis occured, it taught me to be paranoid about these things."

Matt tried to recall his training on counter-espionage, the whole one day seminar course. "And yes I'm in the literature buisness, I'm a writer. Primarily nautical history. He watched as Uike picked up the stick. "Roll over Ukie, Roll over...." Ukie hadn't mastered rolling over quite yet. But he was game, attempting over and over again. Which also put more distance between them and the man on the park bench.

The sudden appearence of the flying flower caused him to blink again.

Jacob took a long gulp from his water bottle. As the crystal clear water fell into his mouth, he frowned. "Stalker!? I am no stalker!" He thought to himself. Stalkers in Imperial society were symbolic of depravity and uncurable mental sickness. They were usually carted away and executed by the Imperial Police, and now this admittedly attractive female who he didn't even know was calling him a stalker!?

Jacob got up and took several heavy, somewhat indigniant steps towards the couple. "Excuse me, Miss, but I am not a Stalker! I assure you that if I had any...dishonorable intentions, I would have already acted upon them!"

Jacob paused for a moment, trying to carefully compose his next words so as to prevent a scene. Plus, he had the idea that he had just stepped in it with his last outburst. Now came damage control, although admittedly he wasn't particularly good at it... "Frankly, the reason I stayed away and admired you from afar is that I did not want you to feel uneasy with two men swimming around you like sharks, waiting for the first sign of weakness to snatch up their prey. A... friend of mine once felt that way and it caused her no end of moral anguish. So yes, I was running in the park when I stopped to admire a pretty woman. I am not a Stalker nor am I any other sort of wacko."

Jacob's memories fluttered back to his dying love as he mentioned his 'friend.' His eyes suddenly filled up with sadness, filling like deep wells as he remembered. As he struggled not to remember.

Matt's attention drew away from the floating lights and flower and returned to the man now acusting them. As far as he was concerned the man was generating the flower.

He instictively stood before her but too the left. Making him a much more likely target for attack but not blocking an attack by Amy against the man.
She is the one who is armed in this, better I become the primary threat so she can eliminate him before taking us both out. Passed through his head. Of course, that leaves her to patch me up...s*it I hope she knows first aid.

Jacob saw the man fall into a standard defensive stance. His lips turned upward in an enigmatic grin. "Interesting. This man must be a friend of hers. Perhaps a bodyguard or such. He must have picked up that military training somewhere." He thought to himself.

"You can be at ease. As I said, I do not intend harm to either of you." He said, accompanying that hopefully disarming phrase with an equally disarming smile.

He continued, trying (in vain perhaps?) to convince the pair of his honorable intentions. It was most irritating being pegged as some sort of psychotic due to a misunderstanding and proverbial fumble. "I apologize for...my outburst. In my society, being called a 'Stalker' is a low insult, especially to ones who cherish their honor. Although I can of course forgive you two for making assumptions about me based upon it."

Jesus H. Christ, what the hell is going on today? This was supposed to be a vacation!

The combination of swirling lights and strangely intrusive man made the thoughts of a peaceful walk in the park suddenly fly from her mind.

What next? Is Abel Salm going to appear and claim to be my father or something?

"Well, congratulations on not being a stalker or wacko, but right now your actions aren't exactly reinforcing that statement. By your own admission you've been watching me and evesdropping on our conversation, most normal people don't follow those particular habits. Now, if you truly were just passing by, take down these damn lights you've got flying around me and be on your way."

She reached out and placed on hand on Matts shoulder, politely drawing him backwards away from the newcomer. She hadn't had much experience using her emitters in combat and didn't want to accidentally fry him if she had to do bad things to the other man.

Matt complied I guess I'm in the weapons range still. Bloody twit doesn't know the first thing about honor

However Matt didn't have any real place in this. So he just stayed quiet, well except for the clicking he was making with his tounge to get Ukie to come over to him.

His eyebrows cocked upwards in confusion and surprise. "Stop those lights? I apologize, miss, but I have no idea what you're talking about. The only things I have on my person right now are my water bottle, wallet, and mindshield. And the latter doesn't do much besides hum quietly and keep me from being accosted by any damned dirty psykers that I run across. So no, I'm not making those fancy lights."

Jacob exhaled softly and gave a nervous smile. "I'd actually thought for a moment that those lights were you getting ready to fry me with a holdout weapon or something. I've seen stranger charge effects for energy blasters in my time."

"Lord, you've stepped in it now. Jacob, you are an idiot." He quietly thought to himself as he watched the glowing lights fly around. Very irritating things actually, now that he stared at them. His eyes darted to and fro, following the strange path of the glowing orbs.

"Believe me, if I'd wanted to 'fry' you there wouldn't be anything to see until your corpse collapsed into dust. Now, if you're not making these damn lights what is?"

She swatted, rather ineffectually, at a few of them and groaned as her hands simply passed through them.

"Tell you what, find out whatever's doing this annoying light-show and I'll forget you were spying on me."

Matt looked at Amy after the last statement. She just said that like someone who you would want to forget your misdeeds. His estimate of the actual postion Amy had in the government went up a few rungs of power. Access to the Duke? Either a member of the Ducal Household, a Cabinet Undersecretary, or high ranking intel officer. Those are the only people who would be out without protection

He leaned over and whispered into Amy's ear. "If he is telling the truth, a big if then we have another threat with an unidentified source and we are out in the open. May I suggest we retire indoors. Sorry, but I can't see anybody..."

"Aff." Jacob replied as he began looking around hurriedly. Those things looked like some sort of hologram, similar to the holoshrouds he'd used as camouflage. No doubt generated by some stupid kid who was screwing around with a new toy nearby. But anything can be tracked, if you have the skill needed. Unfortunately, a quick glance around the park revealed nothing like an emitter. Nothing that could be even remotely related to those damnable lights.

Suddenly, a beautiful and unique rose caught Jacob's eye. It was lying in the middle of the ground, and it seemed almost as though it had been placed there, rather than dropped or lost. There was something...off about it, something that just didn't quite feel right. Jacob picked up the flower and looked at it with a critical eye. He'd never seen a rose of that particular breed. And apparently, this one even had a note on it! A note with 'to the woman who finds this flower' written on the outside in a spidery, caligraphic script.

Now Jacob wasn't a woman, so he did the only logical thing he could. He shrugged and gave the rose, note and all to the only woman around. Amy. Suddenly, something clicked in the back of his mind. "Of course! Those lights only meant to get our attention! And call it to this flower!" he thought to himself, hoping to the Lord that the note was not laced with poison or a similar grizzly compound. Still, he had a feeling that it was just an innocent note, devoid of malice or evil. But gut feelings have been wrong before.

As Jacob approached Matt raised his hand and moved his satchel as though there was a concelled weapon inside pointed at Jacob. I hope this bugger hasn't read "Blackwood Knights"

"Give the flower to the dog...Ukie get the flower..."

Ukie picked himself up and trotted around for a moment before finnally getting the flower in his mouth and returning it like a good retreiver.

"Oh, come on Matt, calm down. I doubt somebody's going to go through the trouble of poisoning a flower. Give it here."

Grabbing it out of Ukies mouth she quickly read the note, then looked around.

"What, do I have a secret admirer or something? I tell you, I'm expecting somebody to drive up with flowers right now."

A brief pause......

"Damnit, do the menties get anything right? Fine, I'll go find a phone and give this guy a call. Nice to meet you, whoever you are, and I'll be glad to never see you again."

Turning she gave Ukie a small pat on the head and headed to a bank of phones on the edge of a clearing.

Jacob maintained a perfectly neutral face. "As you wish. My suspicion will prove true soon either way. At least, if I'm right about what this thing and those lights are for."

But before he could relinquish it to the puppy, Amy snatched it out of his hands quickly. As she read, he explained his theory to Matt. "When I was picking it up, I thought about something. Those lights seemed designed to annoy and irritate someone. Naturally I jumped to the conclusion that it was some kids in the park playing a dumb prank. But then I noticed this flower and I realized that the lights weren't trying to annoy so much as draw attention to. I think that someone wanted this girl to look at that note. If it was poisoned with any sort of lethal, fast acting compound (as it would likely have to be, in this age of medical learning) I would probably already be dead right now, or at least feeling sick."

Matt just looked at Jacob and shook his head. "Meet a cute girl...and enough characters to fill a novel, of course this is just crazy."

Matt stood quietly watching Amy make the phone call. Far enough away not to pry into a private conversation, but close enough to be at hand and easily called if needed.

"Well Ukie, ten doggy treats she says yes to going out with him."

Reaching the phones Amy called the number on the rose, a bit impatient as she got a recording and was forced to leave one of her own.

"Hey, this is.....this is a person who found a rose in a park today. Look, I don't know you. At least I don't think I know you. But if you're expecting to get me to go out on a date with you when I haven't even met you you'll be greatly disappointed. You obviously at least know me, since you sent me a message in the first place, so if you want to introduce yourself to me in public okay, but there is zero chance that we'll have anything private until you do."

Matt looked down at Ukie. "Alright, let's try rollover again...rollover Ukie...No...all the way...er...no not scratch your back on the ground....Quite nice Ukie...Yes...alright try it again...Oops you almost got it, your not supposed to rock back and fourth like that boy...There you go..."

Ukie got a treat for his most recent accoplishment of going all the way over on a roll over. "Good Boy Ukie...Good Boy"

Matt was keeping an eye on Jacob and the surrounding area.

Seke swore as he droped his phone when it rang, and listened to the message before calling again. If he was lucky she would still be standing by the booth. He began to think, wondering what he was going to say. He immidietly discarded anything that came as a translation from Drow Courtship, as most Highlanders felt promising to kill your family to win your hand was disconcerning, and quite frankly, so did he. He then thought of it. It was so simple.

Sure, where are you? I shall be their soon Would be the first, then he would go their and explain himself, he swore thinking of the cultural differences that seperated them

Amy heard the phone ringing and considered picking it up before deciding the risk wasn't worth it.

If I pick that up and it's whoever sent the damn lights then he's gonna ask to meet and I'll either need to crush him by rejecting him or meet him and probably have to kill him when he tries to do bad things to me. If the guy wanted to meet me he should have spoken to me earlier, I'm not going to blindly walk into the grasp of somebody who I've never even seen.

Turning her back to the phone she walked back to Matt, unhappy that the 'stalker' was still there.

"So, Matt, care to go get something to drink? There's a great bar down the street which could give us a break from the sun."

The glare she sent Jacobs way made it pretty clear what she wanted a break from.

"I'll tell you what, my treat."

Seke shook his head, and sighed, he would not loose her trail, if she wanted to meet, he would go against what every Matchmaker had told him about women and meet her. He began to go back towards the park, thinking as he did.

He didn't understand this, his mind was playing tricks on him. He could not get that face out of his head, he had thought of nothing else besides her since he had first misglaced at her face in the Restrunt. He wondered what he wanted out of the girl he knew nothing about, not if she was a citizen of this nation, not even her name. Unlike Victulia however, her face did not bring lust, but instead a desire to be understood, and to understand. When he had first seen those ((Colour)) Eyes, he had felt a need to know what lay behind them, to understand the mind that drives her. He shook his head, wondering what he had gotten himself into, for he had failed to follow the first of the Unwritten Drow Laws: Never Get attached to someone

Matt smiled as Amy approached, "Quite right and I would love to" He clicked his tounge and got Ukie to come over, putting a leash on the pup.

As he walked with Amy towards the bar he started to consider things, made sure Mr. Honor as he had labled Jacob was out of ear shot before begining. "You know do they allow they allow greasy little puppies in this bar?" He pointed to Ukie. Who was sniffing the ground intently, but also not moving that quickly, as though the recent excitement had burned down his energy levels.

Matt looked down at Ukie for a moment more and then back up at Amy as they walked, "If not, then may I suggest we continue our chat this evening Miss Eio? If you don't have plans that is. I could use a guide to help me with the local cuisine."

Did I just ask her out on a date? passed through his head. Ukie was becoming a bit ripe between the grease on his coat, his exercise, and the previous excitement.

Matt was quite intrested in finding out more about "Amy Eio" and who she was. Matt didn't think it proper to take a smelly pup into a place people might be eating, well that wasn't a bird dog hunter hangout anyway.

He paused as Ukie decided to mark a tree. "And truthfully, Ukie here could use a B. A. T. H. before he re-enters proper society again." Ukie heard his name and wagged. Obviously the puppy had not learned to spell yet.

A bit taken aback, Amy had to ponder a bit before she could even think of answering.

A date? But the Duke....oh, forget the damn Duke, he doesn't care about me worth a damn. If he did he wouldn't be off at a freaking party with that /////// Ravelyn Shentavo (Some swear words are to foul even for the internet) But I hardly even know this guy......what the hell, this is supposed to be a vacation after all.

"You know, I'm pretty sure the Screaming Wookie isn't that particular about dogs in attendance, but if you truly feel the need to give Ukie a bath then I'd be glad to meet up with you again later this evening. Six o'clock sound good? I know a great place a few kilometers from here, it's got great Elvish cuisine and you'll be able to afford the ride home after the check comes, too. But, before you go, are you sure I can't tempt you with a drink?"

She gestured towards the bar they had already reached, indicating the door nearly within reach and the empty seats within.

Matt wasn't sure about the pause Damn, bet she has a boyfriend. Or maybe a girlfriend Cawahabians were not as bad as native Alconians when it came to poor 'gaydar'. But asking out girls who happened to want to date other girls was not an unknown occurance. When she said yes, he smiled.
Hmm, well at least I'm not eating alone tonight

Matt shook his head, "I have to try a place named the Screaming Wookie, if nothing more so that I can say I've been to a bar named the Screaming Wookie"

He looked down at Ukie "And you smell like a wookie right now so..."

Matt shook his head again, "Led on Miss Eio..."
Why does this sound like a Fighter Jag's Bar back home?

"You've neer been to a Wookie? Pfssh, and you call yourself a tourist. You're in for a shock."

Walking straight up to the counter she attracted the bartender and placed an order for both of them.

"Two Collostomizer, heavy on the Elarian Ale. Don't water it down and if I so much as even sense an ice-cube you'll regret it."

The bartender, a huge man with an obvious gut, leered at Amy and spoke with a voice dripping with condescencion.

"You sure you can handle a drink like that? I could fix you up something a little more to your body type if you'd like. How 'bout a gin and tonic?"

If Amy had been the vindictive type that last comment would have resulted in a sudden need for an ambulance and police personnel, in Klonor a persons ability to hold their liquor is a mark of who they are. Most people would have challened the bartender to a duel right then and there. Amy, however, wanted to remain incognito and didn't need the police after her with a murder warrant.

"I'll tell you what. You can fix me a gin and tonic and then I can go get a lawyer, sue you into the ground, and laugh as you lose your house and starve to death in the street. The last time I checked slander is a pretty easy case to win, and I have a witness."

She grabbed Matt and pulled him to her side.

"Now, you get me two Collostomizers or I come back with an attorney."

"I didn't call..." Matt at first interupted by died out as the conversation Now what the hell is a Collostomizer? and what kind of mixed drink uses an Ale?

Matt listened to the conversation, Well that was a bit rude, perhaps though a bit recommended...trying to calculate her mass versus how much alchol might induce one to use a collastomy bag.

At being pulled up to her side as an obvious witness. Matt just gave the universal male look of You insulted her, you deal with it to the bartender. Like most men dealing with women of unknown qualities, Matt was wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"Ah, can I order a short glass of water also...for the pup." realizing that water was likely not often served in this establishment.

Grabbing the two glasses filled with a slightly blue liquid she lead Matt over to one of the tables, placing one glass before each of them.

"Okay, what we have here is a Collostomizer, pride of Klonor and invented by the Duke himself. In this glass is Elarian Ale, Whiskey, Vodka, Old Grandad, and Jove knows what else. If you have any problems with alcohol I'd recommend you start running right about now. If not, bottoms up."

With that she raised her glass and downed the entire drink in one gulp.

"Oh, and if this is your first time you should go slow."

Matt looked at the drink. "So your Duke invented this concotion of inebriation hmm?" He picked it up, sniffed it and then raised the glass. "To his Grace, may his intemprance not kill me..."

Taking a sip of the liquid he seemed to choke for a moment. "I'd swear I just tasted methanol going by my toung there. Are you sure he wasn't trying to make a battlefeild antiseptic?"

Matt shook his head. "Well that clears out the sinuses and commits liver cell genocide."

He took another sip, "I am assuming that drinking is a large part of Klondor culture...based on this" He raised up his glass. "And the fact that it is libel to say a woman can't hold her liquer..."

He looked about the place for a moment, letting his stomach deal with the inital drenching of slightly flavored ethanol. "You know I keep on expecting some Marines to walk in here...this is their kind of place."

He took another sip, "And their kind of drink..." Matt took a much larger swig. "I would suggest this as a drink to give a Vrakian if your trying to drink one under the table. Just make sure they don't roll over on you...all that bulk will just pin you down." He finished the drink with another swig. "Weee...I'd run now, but my guide dog appears to be smitten with you..." He pointed at Ukie who was sitting next to Amy's feet.

"What can I say? The dog has good taste."

Reaching down to pat Ukie on the head, again, she took both the empty glasses and pushed them into a small groove on the side of the tabel. With a small flash they disappeared, only to be replaced by two new ones filled to the brim. Amy, giving one of the glasses to Matt, took a much smaller sip this time and seemed content to nurse this one.

"Anyway, alcohol has been a part of Klonor since before we left Old Sol. People have been killed over badly made drinks, and I know more than one inter-stellar war that's been averted due to a gift of a nice bottle of scotch. If you can't hold your liquor you'd better have a damn good reason, and an allergy to alcohol usually isn't good enough. But you must have had some idea, you said you were a tourist. Don't you people all walk around with little books and maps and annoy all the locals by asking questions about every single miniscule custom?"

Seeing Matts obvious trouble handling the drink she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small packet of scrubbers, tapping one out of the box and into her hand.

"Wait, before you answer, have one of these. Small nanites, they clear out the blood stream and keep you from killing your liver. You should at least be able to stay concious with these."

Matt seemed a might annoyed at the holding liquor comment and was at that point of being buzzed but still coherent.
" I can hold my liquor madam. The problem is that you apparently can hold three or four times what I can. Likely because culturally your society is far more alchol centered than mine. Not exceeding, or pushing your limits, of alchol consumption is usually considered wise back home, since falling down drunk is usually a good way to an easy grave with a severly agressive rodent population. So really to stay within cultural norms and build up your apparent alchol tolerance. I would need to get to this point each day and be eighty."

He calmed down a bit, "Cultural diffrences you see, and me not really drinking until college having grown up with the shadow of alcholism." He took a small sip of his drink.

"And no, I don't spend my time with a little map and guide book asking annoying questions. Most tourists I meet run about either being arrogent pricks or just romming about in oblivion. Here a good number just gamble all day. And when was the last time a new guide book wasn't five years out of date?"
He paused to gather his thoughts, "I am here doing research, which means going places not frequented by the common tourist. I try to blend in, be generally unnoticed and watch how local people interact."

He pulled a small metal vial from his pocket. "Cythius Batharus Aptase, a protein of the Cythius Bush known to catalize ethanol into methane, carbon dioxide, and water. Quite handy if you somehow get drawn into a drinking game."

He paused picking up the scrubber off the table. "Now why do I think if I take this you will think far less of me? And for a culture that appreciates good scotch, why didn't you just let me order one of those? I would have been far less tipsy with far more enjoyment."

He placed the scrubber down on the table next to the drink. "Here we have Pascel's Quandry, in which no choice is right...and equally damning. Well I could take his choice, couldn't I?" He looked back up at her. His eyes filled with both sorrow and anger.

"Hey, I won’t think any less of you for not being able to keep up with me drink for drink. Like I said, this is part of what Klonor is, you're a newbie. You can't help but be inferior to us."

She grinned a wicked little grin at the jab.

"But seriously, take a scrubber. A Collostomizer has been known to kill a man unprepared for its kick, and I'd rather not explain your death to the police. We're supposed to have non-Klonor citizens sign a waiver before they get served, but it's always at least half an hour of paperwork and I didn't want to wait very long."

Raising her glass she downed what was left and deposited it into the side groove again, this time without a new glass appearing in its place.

"So, you've told me you're here for research and you're in the literary business, but you've never told me where you're from. I hope you didn't just appear in the park one day."

Matt nodded and then took the scrubber with a wink. "Ah, sorry...thought the accent gave it away. Old Sol actually, more specifically the United Duchies in the Klatchian Federation. Actually I was born in the Grand Kingdom of Cawahaba, of course that is one of the Duchies now."

He shrugged, "Most people out this way have heard of the Klatch, although being confused with the Deyllians or the Vrakians can be quite annoying sometimes. And how I got into the park, well that involved getting passage from earth to here, me checking into er the Ritz chain hotel/casino...I can't recall the name right this second, and then taking Ukie here into the park to get some exercise after I had spent the morning in various locations making notations on local speech patterns."

"Of course in said park, said pup got a glancing catch on his throw toy, which I unimaginatively call 'stick', and wound up in the trash. Allowing me to meet a quite facinating semi-local. Who is actually from Deneb, who somehow convinces me to put nanobots into my body."

"Quite a remarkable day for me so far actually."

"Just wait till tomorrow, by then I'll have so much junk going in and out of your body that nanobots will be the least of you worries. Wait a second.....whatever happened to that stick? I didn't see you pick it up when we came overe here and I'd hate for Ukie to lose her favorite toy."

She reached down to scratch Ukie behind the ear as the conversation drifted towards the loveable little canine.

"Anyway, you're lucky I came along when I did, a few more minutes in that trash can and Ukie would have been a greasy memory, the park cans atomise everything within them every half an hour; it makes sure nobody knocks them over and spills the trash over the natural ground. The next time you drop something in there that you'd like to get back just pull the little lever on the side of the cans, it'll spill everything out for you to sift through. Of course, afterwards you'll need to put all the trash back in the cans and that's just icky."

A sudden rumble dragged her gaze downward.

"You know, I haven't eaten since I was at Rory's earlier. Care for a bite? The food here's not as good as the drinks, but it's passable."

"I do believe that I have to finish my run. Goodbye. Oh, and if I may make a suggestion before I go, keep your wits about you. This... incident seemed mostly harmless, but the next time, it could be a molded polyplast bomb instead of a flower." Jacob said to Mark, only a few moments before Amy returned from the phones. By the time that Amy and Mark left, he was already gone; sweating his way back to his hotel room.

Jacob was oddly exhausted as he passed through the door into his room. It was strange because on most days, twenty miles was a light jog. But today was different, it felt as though there was a ten thousand pound weight on his chest. So that’s why, after taking a shower and getting undressed, he flopped down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. But his dreams were not peaceful ones, sadly.

Jacob found himself sitting on a hard, cold, metal chair in a darkened room. The scent of cigars mingled with a putrid smell of sweat and tears. Directly ahead of him, there was a desk with an older, dignified man gazing at him strangely.

”Do you remember the last time you suppressed heresy?”

Jacob looked puzzled, both at where he was and what he had been asked. Yet he replied with an air of finality mixed with doubt. “Yes… at Cravenloft. I… I killed all of them…”

Most people would have been confused at the curt response, but the man merely leaned forward and looked into Jacob’s eyes with a deep and penetrating stare.

Suddenly, Jacob was no longer in the dark room. Instead, he was in a dank crypt, where he had been years before. All around him there were men and women dressed in dark robes, each person arranged into a pentagram shape. Each one chanting in an obscure, satanic language of old.

A leader stood in the center of the daemonic symbol, a large and wicked looking knife hanging above his head, suspended by a pair of wiry, almost ghoul like arms. On an altar in front of him, a young girl, no more than eighteen was struggling to escape from rope tied to her wrists and ankles, shackling her to the cursed black altar. She was to be a blood sacrifice to the lords of dis. To the Morningstar himself.

The leader cried in an ancient and blasphemous tongue “Ist dol gul haka dur! Vin-e Iojva caka bur! Epithameus sol tel ist lur!!”

The chants of the other people grew in tempo and pitch as the leader’s knife reared up, ready to cut deeply into the poor girl’s flesh. She could only look on in horror as the wicked weapon gleamed in the darkness, ready to plunge through the inky blackness to end her.

“NO!” Jacob screamed, but no one seemed to hear him, nor pay any attention to him. He was but an outside observer, watching the scene play out, powerless to stop it.

The chanting reached a fevered tempo, and then…silence. The blade cut through the darkness downwards, coming crashing down through the girl’s chest, piercing her heart in a single agony filled moment.

The silence was broken by a scream, quite obviously from the sacrificial victim. The leader brought his arms up high and held the knife aloft, a few drops of sacred blood dripping onto the ground. After those few drops, the room was silent but for the breathing of the hellish ‘congregation.’

Suddenly, there was a crash. It sounded as though a heavy wooden door was being rent asunder nearby. Indeed, one was. For three battle-armored Paladins soon stepped through the now shattered opening. Jacob recognized them. He recognized himself, and the two other figures with him. Gabriel and Dorn. Both Paladins of the highest caliber, both had helped him purge this nest of evil…

“Kneel and repent, Heretics!” Jacob heard his younger self say in a booming, rage filled voice.

Chaos erupted in the crypt, with cultists either grabbing whatever makeshift weapons they could, or simply trying to flee. The trio of Paladins, on the other hand unsheathed their weapons with perfect and frightening calm.

Gabriel blasted a cultist with a quick burst from his auto-pistol, turning the man’s head into what could only be termed a ‘fine red mist.’ Dorn followed suit, triggering his incinerator, literally flash-baking the cultists alive. But ultimately, the greatest body count went to Jacob himself as his silvery phase-blade danced around the hellish basement, carving through heretic after heretic. Limbs went flying, the torsos of evil men were impaled, stuck like pigs by the righteous blade. Finally, when all was said and done, twelve cultists had died by the Paladins’ hands. The rest, pitiful few that remained, surrendered. Fortunately, the leader was one of those who had survived to face their judgment.

Dorn bound the prisoners with thin restraint cords and together the three Paladins lead the heretics out onto the street. There, they tied the leader to a wooden stake and prepared for the purgation ritual.

“Cleric John Ramiel, you have been found guilty of crimes against God. If you wish to confess your sins, I shall hear them now.” Jacob said in a neutral tone of voice that did exactly nothing to convey the sheer disgust he felt for the man.

Ramiel merely spit at Jacob, snarling “My lord in hell will reward me in death! I shall again walk the land of the living!”

”You have fallen, Cleric. What’s worse, you have convinced others to join you in your heresy. You have taken an innocent life to feed your perverse rituals. I sentence you to die by the flame for what evils you have wrought this day.” Jacob replied in that same tone, only a hint of his sheer malice leaking through.

Gabriel lit a fire at the fallen Cleric’s feet. The heretic was laughing. Actually laughing as the flame licked its way up his legs. Clearly, he had gone quite insane.

“May the almighty lord in heaven judge you unworthy to feast in his halls. May the sins you have committed against the lord and his flock resign you forever to the fiery pits of hell. Lord have mercy on the souls of your victims, amen…” Jacob administered the Rites of the Heretic as the Cleric burned, his followers looking onward. All begged for life, for they had apparently ‘seen the light’ and repented their sins. But to have sinned as these traitors had? They begged for mercy. But did they deserve it? In the end, that was not Jacob’s place to decide. He deferred to a higher adjudicator.

“Heretics, for your blasphemous actions this day, I sentence you to crucifixion. God and God alone shall judge the sincerity of your conversions.”

*Pop.* Jacob’s shade was no longer in the road, watching the Heretics his younger self excommunicated slowly leave this mortal plane. Instead, he was back in the darkened, near empty room with the old man.

“If you could do it again, would you?”

Jacob thought for a moment. He had felt a twinge of regret, ordering those misguided souls to death. But no. There were heretics, he had seen their evil first hand. He replied “Yes. They were evil. They deserved no mercy, and I am sure they got none.”

“And if I told you that they were forced into that cult by the foul machinations of evil? That they, all but the Cleric had honestly believed they were doing God’s bidding when they sacrificed that innocent? Would that have made a difference, now or then?”

“I…” Jacob started to say, before his setting changed once again. This time, he was in a sweat-soaked bed in a little hotel at Epsilon Pegasi. That was certainly an intense dream, Jacob reflected. Little did he know what was to come, from both his subconscious as well as conscious mind. All men have demons from their past, and the only way to move forward is to confront them.

Matt raised an eyebrow at that, "I'm not sure the good Lord would approve. We Quakers are a bit picky about what goes in and out of our bodies." The wry smile on his face said it was mostly in jest, but the warning was out there.

He just shook his head at the stick comment, "I have it right here, picked it up when I put on his leash right after 'Mr. Honor' finally took the hint." He produced the stick from the same compartment on his satchel that once held Ukie's leash. "Ukie would have carried it if I had forgotten."

He considered the food, then looked down at Ukie. "Well someone still needs to get a B. A. T. H. and looks like he is about to crash."

Ukie looked up at Matt, "Someone wants to take a nap with fuzzbud doesn't he?" Ukie wagged at that idea.
"And truthfully I need to type up these notes before dinner. It seems I have to take an attractive local out to an elven reastraunt this evening. Shall we meet in my hotel lobby, the Ritz-Carlton at six? Or your hotel lobby? Your choice..."

(He looked do?)

"Why don't I meet you at your place, I probably know the way around a bit better than you do since I've been here for more than a day. Well, since this is farewell, I'll take my leave. See you in a few hours."

A pleasant smile on her face, Amy casually strolled out the door and began to walk down the street back to the Elome resort.

Not a bad day for a vacation. At least it wasn't boring, I can still almost see those lights from before, thank Jove they're gone. Now, what should I wear later? Oy, negotiating international war treaties is simpler than picking out an outfit for one of these things, I have almost no clothing with me. Hopefully he wont be expecting to show up in a ballroom gown or something similar. You know, it seemed like less of a walk when I was leaving the Elome. Hey, there's no law against taking a shortcut.

She then approached the nearest store, walked in, and asked to use the bathroom.

I just hope I can remember the number for the Elome.

Walking to the bathroom she stopped at the door and pressed a series of buttons inlaid against the door frame.

That must be, I don't know anybody else on Epislon Pegasi with a 323 Gate number.

She then walked through the door to the bathroom and walked into the lobby of the Elome.

God, I love these things.

Similing she walked to the elevators, heading up to her room to prepare for her evening.

Seke followed her trail, leading to a bar and then back out again. He sighed in frustration and began to follow the new trail, noticing that she had split up with the man with the dog. He sighed, he knew very little about the relationship, but Drow always assumed the worst. He considered going and removing the threat, then remembered one vital piece of infomation, other nations DID investigate Murders, even non-political ones. He sighed, and just followed Amies instead. He then found the shop, and swore when the trail stoped. He considered, before pushing past the Shopkeeper to go to the Bathroom previously Occupied by Amy. He then sat on the toliet seat and began to concentrate.

He opened his eyes and smiled, seeing the Blue ghoast of Amy as she repeated what she had done. He made sure he got the thing right, before pressing the, he paused to make sure she had gone through, then moved into the ((Not really sure)). He emerged in the lobby and frowned, wondering how in the Planes he had gotten here, but shrugged it off and followed her heat once more, thanking the gods she he had been so close behind. He moved to the Elevators, but was cut off by a staff member.

"Excuse me sir" He said looking down his nose at the Drow who looked like he had just come from the street. "Do you have a room card?" He said politly, but the Drow could see the man was an elf, and the Elves must still hold onto the old Gruges. He sighed.

"No Light seer, I don't" He said in a harsh accent. "And if I was not in YOUR nation, I would have killed you now, however, your laws are different here, unfourtunatly I am not allowed to do that until I am back within Lodian Borders." He nodded, before turning.

Jacob cocked his head to the side, straining to look out the window. The first cracks of dawn were rushing through the air, beating back the night. Unfortunately, Jacob couldn't sleep. The man in the dream puzzled him, he couldn't get the man's strange words out of his head. And since he couldn’t sleep, he might as well get up and do something.

Groaning, Jacob rolled out of bed and showered, the hot water washing away his fatigue, but not erasing his curiosity. After the shower, Jacob looked in his solitary suitcase, examining each item inside.

"Okay, let's see. I've got my running suit. Two pairs of Imperial milistandard boots, a pair of mirrored shades (where in the Lord’s name did I pick those up?) Along with my dress uniform and a t-shirt/jeans combo. Marvelous. And of course those twits at the spaceport lost my important luggage! I don’t see how an innocent tourist like me is supposed to resist all the muggers and hippies without my loving .666 cal Dante!" Jacob said aloud, grinning as he arranged his few possessions.

The first priority of anyone in a potentially hostile situation is to get armed. While Jacob's situation wasn't particularly threatening (thus far, he had encountered nothing that he couldn't deal with unarmed,) he didn't enjoy walking around without some sort of personal weapon. So he tried to rectify that by looking up a local gun shop in the area.

After finding its gate address, Jacob left the hotel room and fumbled with the phase gate controls for a few moments (accidentally setting it to 323 instead of 332) before teleporting...somewhere. Where? He knew not. It looked like either a ritzy hotel, or a bar, although in Epsilon Pegasi, the lines between the two are quite often blurred.

“Aww, Frack” He said aloud when he looked around. Wherever it was, it certainly wasn’t a weapons dealership. What’s worse, he was ill prepared to visit a major nexus of ‘high society.’ He was modestly dressed in the T-shirt and jeans, certainly not something you’d go to a place as…glitzy as this. Embarrassment aside, Jacob didn’t trust that phase-gate again without assistance. So, he had to get someone to help him. Unfortunately, he didn’t see any reception area in sight, so it looked like he would have to explore a bit and hope he wandered upon a kind soul who could help him out of his predicament.

Amy stood in front of the mirror and smiled at what she saw. (Look, I really don't know anything about fashion in any way. Least of all womens fashion. I'm not kidding here, I wouldn't know the difference between some major designer or what you'd find at the bargain shop down the street. Just pretend she's wearing something very nice and attractive. Make up some kinda Future-Armani.) Grinning as she picked up her wallet, government I.D. (You never know when you might need to commandeer a Cruiser), and room key she, she left and began the long and arduous journey to the lobby....well, she walked down the hallway to the elevator, but to some that might be long. Hey, I happen to know many people don't like elevators! They don't! Oh, shut up and keep reading.

Reaching the lobby she checked the public registry and found the Gate number for the Public-Gate closest to the restaurant, it's considered rude to Gate directly to a restaurant and a servant of the public must always keep herself proper, then headed towards the main lobby Gate. Of course, along the way she spies a familiar face.....

"You again? I knew it, you are following me! Give me one good reason not call security right now."

She reached out and began to slightly squeeze his throat.

"Or to not make oxygen a very scarce element in your body."

Jacob looked at her with a face of utter surprise. "What!? What are you doing here?"

But before he could do any more, she moved forward and clamped her hands around his neck.

Jacob felt the constricting force around his neck like a hundred angry snakes. Instantly, his training kicked in and he began looking for ways out of his situation. Jacob was no child to melee fighting, but the fact that he didn't actually want to *hurt* the girl complicated things greatly. Unfortunately, his time was running out, he felt the girl's grip steadily becoming harder. This girl was stronger than she looked!

"Ah-ha!" Jacob thought. He had it. Smiling, he simply let his legs collapse, relying upon his comparatively greater body mass to fall. Forcing her to either fall with him, or let go of his neck. Either way worked for him. Either way, he would explain his situation and get into a more advantageous position.

A plan concocted in the time between heartbeats, would it prove successful? Time would tell.

As the man began to drop down she felt herself be tugged down with him.

Damnit, they never just tell you what you want to know. You've always got to beat it out of them. Or stab it out of them. Or burn it out of them. Or......

However, since she didn't want to end up lying on top of him on the floor, she let go and let the strange man drop.

......Or wring it out of them. Or gouge it out of them. Or slice it out of them. Or....

Since she didn't want to just let him go, either, she then placed her boot on his neck.

"Wow, you sure traded up, didn't you. Now, start talking or you get a very bad fever."

With her right hand she pointed at his forhead and extended her thumb and index finger, heating up the air at the end of her 'gun' until a bit of air the size of a pea began to glow with inner energy.

And he turned right into the fight. He didn't reciginze Amy, but he did notice the fact she was strangaling Jacob. He walked over, his red eyes glinting in the light.

"Hey hey hey," he said as Jacob Droped and Amy put the fingers to his head. "No reason to do that, you wouldn't want to spill blood over your new Dress" He said noting the dress she wore. "I have lost good armour before from this, since blood can get Everywhere!" He turned the coners of his mouth up. "Now, lets get this done like Uncivilised people and try and talk this out, or if that fails, we can go back to civilised acts and kill eachother" He then waited.

Jacob's sea-blue eyes looked deeply, intensely into Amy's. "Yeah, well...I didn't count on the girl of my dreams having a brain-zapper when I came up with that plan. As for why I'm here? Lord only knows. I was trying to get to a shop to replace something that an incompetent baggage handler lost. I was trying to use one of those 'phase gates' to get there, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I did something wrong. So here I am... I honestly didn't expect to see you again."

But then Jacob saw what looked like a tall black man watching him and Amy. He was saying something about getting blood on his armor. "Excuse me? Blood? There wouldn't be any. That heat weapon would cauterize the wound."

Seke's smile split even bigger, making in turn his eyes glow. He put his hands together and bowed from the waist.

"I am sorry, but I am not aware of that, most heat Weapons in our nation don't leave anything to casterize." He said filled with Mirth. "But then again I most houses can't afford them either, so we use good old Projectile and Melee weapons."

"No, in all likelihood I'd simply shove this little bead of energy through your forhead and expand it so your brain is fried from the inside out. Only one tiny little hole for very little bood to seep through, and the only things being cauterized are items vital for your continued survival. In addition, I don't think you have any busines getting involved here, so back off before you end up on the ground next to this asshole."

The last comment was hurled at the man who had unceremoniously butted into a private matter. Turning her head she again looked down at the man she was trying to push through the floor.

"So it's all just one big misunderstanding? You just happened to have pressed the wrong buttons on the Phase Gate and ended up right in my hotel purely by coincidence? Yeah, and if you expect me to believe that I also have a bridge to sell you. Who the hell are you and where the hell are you from? You can't be from Klonor, only a moron with the intelligence of a child of three could possibly get a Phase Gate dial-up wrong if they'd been doing it their whole life. Why the hell are you following me around?"

"My name is Jacob Dalton. As for where I'm from? Well, I'm certainly not a native of Klonor. I'm from quite far away, actually. I hail from the metropolis' of Boreas Prime, practically on the other end of the Galaxy from where we're standing right now. I guess I'm here on what you might term a vacation. I had a...crisis of faith back home, and I felt I needed to get away from everything for a time. But anyway, I honestly did set the phase gate wrong. On Boreas (or in the rest of the Empire for that matter,) we don't really use teleporters to travel except when time is of the essence. So I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to your fancy 'phase gates.' I was trying to get to the arms shoppe at 332 when I ended up here. But no, I haven't been following you. If I had, I would have been far more discreet about it, instead of bumbling around in a hotel lobby." Jacob replied carefully, remaining honest and trying very hard not to have his brains liquified by that menacing weapon.

"Boreas Prime? Never heard of it. Show me some identification. Now!"

However, she didn't even wait for him to get out his wallet. Keeping her gaze on the downed stranger she reached to the side and drew over a portable computer terminal, checking to see if there was a weapons shop at the address he mentioned.

Well, at least that part of his story checks out.

"So, you really were going to buy a gun. Why? No faith in Klonor security? Afraid some loony is going pop up behind you put a bullet into your skull? You seem a bit to high-strung for somebody on vacation; unless you're going hunting people try to leave their firearms at home."

Jacob sighed and removed his wallet from his pocket. Inside, there was a single credit card, some money, and his citizenship card. He handed the latter to Amy. It proudly displayed a younger (and less worldly) version of Jacob with all of his vital statistics. Place of birth, date of birth, et cetera. The part that Amy would probably be most interested in was near the bottom. It read "Citizenship: Human Empire of Central Facehuggeria."

After hearing Amy's probing question, he replied with a low and quick sentence or two. What was more interesting though was the *way* he said it. He said it like an old man chiding a young girl for naivety, like she should have already known what he was saying. "Well, I feel rather naked without a gun. When you've seen as much of the galaxy as one in my former profession, you tend to sleep lightly and have a large weapon at your beck and call. One never knows when you may come face to face with the abyss itself, staring right back at you like in the old Nietzsche writings."

Amy quickly glanced over the card, making sure that there were no glaring errors to indicate that it was a fake. She'd never been trained in forgery, the only thing she was likely to notice was if they'd spelled "Human" wrong or had him born two years in the future.

Member of the Human Empire of Central Facehuggeria, huh? Never heard of that, either. Damn, I kinda wish he was from some place we've had a bloody hsitory with. It'd give me a bit of an excuse to have him jailed.

"True, but one will end up facing that abyss sooner or later, anyway. If you've nothing to fear once you're past it you shouldn't fear meeting it, either. Most people who dread dying usually dread what will happen to them afterward, and Pluto doesn't make mistakes."

And I don't want to make one. I kill this guy and it'll be hours of paperwork.

She slowly lowered the arm pointed at his head and the little bead of energy evaporated as quickly as it had appeared. Stepping backwards, off his neck, she gestured for him to get up.

"Make no mistake, I'd gladly sever your head from your shoulders. But since I've got no cause it wouldn't go well for me afterwards, so be glad that the police system you don't trust happens to work very well."

Seke clapped his hands Good Naturedly, as if nothing had happened, because as far as he was concerned, nothing had. When you grow up in a nation where their was open fighting in the streets, one became acosstomed to death. He then looked at Amy a bit more closely, and noticed what he should have noticed before, it was who he was following.

"Ah good to see that is done with," He said slowly. "Still, it could have been interesting to see how it would have worked. Now Mistress, are you a scorceress, or a Preistess to summon such power?" Apon this display he had started feeling a sting of doubt about the girl he was following, but thought nothing of it.

Jacob smiled half-heartedly as he got up. "I trust the Klonor security forces in matters of normalcy. Muggers, murderers, and the like are what your police were made to suppress. Indeed, they do a good job of it. Yet the abyss I fear is deeper and darker by far. But what I speak of is not death, I do not fear death. It is but a reordering of existence. No, what I fear is that when my enemies come for me, they will not be satiated with my soul alone. I fear that they will feed their bloodlust and perverse need for destruction with the lives of the innocent. I could not bear to have the blood of that many innocents on my hands, weighing down my soul with guilt."

Dusting himself off, Jacob added, "A wise playwright once wrote 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' I've found that to be exceedingly true in this universe that god has crafted for us. But trouble yourself with my ramblings no longer, if you could show me how to use this 'phase gate,' I would be eternally grateful."

"You, sir, need severe psychological counseling and you need it fast. Your outlook on the world is bleak, at best."

She turned to the other man who seemed set on forcing himself into the conversation.

"And you, sir, have no business here at all. I've told you to shove off once, don't make me say it again. Now, if you both will be so kind as to disappear into some distant and dank corner of the Universe, I have a date."

Briefly brushing off her dress, making sure that it hadn't been damaged at all during the brief altercation, she walked away from the both of them and approached the hotels Phase Gate. Inputing the address of the Communi-Gate she'd noted near the restaurant, double checking to make sure she got it right, she stepped through and hoped she'd left the two behind for good.

Jacob's smile disappeared as he heard her 'expert's diagnosis.' As she was leaving, he said "Bleak? Verily, it is. Life tends to turn itself thus and erase naivety. If I appear disturbed, it is because of what life has thrown my way."

Unfortunately, Amy's leaving left another problem. Now he would never figure out that thrice damned teleporter! Thus resigned to his fate, he left the hotel lobby and made his way back to his own, cheaper hotel. Truth be told, he didn't feel entirely comfortable in that rich place. It seemed so tacky and stilted.

A quick jog and shower later, Jacob was back in his bed, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Again he found himself in the darkened room, 'enjoying' the presence of the dream-man. The man leaned forward and said "You have thought about the Heretics?"

Jacob frowned and replied, "Yes. I killed them because it was my duty."

"Duty? You did your professional duty for a group of insignifigant heretics, but you can't do your personal duty for one you care about? Is that it? You let her die, Mister Dalton. No, you caused her to die."

"You have no right to speak of my failings!" Jacob replied angrily.

"You mistook your priorities, and another had her soul eternally damned because of it. But that is neither here nor there, at least… not yet.”

The man leaned forward even more and asked “Now... When was the last time you made a sacrifice for another?”

“I… I gave up my life to serve humanity. I chose the path of the Paladin of Sol.” Jacob replied quietly, solemnly.

“Have you ever wondered how things would be different if you had never joined the Order?” The older man asked, obviously expecting a certain answer.

“No”

The Man’s eyes lit up maliciously. “You’re lying.”

”How did you know?”

Grinning like a shark, the man replied “You can no more lie to me than you lie to yourself.”

“How quaint. Yes, I have, on occasion wondered what my life would be like if I had never become an instrument of God’s will. What of it?”

The Man smiled, and then he was gone. Or rather, Jacob was no longer in the room. Instead he was standing on a wild and untamed lawn in front of a modest suburban home that looked like it had seen better days. Instead of the T-shirt and pants that he had been wearing previously, Jacob was outfitted in fully sealed battle armor, emblazoned with icons of purification, inquisitorial seals, and of course the prominent Vortex/cross of the Order.

It being the obvious thing to do at the time, Jacob carefully opened the house’s door, barely squeezing his armored girth through the portal. The sight that greeted him was a pitiful one. Jacob saw himself, dressed in a tattered business suit and holding a bottle of whiskey. He had deep rings under his eyes and he hiccupped from time to time. Suddenly, the drunken Jacob looked up and noticed himself, although he couldn’t identify him as such because of the cold and impersonal armor. “What the -hic- hell do you want? Haven’t you religious bastards taken -hic- enough away from me already?”

Jacob was stunned. Last time, he had been a specter, watching but not participating, not this time though… “What are you talking about?”

The drunken Jacob frowned and gazed ahead blankly. “I remember. Three of you, dressed just as you are now came barging in one night. You bastards just took her away. I pleaded with you, trying to convince you your buddies that she wasn’t a witch, that she was a pious woman; but you burned her at the steak anyway. You killed my sweetest Amber just because you wouldn’t trust her! It’s all your fault that she’s gone… All your fault…”

Drunken Jacob broke down, sobbing his eyes out, just repeating “It’s all your fault…” over and over.

For his part, Jacob was mortified. Putting his hands in his face, he cried “Oh god no…”

“Oh god no what? Mister Dalton.” Jacob raised his head when he heard that voice. He was back in the room again. The man still had that enigmatic grin on his face, just as when they’d first ‘met.’

”I see something about that glimpse has struck you. It was meant to teach you one thing. God weaves a song for men, sort of an outline for how their life will go. A man’s song sings of pivotal events in his life, but it does not go into detail. No matter what you do, you cannot escape the key notes in the song. Even if you did not go into the Order, you would have still met Amber, fallen in love, and eventually lost her through fault of your own. It was predetermined. The only thing you *can* change are your own choices. Ultimately, you decide how your life goes. God just provides the impetus. Or, to think of it another way, god provides you with the raw materials. It’s up to you what you build with them. In a way, that’s the most wonderful thing about humanity. But my time is almost up. Before I go, some advice if I may… You may want to look into getting your holy tools back. You might need them…”

“Wait what are you-“ Jacob started to say, before he opened his eyes, awakening in the real world, in his sweat covered bed. He was either going crazy, or… God knows what was happening to him…

Matt sat quietly in the Ritz-Carleton hotel lobby. Where in the world is Amy? I hope she didn't run into trouble. passed through his head as he idly thumbed through a local news magazine. He was wearing a blue Deyllian cotten shirt, kaki colored pants, and an indigo silk jacket.
Ukie is washed, I've had a nap...dog sitter is going to take him for a walk at eight. Wallet...check, hotel key....check...all I need is one attractive female and we're set...

He looked up around the lobby again.

Seke rolled his eyes really wishing she would stop trying to make him leave. He noted a winged form on one of the lounges, ((On order of Tsurani)) But thought nothing of it, following Amy once again through the phase gate. He knew he did not follow her mearly to ask her out now, he didn't want that, no, he needed freindship, someone who would not stab him in the back. He then thought about it, and went back through tha gate, going to the hotel Desk.

"I would, if you would be so kind, to get a room in this hotel." he said with a faint form of humour. He didn't need to follow her, he was aware of where she was staying, and needed only to get a room. He payed with a purse full of gold coins, something not hard to find within the Borders of Lodias.

"In all the Planes, she bothers me most" He said as he went to sit down.

Okay, the restaurant's about one block away from the Gate if you head South. Ah, there it is. I made reservations, the check'll be no problem, my date is......not here. Oh, sh---

Turning around, Amy stormed back to the Communi-Gate and flipped open the access book stuck to the side. Finding the Gate address of the hotel her date was supposed to be staying in she hurridly dialed, checked her clothing once more, and stepped through.

"Matt? Sorry I'm late, I went straight to the restaurant by accident."

Major Charles Benis, Commandant of the 3'rd Dealer Division, eyed the two men currently having a 'discussion' with the Consul (This would be during the stage when Amy is threatening to kill both Jacob and Seke). Amy might have been traveling among the populace incognito, but the government still knew exactly where she was and wanted to make sure that nothing happened to her. The Dealers knew that, and they were very good at their job.

The downed one obviously has advanced military training. At least Level IV. He's more interested in escape than injuring her. The other has an agenda, he wants to talk to her. He came to this hotel looking for her, the Facehuggerian is here by accident. She obviously wants nothing to do with either. Good.

As the floored man rose and and the intruder went to purchase a room while Amy moved to the Phase Gate the Dealer kept his eyes on all three.

The third was considering following her.

Amy was gone, through the Gate, the Facehuggerian was gone, through the door, and the other sat down near-by.

Go. If the third makes any indication that he has any hostile intentions kill him. Quickly. Bring the body to the alley behind the hotel, there's already a crew waiting for him.

Without the slightest indication that they even knew Benis, two men walked out the front door of the hotel and began to shadow the Facehuggerian. Two more didn't move at all, but instead kept an eye on the man staying at the hotel. Benis himself and two more casually approached the Gate and transported to a Gate near the one Amy had just gone to, watching her after they had emerged. The followed her again when she transported to her dates hotel.

Jacob couldn't sleep. That damned dream kept bothering him. Surely it wasn't his fault that the love of his life killed herself? Yet that was what his subconscious seemed to be telling him. Or was it his mind at all? Was it not a malevolent demon, trying to lead him astray? Bah. Perhaps he was just going crazy. Others have cracked under the strain.

Either way, Jacob couldn't sleep after that dream, and he wasn't too apt to sit on his bed staring at the ceiling. So he simply up and left. There was one chore that he had to do. He had to brave the phase-gate and get himself some firepower.

He walked into the hotel lobby and took a deep breath, marshalling his senses. Teleporters in any form were creepy. What if he wound up in a restricted sector? Or in a waste disposal area? Jacob sucked it up and pressed the buttons, three three two. The combination of the arms store he had written down earlier.

Instantly, he was gone. Taking a look around, he noticed several racks, each one holding guns of every imaginable size and shape. Excellent! At least this time he was in the right place!

"Uh? Hello? Is anyone here? I'm looking to buy a gun." He said, after looking around for a manager or shopkeeper. Unfortunately, he found none, so he hoped his bleating would attract one.

"What is it? Who are you? What do you want?"

The bored looking man which emerged from the back of the shop obviously didn't enjoy being disturbed.

"What the hell are you making so much noise for? You want a gun? Fine. Pick out whatever you want, bring it over to the counter, then scan it and your voucher. What the bloody hell do you need me for?"

With a barely concealed sigh of disgust he turned around and began to walk back towards the rear room.

"Bloody tourists."

Seke felt something, a tingle apon his cheast. He and looked up, and saw the man watching him. He shook his head, stood and moved in the General Direction, although veering towards the left of him. He then all of a sudden changed Direction and pushed the man down into a chair, then pushed his fingers in to the mans shoulder.

"Don't move, I have small posioned metal points on my fingers, and one movement I can have you dead." He said softly. "Now, please explain WHY you are watching me. Now!"

Okay, the restaurant's about one block away from the Gate if you head South. Ah, there it is. I made reservations, the check'll be no problem, my date is......not here. Oh, sh---

Turning around, Amy stormed back to the Communi-Gate and flipped open the access book stuck to the side. Finding the Gate address of the hotel her date was supposed to be staying in she hurridly dialed, checked her clothing once more, and stepped through.

"Matt? Sorry I'm late, I went straight to the restaurant by accident."


Matt was a bit startled when she just appeared like that. "You know, I may never get used to those phase gate things you people use around here." He stood up and smiled warmly at her then gave a short head bow, "and I must say you look quite lovely this evening." Quite lovely actually He studied her face appreciatily with his eyes for a moment.

"Well Amy I'm glad all it was you heading to the reastraunt by mistake."
He obviously had been a bit worried that a similar scene to this afternoon had taken place.

He presented his arm in the Old Sol gentlemanly manner, "Shall we return? I'm quite intrested in trying elven cuisine." well at least of elves who don't think roasted human flesh with a side of suffed baked pup is a great meal passed through his head

How in the hell did I wind up with this attractive woman as my date? I thought I swore off women

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, I make it a point to dine here whenever I'm in Epsilon Pegasi. The food is simply exquisite."

Taking the offered arm, grinning a bit at the old custom, she guided him towards the lobby Phase Gate and began to input the address for the Communi-Gate again.

"There we go. Now, all you need to do is step through the Gate. Nothing to worry about."

Smiling a calming smile she stepped through first and turned to wait for her date.

You know, it might actually work out for the best if this guy hates the food here. It'd probably save me a lot of trouble down the road. What will I tell him when I need to go back to Deneb? "Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm also a Consul of Klonor and need to go back to running the country with the fate of billions resting on my shoulders. But I hope we can still be friends." He'd probably think I was nuts. Well, either way that's a week in the future. At least we can have fun now, I'll worry about that when the time comes.

Well I am supposed to be able to describe a phase gate Matt swolled and then followed Amy through.

"Well that was...unique...well for me anyway. I'm sure for you it is just routine." He offered her his arm again before continuing to follow her to the restraunt.

"Not too unpleasent...I am surprised I haven't run into the technology before"

If Mav hasn't imported a system yet, she will when she reads about it in my next novel. Or at least try to work it out herself.

"So how much diffrent is Deneb from here? I'm just curious how exotic a place this is for you as it is for me."

"Well, the government tries to make sure this specific technology doesn't spread to much beyond our borders. It gives us an almost unequaled defensive capability, our infantry forces can be dispatched to counter any ground invasion anywhere on the planet in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. Also, if any other nations got their hands on a Gate Hub they could, theoretically, find ways to over-ride the defenses built into the Gates and jump right into the Corps offices with a fully armed assault force. We try to make sure that doesn't happen. Ah, here's the restaurant."

She gestured off to the side and turned, entering the building and attracting the attention of the hostess.

"Excuse me, but we have a reservation for two."

Without speaking the hostess held out a small pad. Amy, also not speaking, took the pad in her hand and placed it against her palm. There was a brief flash of light and suddenly the pad wasn't there anymore.

"Yes, I have your reservation right here. If you two will follow me, please."

Leading the two through the restaurant the hostess deposited them at a small table quite distant from the rest of the restaurants patrons. To their side was a window which, to all but the most observant, seemed to be displaying a view of the planet from orbit.

"Anyway, Deneb and Epsilon Pegasi really aren't that different. All three of the Colonial Systems (That'd be Deneb, Regulus, and Epsilon Pegasi) were settled directly from Old Earth and came from the same province of the old Duchy of Klonor. True they've been seperated by several light-years since then, but with Faster than Light travel and communication widely available it's almost as if we were seperated by nothing more than a small ocean. The culture is practically identical."

As their waiter approached Amy tried to wind up her little guide-book speech.

"The only real difference are the Elves themselves, Epsilon Pegasi is the only Klonor system to have one single alien species make up a significant amount of its population. True the second planet in Deneb is owned by Lil Miss, but they're human and aren't technically under Klonor control. Thankfully, except for some minor problems after the Klonor Empire was destroyed, the Humans and Elves have been co-existing perfectly."

Matt nodded thoughtfully at Amy's comments. "Well I hadn't really considered that...." Actually you just gave me the Geld for my next story Amy

He looked around at the empty tables. I wonder if this is just them opening a new section of the floor, or did Amy request this...and if so what have I gotten myself into?

Matt realized that he had no idea what the courting rituals of Klondor were, but propriaty demanded that he not ask unless thing appeared to be going too fast. After all, it might be innocent, and a gentleman always defered to caution and vigilance rather than a statement of possible induendo.

Matt's mind returned to the end of her conversation. "Quite...I guess I'm more used to more blatent intra-state diffrences."

Bancroft looked up at the waiter expectantly. If he knows his job he will ask the lady for her drink order first.

"Most people are, but it's helped keep Klonor as a single unified nation even after the Association gave more power to the local governments than to the federal."

Turning to the waiter and accepting to two offered menus she handed one to her partner.

"I'd suggest avoiding the first two pages, the food happens to be a bit lethal for humans. After that it's all good."

She then turned back to the waiter who was waiting patiently and hadn't yet even said one word.

"Hello there."

Instantly the Elves eyes lit up and he began talking almost faster than Amy could understand him.

"Hello, and welcome to the finest restaurant this side of the Blue Drift. Here we showcase the finest cuisine to be found throughout all of Klonor, from beautiful Deneb out to the distant SR-2091. If it's not on the menu we'll be glad to make it especially for you. Our specials today are...."

Amy slowly tuned out the waiters voice as she glanced down at the menu, trying to decide what to pick.

I'm never quite sure what to have here, it's all so good. I've been here dozens of times and I don't think I've ever had the same thing twice.

".....roasted in a plesant pecan sauce. We also have....."

Maybe the grilled Roon? Even badly prepared it's practically addictive. No, wait, it is addictive. I keep forgetting that. No Roon tonight.

"......which comes with either baked or fried Unis eggs. Finally, there is....."

Maybe I'll go with the simple food tonight. Just a baked Loirn, I've heard that it's practically intoxicating.

"....covered in a light lobster sauce. If you find anything to be the slightest bit out of place please, don't hesitate to call me and I'll take care of it right away. Would you like any drinks to start off the night?"

"Yes, I will have a small glass of Elarian Ale please. Matt, what would you like?"

Matt raised his eyebrow at the phrase 'a bit lethal'. Well that is a good warning,

He proceeded to look through the menu, but wound up paying more attention to the waiter's lighting fast pitches. Let me guess your other day job is working auctions? popped into his head as he tried to catch it all.

".....roasted in a plesant pecan sauce. We also have....."
Pecan sauce, hmm...I'm not sure I want a nut based sauce...likely too sweet and sugary

"......which comes with either baked or fried Unis eggs. Finally, there is....."
Baked or fried eggs? Do I look like some...forget it

"....covered in a light lobster sauce."
Elves, turn a perfectly good peice of shell fish into a sauce, unless of course it is really just based on lobster stock. Which would be intresting

"I think I will start off with a mannhattan before dinner thank you." Hmm, I wonder what kind of meat Roon is. That sounds good

He waited until the waiter had left to fill their drink orders. "Any suggestions? I am thinking the dish of Roon sounds good. Although I have no clue what a Roon actually is. Actually I think I need my Encyclopedia Universal just to know exactly what I'm eating. Then again, maybe one shouldn't know what poor creature is putting into their belly. I once heard that thousands of american youngsters refused to eat venison after seeing Bambi."

"I'd avoid the Roon if I were you, it happens to be highly addictive. You eat it once and you're craving it the rest of your life, I know more than one millionaire who's given up the stock market so they could buy a Roon farm. I'm planning on having the baked Loirn, it's similar to a regular steak but from a Loirn instead of a cow and it's covered in God knows how many toppings. The best part is that, besides being practically intoxicating, the things almost as healthy as eating a plate of fruit. No downside."

The waiter re-appeared carrying their glasses and placed them before their respective orderers. Amy reached out for her glass of Elarian Ale and took a sip.

"This can't be more than two days old. Excellent, the Ale always loses its flavor the longer its away from Elara, more than a week and it's practically water. They must have broken half the speed laws in the Galaxy to get it here so quickly."

She took another sip and placed the menu in a small slot on the side of the table where it soon disappeared.

"Have you decided what you wanted?"

Matt paled at hearing about the Roon "One addict in the family is enough thank you..."

Matt nodded at the waiter and then sipped his Manhattan. A bit on the dry side for my taste, but not bad. He nodded again to the waiter to indicate it was acceptable.

Matt then returned to his menu for a moment. "Hmm, the roasted Manatouk sounds good. I think I will get that. Unless that happens to be lethal or addictive? No...good...the Manatouk then please."

Matt placed his menu in the same spot. "Ah, that reminds me, could you make a wine reccomendation to go with the Manatouk?" He asked the waiter.

The waiter listed several wines that Matt had never heard of before naming an Earth Claret Matt was fond off. "A glass of that, chilled please with the Manatouk, Thank You..." He then sought to return the menu, realized it was gone and lightly chuckled at himself.

"Well then, I seem to notice that ale is quite popular with you...and it decays over time, sort of like the house wines of Italy? The white vinos especially need to be fresh before they turn into vinegar."

"Well, Elarian Ale is one of the most potent drinks served in Klonor, excepting the Collostomizer of course. It's a nice drink since it wont hit you as hard as a Collostomizer and you can keep ordering it throughout the whole meal, but you still know that you've been drinking afterwards."

She paused for another sip.

"Nobody's quite sure why the Ale seems to break down once it leaves Elara, but we do know that once it leaves the boundry of the system it just loses all its flavor unless you want to spend a few thousand florens in preserving it. As I said earlier, once it's been out of the system more than a week you'd be hard pressed to even identify it as alcohol."

Another sip, this one a bit longer than the previous.

"But so far all we've done is talk about me. You've barely said two words about yourself. Surely I can't be that fascinating."

His eyebrow went up..."We've been talking about you?" All I know about you is that your name is Amy Eio, that your from Deneb, and that you have a civil servant's job."

He paused again, slightly cocking his head. "Actually we know very little about you Miss Eio, besides some generalites about your society. And your penchant for strong drink. And that you like the work of Max Berry..."

Matt gazed at her for a moment longer, "However Amy, you presently know my pet's name..." he grimiced at that, "My occupation, and my reason for being in Klondor. One would say that I am at a disadvantage here."

Matt shifted in his seat, "I happen to be an open book, so ask away...but I should warn you I desire to know the same information out of you...becuase you are presently both mysterious and facinating. So what do you wish to know Amy?"

He sat back and sipped his manhatten. Looking at her with keen intrest.

Jacob perused the inventory of the store, frowning. Of course, it was a long shot that a weapon to his liking would be found in a civilian weapons shop, he *was* looking for things that some nations wouldn't even have for their own military, after all. But still, it was a chance. CFAC and IA both exported weapons throughout the universe, and perhaps he would find something from them. A Peacemaker perhaps? He could only hope. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a single thing. What's worse, he didn't find any weapons of the necessary size as well as safety. After all, it wouldn't do to have one's arm snapped upon firing a weapon, now would it?

But at least the trip wasn't a total loss. He managed to find a particularly interesting particle pistol. Good damage mated with nearly inexhaustible ammunition. Of course, it was a piece of crap when it came to refire rate, but one can't have everything they want. After paying for his new tool, Jacob returned to his hotel, blissfully unaware of the pursuit of the Klonor “Dealers” along with a more… unsavory creature…

But before he could return to his room, he was interrupted by the hotel manager. “Excuse me, sir. While you were out, someone from the spaceport dropped off a piece of luggage for you. Such excellent service is typical of Klonor if you ask me. Are you sure that you do not want to peruse our bar? We have many drinks to tempt your pallet.”

Jacob’s heart started beating more rapidly. Had those incompetent dockhands actually found his luggage? Turning towards the manager he said “No thank you, I must retire to my room. Speaking of which, could you give it to me?”

The manager smiled with a big toothy grin, a glimmer of gold barely visible therein. “I already had it brought to your room, sir. Like I said, service in Klonor is excellent.”

”Quite. Thank you. Here’s a tip for your help.” Jacob said as he handed the man some florens and returned to his room. True to the manager’s word, there was his luggage just inside the door.

”Ahh, there you are.” Jacob said, examining the contents carefully. Packed inside were several things of note. Ten small remote training drones, an ammo synth, some light form-fitting body armor, and the two most important things there, Jacob’s .666 Dante autopistol, and his Phase-Blade. Both of which had a great sentimental, as well as practical value. They’d been with Jacob through thick and thin, carving Heretic and blasting daemon, and it would have been a shame to lose them to a group of incompetent dockhands.

Smiling, Jacob put down the weapons. He was starting to get rusty, he’d have to find somewhere to practice. Soon, but not quite yet. For right now, he had a lot of thinking to do.

"Matt, I think you're a bit more ignorant of Klonor than even you thought."

But the small smile on her face took any real scorn from her words.

"Most people view the Klonor nation and the members of the Klonor government as one and the same, to discuss one is the same as discussing the other since so much of our lives are occupied by the interests of the nation. I'd forgotten it's not the same everywhere in the Universe, but by most Klonor standards we have been talking exclusively about me, since we've mainly been discussing Klonor culture and alcohol."

The mention of alcohol seemed to remind her that she had a drink in front of her and she took another long sip.

"But you musn't act as if I have been trying to pry your personal information out of you with a small crane, I ask merely because I find you to be pleasant company, you have a cute dog, and I'm just crurious by nature. I was simply wondering what you liked to do for fun, if you had any set plans for the near future, and if you had all the right answers I might try to extend our evening together. Dinner certainly is an enjoyable activity, but we must have something to do afterwards."

Subject is now armed. Klonor weaponry purchased at a licensed depot and weaponry of alien origin seemingly brought with him. Seemed to be searching for something in particular at the depot. Unaware of our presence. So far has forgone any alcoholic beverages.

The pair of Dealers kept in constant motion outside of the hotel that Jacob was staying in. They went into stores nearby and purchased many items, they ate at the restaurants, they even left (One at a time) and were gone for several hours. But they always kept their eyes on the hotel Jacob was staying in and tracked every Phase Gate transport out of the building.

Insertion team requested for the subjects next leave from the Hotel. Complete inspection of all personal posessions as well as verification of identity and purpose in Klonor. Class IIB Warrant necessary for incursion. Warrant granted on the authority of the Duke Klonor, as specified in the Dealer Operations Act signed into existence on the 3'rd of October. No contact with subject.

The Dealer blinked and transmitted his report and orders, then resumed laughing and chatting with man he happened to have sat next to in the hotels lobby.

"Matt, I think you're a bit more ignorant of Klonor than even you thought."

Matt nodded at the comment and listened to the rest.

"I'd think you'll find we would call you a carrer minded individual. That is someone who defines themselves as much by their carrer as anything else. And no I wouldn't say you've been pulling things out of me with a crane, it just seemed a bit one sided to me." Actually why am I getting a case of Deja Vu here? popped into his head.

"Anyway, I am not that diffrent, in my own way. My job is to bring people to exotic locations and ideas sometimes. To do that you have to experience new things and new activities all the time. Otherwise you just become some silly tourist book writer jotting down observations from a distance. You can't create characters..." He stopped at the slip.
"I mean understand individuals without attempting the same activies yourself can you? In some ways my life is my writting. Just as your life is government...."

He stopped and looked puzzled for a moment, "You know, the only people I've ever known who have felt that the government was them was the Royal Family of the United Duchies...and then even only to a certain extent..."

He just shook it off. "Oh well, when I'm not On the Road I tend to be a homebody somewhat. Reading, hunting, sailing, some nights I'll wander out to a crab fry and enjoy the music, and do some dancing. On really hot nights, I might just wind up playing dominos on the front veranda with a few freinds.

When I'm in town during the season I'll go to the theater, see a play or a concert, maybe dancing if I'm in the appropriate party. I haven't done hang gliding in quite some time, running into the ex-girlfreind was a bit akward so I stopped. Mountain Climbing...er...quite a bit rusty there...haven't done any since I was in the service. I do tend to get dragged into card games when I'm Thunderbay quite a bit. I enjoy those, but more for the conversation than for the actual card playing."

He seemd to stop in thought again. They are quite alike, self-confident, a natural ability at command. But I was never attracted to Mav as I am Amy... "Well there you have my secret, I am just a normal guy with normal hobbies...quite boring actually"

"I need to get out of here" Jacob thought to himself, he needed practice with his tools, and the only place he could really do that without being detained by the police was at a firing range.

Jacob flexed his muscles and got dressed, putting on his sweat suit and gathering up what he would bring on his little sojourn. The autopistol and the sword would be sufficient, he thought. The beam pistol was more of a sidearm that would reside in the hotel room, within easy reach should he need it.

Finally, before Jacob left the room, he gave a reproachful look at his dress uniform, and the note pinned on it. The note read "Jacob, while the Order and I do not approve of your decision to take a hiatus from your duty, we understand your need to re-find God, to listen again to his voice. I can only trust that in time, you will return to us and again take up the banner against corruption, evil, and heresy. Keep safe. May the Lord watch over you on your wanderings.

-Grand Master Weathers.

P.S. It was not your fault, so stop blaming yourself.

P.P.S. I’ve heard you’re going to Klonor. Keep your wits about you, never a greater hive of scum and corruption have I ever seen.
P.P.P.S. And remember, don’t ever order a Collostomizer. It’s only slightly more intoxicating than unrefined jet fuel, trust me on this.”

Other than that, and the other things already mentioned, there was but one thing of import that anyone searching the room would find. An old and weathered picture, showing a happy couple. Jacob, and a beautiful young woman.

At any rate, Jacob left the hotel in search of a firing range. Looking through a phonebook proved to be the easiest way to find one nearby. Jacob pushed open the doors carefully and walked into the lobby of the range, interrupting a receptionist doing some strange ritual with her nails. “Excuse me, is this the Farseur firing range? If it is, may I ask a few questions about it?’

But while Jacob shot, there was no doubt that his room would be empty and quite inviting to those who had the legal jurisdiction to enter it…

"Yup, really really boring. Surely only an insurance salesman could possibly do less."

Suddenly, the two were interrupted by the waiter bringing forth their meals with a flourish and slight background music.

"Thank you (To the waiter). Matt, I think you'll find everything here wonderful, dig in. But don't forget to breathe, some people often overlook that when first introduced to the dishes served here."

Her serious tone lent weight to the otherwise humorous statement.

"My life is a bit more standardized, a 9 to 5 job that only lets me travel on rare occasions. Of course, when I do travel it's usually a memorable experience and makes up for so long staying put. I recently took an.....involuntary leave of absence, but I think even that has worked out for the best. If it hadn't happened I might not have met........Ukie."

She grinned and reached for her glass, raising it in a slight toast.

"To Ukie!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject has left the premises. Destination is the Farseur firing range. Estimated time out is more than sufficient. Dispatch the intrusion team.

As the two Dealer soldiers followed Jacob to his target practice a dozen men Gated into Jacobs room, overriding the Gate security system with a few simple button pushes, and began to immediately survey his entire room. Pictures were taken, fingerprints dusted, pictures were run through every database available to Klonor, and every molecule capable of detection was identified and classified.

Pausing at the note pinned to the suit, and scoffing at the apparent inability to handle a Collostomizer, the writing was scanned and set for later identification and sourcing.

Intrusion team leaving the hotel, send in the cover team to make sure everything's just as it was left.

As soon as the men were out of the room another dozen gated in and set about fixing everything so that not even one of their own would notice it had been moved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yes, this is, sir. How may I help you?"

While the intrusion team examined the room, they were themselves being examined. All around the room, the training drones were watching, their semi-sapient AIs taking all the information, not shaking an inch. They were locked down, unable to move. But, when their recordings were taken together, one could see what was happening, or at least partially see what was happening. Truth be told, Jacob wouldn't have learned of their intrusion, had the drones been powered down or similarly inhibited, such was the mastery of the Klonor officers. Fortunately for him, he would become aware of the intrusion when he returned to the room, provided that the Dealers did not return and spirit the drones away...

******

Meanwhile, at the firing range...

Jacob took a deep breath and asked his questions. "Okay, First, what is the fee for using the range? Second, are we allowed to use our own weapons? Third, are there any rules that I should be aware of before I start shooting? And finally, do you have a place for practicing with melee weapons? Swords and such."

Physical evidence cleared. Gate records have been deleted. Detonating EMP now.

With a small flash the EMP detonated in the center of the room, a last resort by the Dealers to insure that their actions weren't caught by any recording devices. The electronic failure of most normal devices in the room would undoubtedly signal Jacob that somebody had visited, but could easily be explained away by the owner of the hotel. With the amount of nuclear explosions going on in orbit throughout Klonor history it was a miracle that anything electronic still functioned.

EMP detonated. Vacating now.

The EMP was scooped up and they exited through the front door, the Gate left off as it had been when they entered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm sorry sir, there's no fee for use of the firing range but you do need to be a member of the club. It is a monthly fee of twenty-five florens and I.D. must be presented before signing up."

She reached beneath her desk and brought out a small clip-board with a few sheets of paper on top.

"You are allowed to use your own weapons, but they have to conform to the guidelines of the club and not present a risk to other members. Don't worry, as long as you're not planning on using it wipe out half a planet your gun should be okay. Finally, we do have melee rooms designed exclusively for bladed weapons, including robotic sparring partners and live trainers. If you sign up I'm sure you'll enjoy your membership."

"Yup, really really boring. Surely only an insurance salesman could possibly do less."

Suddenly, the two were interrupted by the waiter bringing forth their meals with a flourish and slight background music.

"Thank you (To the waiter). Matt, I think you'll find everything here wonderful, dig in. But don't forget to breathe, some people often overlook that when first introduced to the dishes served here."

Her serious tone lent weight to the otherwise humorous statement.

"My life is a bit more standardized, a 9 to 5 job that only lets me travel on rare occasions. Of course, when I do travel it's usually a memorable experience and makes up for so long staying put. I recently took an.....involuntary leave of absence, but I think even that has worked out for the best. If it hadn't happened I might not have met........Ukie."

She grinned and reached for her glass, raising it in a slight toast.

"To Ukie!"



Matt wasn't sure if the first statement was said in sarcasm or really what she thought. Yup...just a boring stiff "Well here is to Ukie..." He raised his glass of Claret and touched hers.

"Well, you've never lived on a farm or a plantation then. You work from sun up to sundown during harvest. And then managing the accounts at night. No, I'm not some idle playboy like my father. Although I do tend to try to relax at times and having a good steward allows me to travel for my writing."

He had cut a small peice of meat off his roast and tried it. Chewing slowly he chuckled, "Well now I know the elven word for lion...or that is what this tastes quite a bit like." He sipped his Claret. "So how is your meal? And the question becomes what do you want to do on your vacation? Since right now I'm convinced my triple A guide to Klondor would have been better used puppy training Ukie than anything else..." He tried one of the side dishes and nodded approvingly.

The EMP ripped through the air of the room. Normally, the drones were hardened pretty well against EMP. Unfortunately, when they were being... shipped, someone must have apparently dropped them one too many times. Nine of the ten drones were deactivated outright, their recent memory deleted. But by some twist of fate, one's seals held, if only just. Of course, some of the memory was corrupted anyway. Much of the recent memory was damaged beyond repair, but not all. Some managed to survive but by the grace of god. It showed a recording of a single man digging around inside Jacob's suitcase for a few seconds before it cut out.

******

Jacob mulled over the secretary's reply for a moment before replying "I see. I have but one more question. Does one need to be a Citizen of Klonor in order to use this range, or is any valid passport or ID acceptable?"

"Oh, this is excellent. One of the best steaks I've ever had, and that's saying something."

She took a particularly large bite and proceeded to chew for a few minutes, hopeing to wear it down enough to be swallowed.

"You know, I really hadn't thought about what I'd do here. I only even got this vacation cause my ship broke down after Jumping in. I guess I'll......I'll just....I have no clue what I'll do. I didn't come here with any plans at all. Would you care to join me in whatever it is I wind up doing?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, not at all. Half our membership are people passing through to Adhara or Polaris. As long as your government is recognized by the Association there shouldn't be any problems."

"I would quite enjoy joining you over the next week. However I do have some appointments. Specifically ones with a young, black furry chap who needs to get his daily dose of exercise." Matt chuckled as he refered to Ukie, she obviously was attached to the pup.

"I do wonder though, you grew up on Deneb but what kind of childhood? If it is not too prying to inquire. You just seem to have a self-confident air about you which is quite remarkable, well unless you happen to have been in the military at some point perhaps?"

Matt's mind wandered back to sitting on the rear veranda, reading by lamp light as the last rays of the sun set behind the far off horizon. His Grandfather in the family parlor behind him, half asleep watching the one T.V. station that they got. Matt would read on the back porch, watching the drive, hoping night after night that his parents would return for him.

Matt continued to drink and eat, and then caught up with Amy's response. Damn, not a time for wool gathering...pay attention damn it...

"My childhood was pretty normal..."

A memory of her being escorted to a limo surrounded by bodyguards on all sides flashed through her mind.

".....I wasn't in the military, but by dad was...."

A flash of soldiers fighting back a group of armed men charging her home, her father standing behind them shouting orders, came rushing through her thoughts.

".....but he tried to keep it from effecting how he raised me to much...."

Another memory, this one of her being assaulted by three men as her dad stood by and watched, came on the heels of the last action scene.

"....he tried to groom me for a job in the government from the moment I was old enough to comprehend what the government was..."

A familiar memory this time, she was on her dads lap as he lectured her about the Glory of the Duke.

"....but that just came back to bite me in the ass later on...."

The recent memory of Ravelyn Shentavo's mental touch, brief though it was, caused her eyes to begin to tear up.

"....once I was old enough he used his influence in the military to get me my job...."

Even the joy of her coronation as Consul couldn't cast off the pain which had lowered over her mind since the last memory.

".....and now I'm sitting here, eating a beautifully prepared meal, with a handsome man who happens to own a cute little doggy even more handsome than he is."

She tried to smile over the table at Matt, but she could barely keep herself from breaking down into tears as the little trip down memory lane uncovered wounds that were too recently healed.

Whoa...post traumatic response there Matt's mind shifted from courting to medic without pause. His hand went out across the table, open palm up, offering comfort.
"Hey, obviouly you just dug up a major wound, let the pain out. It's okay...your safe...no one around but me...just let it out if you need to..."
Subject is trying not to break down in front of you there kido... the voice in his head wasn't his but old Wencenlaus, his first platoon sargent.

"Don't worry about me...I'm not going anywhere because of this...hell Ukie would be right in your lap trying to comfort you..." He smiled, but it was a bit off due to worry in his head. More from his rusty memory than anything else.

His mind raced over his psyc training, Diagnose, Treat, Observe.
This was personal traumatic stress, usually brought on by sudden loss of a loved one, or a personal horror. Matt metally diagnosed the situation as he sat there. The old, unused gears in his head beginging to return to their old speed.

Well, I think personal horror is likely here. After all she has just taken an involuntary leave of absence...usually severe greif is considered voluntary

Matt tried to demonstrate an open and caring attitude as he sat across from Amy. Really all he could do was offer support and a safe enviroment for an emotional release.

Jacob smilied and removed his identification card from his wallet gingerly. His other hand twitched uneasily. He was nervous, although he couldn't quite place his finger on the cause. It was almost as though he felt a presence that he had not felt since he left the order... nah. There wouldn't be any pretenders in Klonor. "I... I see. I'll join then. Are there any forms I need to fill out?"

Amy sat quietly for a few minutes, but slowly brought herself under control.

"No......no, I'm fine. It's just a few bad memories, some stuff that I haven't really looked at and tried to deal with until a few months ago."

She picked up her glass and downed everything that was left in one quick gulp. She then signalled to the waiter for a refill, something stronger this time.

"I had a few issues with my father and somebody who was even closer, they were there my entire life and it just kinda smacked me one day last year. But I've spent some time reflecting and things are doing better."

When the waiter appeared with another bottle and began to refill her glass she grabbed the bottle and nodded the waiter off.

"Of course, even recently healed wounds hurt like hell when you pick at them."

She gave Matt a small smile as she began to drink from the bottle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The receptionist slowly tapped the clipboard she'd brought out from he desk a few minutes ago.

"Yes, sir. Only a few forms with nothing but the normal waivers and agreements."

She pushed the papers across the desk towards Jacob.

"It shouldn't take you more than a few minutes."

"Ahh... Thank you." Jacob replied, taking the offered pen and filling out the forms to the best of his ability. Of course, the 'current job' part stumped him for a moment. What was he supposed to say? That he was currently between jobs but until recently he had been a member of a quasi-military religious group? That certainly wouldn't fly. So he simply put down 'Facehuggerian Foreign Service.' Close enough to what he did. Sort of...

"Here you go." He said, handing her the clipboard and the first payment (twenty five florens.)

Matt nodded his head and withdrew his hand "Yup...new wounds hurt. Emotional scars are the worst of all. Of course people who have just had some major psychological stress as you appear to have tend to need emotional release at times."

Somehow I think she needs someone she can trust...the problem is that based on her comments it will take me years to earn that level of trust. No, the only person who can isn't a person. All fur and four legs. Hmmm, I think I am going to have to prescribe some alone time with Ukie...

Matt looked concerned about her as he ate his meal. Watching the alchol go down her gullet. His mind raced for something, anything to fill the sudden uncomfortable quiet, with the emotional overtones of before hanging in the air.

"So do you like to swing dance?" He asked with a renewed spark of enthusium.

"Dancing? Not recently. To much time spent in doors filling out forms and signing papers. I don't think I've even tried swing dancing."

She finished the bottle quickly and quickly signalled for another.

"Look, don't worry about this anymore. I've learned to deal with everything, I've spent time with professionals, I've played with many small furry animals. I just need time, and I need to avoid any discussions about my childhood. That includes my old boyfriends, so don't even think about asking!"

She grinned a bit, trying to drag the date out of the emotional gutter it had suddenly fallen into.

"Besides, I'm heading back to my duties in Deneb as soon as the Manchuria gets repaired and then I'll be to busy to worry about anything."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The receptionist took the papers, filing them away in a seemingly bottomless drawer, and then took the money. Placing it in a small box there was a brief flash as a miniature Phase Gate transported it to the vault beneath the building.

"Thank you, sir. Juts follow the hallway and you'll find the ranges, practice rooms, and everything else. We even have our own shop if you're looking to try something new. Enjoy your visit!"

Matt just raised an eyebrow at her comments, "Aye, Aye Ma'm...childhood and boyfreinds off limits to all conversational inquiry" popped out of him in a nice quick marine drill line.

I'd swear she just read my mind back there...well I wasn't too concerned with her ex boyfriends really

Returning to his normal phrasing,
"The question becomes would the workaholic like to learn to swing dance? Or perhaps some other entertainment for this evening?"

Matt took a bite of his dinner and did his best to ignore the quanaties of alchol going into her system.

"Nah, let's put the swing dancing on hold, after a meal like this the last thing I need is rapid movement. I'd probably trip and crack the floor."

She put down the bottle for the first time in a while and continued eating, finishing up what was left on her plate.

"Tell you what. In exchange for us not doing anything to strenuous, I'll cover the check for tonight. Then we can go out and do something that involves much sitting and breathing, and not much else."

Let's see, we could catch a mentie....forget it, nothing good is out right now. A concert.....to short notice, any quality band would have to be sold out. A nice walk on the beach....even that's to much motion, I'd probably burst a seam.

"How 'bout we head back to my hotel and just see what's on the Vids? Don't read to much into this, either. This is an invitation to watch a few good programs, just because you're going to end up in my hotel room doesn't mean anything else is going to happen."

Matt had a curious look on his face. "Miss Eio, do you realize how insulting you just were?" He raised his hand for a moment trying to calm himself letting out a deep breath. "First, I should point out that I would not presume sexual activity just by being invited back to your room. However I will just assume that you ment nothing other than making your intentions clear." He let out another deep breath before continuing in a normal voice.

"Oh well you just want to watch vids? fine by me. But can we do it in my suite? I'm trying to get Ukie used to the idea that I can leave him 'home' in a hotel and I will still return."

That and the T.V. is not in the bedroom so no misunderstandings might occur flowed through his head.

"Really, I'm quite done with this...way too much food for me...and I will be getting the check tonight. Leave a man some of his pride."

"Ahh, thank you Miss." Jacob said, before turning and walking through the hallway down to the range. When he got there, he was amazed. It was really nice. Targets of every variety from drones to paper to holos. And, oddly enough, there seemed to be a minibar right next to the range! A rather disturbing thing to have near a place where people fire weapons, but the Klonorians do love their alcohol.

Jacob smiled as he picked out a place near the middle of the range, the five hundred meter mark. "Oop, I better not forget the earplugs." Jacob thought to himself, remembering that while his gun didn't have conventional gunpowder rounds, it did shoot a bullet fast enough to make an audible and nigh deafening crack when it was used.

Raising the heavy pistol, Jacob took careful aim, firing off a three round burst in a blink.

“Bugger!” Jacob exclaimed. His skill really had degraded without practice. He only barely managed to hit the center circle! A far cry from the consistent bullseye shots he could make before his troubles started.

BAM! Another triple burst, this time slamming into a robotic target drone, the heavy rounds knocking the machine into a wall from momentum alone. Jacob was angry, venting his rage the only way he knew how to, by blasting things to pieces his grotesquely overpowered handgun.

BAM! BAM! BAM! The weeks of grief poured out of him, at least for a time.

BAM! *Click.* The gun was out of bullets, so Jacob pulled another magazine out of his pocket, slammed the thing home, and resumed his stress relief techniques.

BAM! BAM! BAM! Jacob thought of what he’d lost, and eventually his mind drifted to the strange woman who had held him at… finger point? She was cute, but quite willful, from what Jacob had seen. Deep down, he preferred them that way, it reminded him of the women back home without the aggressive self-centeredness he’d come to expect from Imperial women. Except for Amber of course. Although, Jacob suspected, that her kind had died out with her. The modest, innocent, loving girl. He missed her…

*Click.* The gun was empty again, and rather than reload it, Jacob decided to leave the range and head to the melee rooms. All around, there were people sparring. Against drones, instructors, wooden dummies, you name it.

Choosing a good corner, Jacob removed his phase-blade from his pocket and began going through his warm-up, slicing and slashing away at air before he moved onto a more conventional blade and a more corporeal opponent. Indeed, Jacob hesitated to use his phase-blade against anything here, for fear of having his membership revoked because he accidentally sliced through a drone or hapless instructor with the shimmering blade. It wouldn't do to be arrested for murder, now would it? Besides, there was a certain visceral pleasure to be had using real swords.

"Hey, you want to get the check it's yours. I have no qualms with saving a little cash....but we're still not going swing dancing!"

She gestured to the waiter again, signalling that a check was needed.

"But you really do need to cool down a bit Matt, most people in Klonor don't read as much into joking statements as you do. Just because I made a point of stating that you're not gonna get any doesn't mean that I think you'd push for it if given the slightest incentive, I do have a slightly higher opinion of you than that."

As the waiter approached with the credit chit she nodded to Matt, signalling that he was paying today.

"At least I think I do, I've only known you for half a day and that's not really enough to form a long lasting impression. But I'd be glad to head to your hotel instead."

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Subject has purchased membership at weaponry testing facility. Monthly fee delivered up front. Several rounds of material ammunition fired. Subject is fair shot, estimated Class II. Subject is moving on to an adjacent room. Melee weaponry with advanced technology in use. Subject is switching to conventional blade.

The Dealers tailing Jacob slowly followed him through the various rooms of the complex, eyeing his performance with the different weapons. The two exchanged a small look and nodded, one moving off to a different room as the other approached Jacob.

Contact with subject.

"Excuse me, sir? Are you busy? I've gotten a bit bored with the automated dummies and the workers here are always worried about making you want to quit, the sparring has gotten boring and repetitive. None of my usual friends are here today, would you mind helping me with my technique?"

He reached down and grabbed a normal short sword on one of the racks against the wall and brought it up into a normal guard.

"Just for a few minutes?"

The Dealer that had been accosted by Seke didn't move a muscle or say a word; he telekinetically reached down and grasped the hands holding him down and threatening his life, heaved to rip them off his body, then shoved his legs out and lept bckwards.

"Don't move! Down on the ground with your hands behind your head!"

The shout came from over a dozen throats at once, as the other Dealer following Seke and a dozen police officers levelled their guns at Seke at the same time. The presence of many cops who weren't there a second ago is easily explained by the fact that, when an alarm is triggered in one of the richest hotels in the Association, the police scramble and Gate a team there nearly instantly.

"I said down!"

"Hey, you want to get the check it's yours. I have no qualms with saving a little cash....but we're still not going swing dancing!"

She gestured to the waiter again, signalling that a check was needed.

"But you really do need to cool down a bit Matt, most people in Klonor don't read as much into joking statements as you do. Just because I made a point of stating that you're not gonna get any doesn't mean that I think you'd push for it if given the slightest incentive, I do have a slightly higher opinion of you than that."

As the waiter approached with the credit chit she nodded to Matt, signalling that he was paying today.

"At least I think I do, I've only known you for half a day and that's not really enough to form a long lasting impression. But I'd be glad to head to your hotel instead."

Matt blinked in shock for a moment. "Ah that is the problem, I can't quite pick out your humorous or sarcastic tone out from the rest of your speech because of your accent. Or the accent I hear..."

Matt looked down at the chit and pulled out his wallet and credit card. "So if I suddenly take something the wrong way it may be because I didn't realize you were joking."

Matt looked back up at her as the chit and card were swept away by the waiter.

"Of course I do have a fairly nasty temper. And likely I am a bit more prickly than most about my honor. Of course after running into that twit Mr. Honorable today, I might be just even a touch more sensitive than usual. What is the universe coming to when someone thinks it is honorable to eavesdrop in on a private conversation?"

As the waiter returned with the credit card, Matt signed the receipt. "But enough of that twit."

He picked up his wine glass, which had just a touch of wine left, "Shall we both agree to be a bit more aware of our cultural diffrences and the inadvertant confusion it may cause between us?"

"Excuse me, sir? Are you busy? I've gotten a bit bored with the automated dummies and the workers here are always worried about making you want to quit, the sparring has gotten boring and repetitive. None of my usual friends are here today, would you mind helping me with my technique?"

He reached down and grabbed a normal short sword on one of the racks against the wall and brought it up into a normal guard.

"Just for a few minutes?"

"Sure, I'm not as unpracticed with the sword as I am with the gun, but you can never have too much experience." Jacob said, shrugging as he grabbed a bog-standard short sword from one of the wall racks, making a satisfying swish sound as it slid from the restraints.

Once his hands touched the leather and metal grip of the sword, Jacob went into his combat mindset, evaluating everything. He went over his various bladed weapon styles in his head. Drunken Gerbil, Shrii-wook, and of course the ever popular 'pointy end goes into the other guy' amongst others.

Jacob looked over the man with a careful eye. He was fit, and he held the sword like one who knew what he was doing. He would be a tough opponent. But any enemy can be beaten in melee combat, it's a game about angles and leverage, like a sort of chess match played with a man's hands, feet, and fingers as the pieces. Whoever had the best angles and the most leverage would win, regardless of other factors. Jacob intended to ensure that would be him.

To that end, he brought his sword into a classic defensive posture, in the perfect place to parry any strike that would come his way. He stood like that for a few moments, waiting for his opponent's move.

"I'll drink to that. Then again, I'll drink to pretty much anything."

She raised the bottle she had received a few minutes earlier, raised it in a salute to Matt, and downed what was left at the bottom.

This man really is a tad high strung, so sensitive about 'insults'. If he plans on living in Klonor without getting run through he needs to relax and let the bad words role off him. Either that or get completely smashed, either way works.

Grinning, Amy picked up a small sheet of paper that had appeared on the table.

"Dessert is included with the meal, let's end dinner on a high note and have something sweet to take out with us."

She passed the paper over to Matt and waited for him to make a selection.

I just hope he doesn't think it's offensive for me to hand him this paper, maybe it's 'honorable' to pick up papers by yourself.

"Oh, speaking of that eavesdropping guy from earlier, he actually showed up again at my hotel. He claimed it was just an accident and that he dialed the wrong Gate number, but what are the odds of him accidentally zipping to my hotel instead of one of the millions of other Gates in Epsilon Pegasi? I tell you, I had to fight the urge to get him arrested, but he didn't try anything and skippered off once he found out where he was."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks man, you're a life saver. I haven't had a real workout in days and I just hate throwing my membership money out the window."

Evaluation commencing

Without preamble, but with less skill than usual, the Dealer quickly stepped closer and made as if to bring his sword down for a blow to Jacobs legs or hips. However, before he actually struck, he reversed his motion and quickly sliced towards Jacobs neck.

Attempting to avoid any damage to subject

The sword, moving blindingly quickly, slowed as it moved towards the Dealers opponent and neared his flesh.

Jacob nimbly blocked the feint and leapt off diagonally to the left, moving himself to the man's side in a good position to stab his ribcage. Rather than make that tactical blunder (for Jacob knew it would easily be blocked, or worse... parried) though, Jacob instead swung his sword across and up, into a good blocking position relative to his torso. This guy was good, Jacob had to give him that.

In a lightning fast motion, Jacob launched an attack towards the man's torso, confident that an opponent of this man's skill would block it. He did. Excellent. A worthy opponent at last. Now it was time to start the fight in earnest.

Jacob moved back a few steps, positioning himself in a good place to defend himself, where, if the man wanted to strike Jacob from where he was standing now, he would have to overextend himself, leaving his left side exposed.

"You're not too bad, kind sir." Jacob said, smiling as he waited for the man to make his move. Now that Jacob had the right angle for the time being, all he needed now was the leverage. The man's next move would ultimately decide if Jacob got that leverage or not...

Matt finished off his wine and then took the peice of paper. "Hmm...how about this. If I recall that should be the elven word for apple, which would make this dish baked apple and brownie."

He stopped sliding the paper back over towards her pointing out the dish. "Mr. Honorable showed up again aye? Hmm? He is likely military, or ex-military, based on his demenor and build. But he scampered off when he ran into you?"

Matt leaned his head over to one side. Maybe he wasn't looking for you Amy dear popped into his head.
"Well we don't know what his real purpose is in Epsilon Pegasi and your armed at all times. Ah well I really don't want that twit ruining anything else in my life."

Although I had better keep aware of my own surroundings...he could be a Neo Tyrian Officer looking for information of Hertzog Island out of me damn it.

Matt summoned back the waiter to place their 'to go order' as he mulled those thoughts.

"He seemed harmless, more like a child who had wandered away from his mother than anybody to give serious thought to. Besides, I doubt we'll be seeing any more of him, if he shows again to claim that he's 'lost' I'll have him locked up quicker than the Duke goes through Scotch. The police don't take kindly to stalkers and they're very willing to help a damsel in distress."

She couldn't help but laugh at the image of herself as a damsel in distress, then got up from the table and began to walk towards the exit.

"So, shall we go? We can pick up our dessert at the door, once you pay they try to get you out as soon as possible. That's what makes Epsilon Pegasi turn: Taking your money and getting you out of the way to take somebody elses money."

As she began to leave she digged into her pocket and searched for the Gate address for Matts hotel, she couldn't remember it off the top of her head and didn't want to get 'lost' like Jacob.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're not so bad yourself, most people I know would be limping right now."

He grinned, but the smile didn't reach his eyes and his mind stayed as cool as it had always been.

Subject shows exemplary skill in dueling, estimated Class VII. Reaction time and speed within the norm for Homo sapiens.

Stepping backwards, increasing the distance between the two of them, the Dealer rushed again and kept his sword levelled, seemingly wanting to impale Jacob on the tip.

Matt stood up and quoted Shakespear "What is fair is foul and foul is fair, I trust the harmless looking even less than the harmful looking." He knew he was going to get a look from Amy for that statement.

"Grow up in a country where something that looks like a harmless little rabbit is actually a ravenous preditor with 22 centimeter canines and an anticoagulant in their saliva. You learn not to trust the harmless looking until you know they are harmless."

He chuckled, "You look fairly harmless in that dress but you could turn me into frape' on the walls in less then five seconds flat. However, he might be looking for his mommy...or mummy as far as I know. So unless Mr. Honorable crosses my path again, I won't really dwell on the twit any further."

He stopped by the door, and noticed her searching in the guide. "Please tell me that isn't the manual for your implants..." Matt obviously joked as someone handed him the two dessert boxes.

"You know, for a system that's supposed to be filled with money and good times, everybody here in EP seems to be so pessimistic. You're in the heart of Klonors territory, try not to be so glum all the time."

Accepting one of the boxes from Matt she kept searching for the correct number to dial in to the Gate and tried to ease his qualms.

"No, I simply want to make sure I get the right number for your hotel. I'd rather not accidentally type a five instead of a three and end up Gating into a prison somewhere. Come, let us see what's on at this late hour."

Walking to the Phase Gate she entered the correct number and lead Matt through into the lobby of his hotel.

Matt shook his head, "I am not gloomy just naturally paranoid, like any other living Klatchian. And there is a diffrence." He stepped out into the lobby. "And I memorized the number earlier....although I haven't used one myself."

The lobby of the Ritz-Carlton hotel was likely as elegant as Amy's hotel. Although decorated more for Old Sol visitors than Klonor.

Matt walked over to the clerk at the reception desk. "Any messages for room 628?" The clerk nodded and handed him several slips of paper.

Matt shook his head looking at the messages and walking with Amy to the elevator. But then stuffed them in his pocket. "Well thankfully I have a suite, and room service should be able to provide you with your ale if you so care." He hit level button and leaned back. "Personally I only stay at this chain because of it outstanding service for pets. Although the other amentities are a plus..."

"Thanks. I'm just getting started though." Jacob said, remaining perfectly calm as his training started to kick in, his stimglands started secreting the potent “Jackup” combat stim of their own volition mere moments later. Jacob calmed himself, detaching his mind from the action, all the better to react quickly. To react decisively when the man slipped up. Although, given what he had seen so far, Jacob expected that to take a bit of time.

Or… not? The man lanced out with a vicious impalement maneuver that was crude and easy to parry, as all such moves are. Surely that was a feint? Jacob didn’t know, but it didn’t matter as he parried the strike. Rather than follow up his gain by slashing his sword across his opponent’s arms, Jacob withdrew for a moment. The jackup was starting to flow through his veins along with a high pitched blood flow, increasing heart rate, neural conductivity, and damn near everything else in Jacob’s body. Unfortunately, for a brief moment, but a flicker, his body had to become accustomed to the stims again after so long an absence. He couldn’t parry, strike, or do much of anything else. Hell, he could barely even defend himself, his limbs feeling as though they were being stuck in a plasma reactor. He hadn’t been in a stressful situation where he had needed the Jackup for weeks. And since he hadn’t planned on getting into such a situation, he didn’t do his non-combat exercises. The end result being that, for a brief moment in time, he was totally vulnerable to his opponent.

Unlike many of his former compatriots, Jacob was not into heavy bioenhancement. The stimglands were as far as he was willing to go. His brothers in the order all went for the redundant organs, the sub dermal armor, and all those other performance enhancing tweaks. Jacob on the other hand remained himself, instead believing that skill was more effective than any tank-tearing muscle.

As his blood seemed to boil, Jacob eyed his opponent’s hands wearily, waiting for him to strike. The pain was intense, almost blinding, but it would soon pass. If the man wanted to take advantage of his situation, now would be the best time to do it…

"You know, most hotels in Klonor probably don't care about a tenant having a pet, especially not a dog. As far as I know hotels don't regularly place bans on animals extinct throughout the Association. Besides, they always enjoy being able to charge extra for the more advanced 'cleaning' necessary. Pffff, cleaning. They just suck everything into space anyway, it doesn't cost them one Floren more for a pet. But, if they charge honestly, this wouldn't be Epsilon Pegasi."

Following Matt up to his room, Amy turned on the Vid Display and began flipping through channels.

"Sports show, pornography, action movie, pornography, teen drama, pornography, documentary, pornography, Oh! A comedy! No, wait, that was a comedic pornography movie. You know, there's never anything good on. 3,000+ channels and it's hard to find one show to make you laugh."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject appears to be suffereing from extreme pain. Cause internal, no new outward damage.

"Dude, are you okay? You don't look so hot. Want me to call a doctor?"

The Dealer lowered his guard and placed the sword on the ground, approaching Jacob in what looked like an honest attempt to help.

Bio-scan and enhancement detectors active. Scanning subject.

"You look like you're hurting a bit."

Matt chuckled at that, "Well I doubt so many go to the trouble of papering pets and the Ritz is an interglactic chain so I can find one in Rome as well as Klonor. Which is really why I stay here."

Ukie had jumped up and down upon seeing them both but was now sitting next to the door. Matt had gone over to his desk and had been making notes on a pad of paper, not really paying attention to what was flashing by on the vids.

"At 3,000 channels I would expect you to have one that just lists the others and has a search feature. Of course growing up most of the time on a Sea Island with my grandfather, who thought paying for basic cable was a rip-off, I only had one broadcast T.V. channel. So it was either watch what was on, watch a DVD or do something else. And the nearest video rental store was thirty minutes away by boat...I did a lot of something else."

Matt turned from the desk and looked at Ukie by the door. "And now it appears that I need to take Ukie out for his evening constitutional so I'll let you find something that is suitable while I am gone. Come on Ukie time for you to take a quick walkie...."

Ukie wagged at this, likely because he needed a walkie badly.

"Are you kidding me? Half the fun from this thing is the experience of channel surfing, being pulled in a dozen different directions at once by the different programs. The Guides seem to suck the flavor from the experience.....Oh, not another political discussion. Don't they ever get tired of ripping apart every single decision made by the Consuls? They're only human after all, they don't have the centuries of experience tht the Duke has. But do the news centers care? Noooooo, they only see the mistakes that the Duke wouldn't have made. Like he never made a mistake."

She looked up, expecting a responce from Matt, only to notice she was alone in the room.

Huh.....I guess Ukie had to go worse than I thought he did. It's a good thing Matt's more in-tune with him than I am, Ukie'd probably still be in here if I was the one walking him.

She grinned a bit at that, then turned her attention back to the Vid Screen and continued scanning through the channels.

It was a good thing that Matt wasn't in the room for that little speech. After all that was a masculine response about channel surfing. He might have started looking for an adam's apple on Amy.

Matt and Ukie returned a few moments later. Ukie got off his leash and dashed over to Amy, jumping up on the sofa next to her and then laying down.

Matt proceeded to walk over to the phone and call room service. "Yes, thank you a bottle of sherry...yes that will do nicely..." He turned towards Amy, "Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks. I'm good. How 'bout you Ukie, you want anything?"

Reaching down, she began to pet Ukie with one hand and continued to surf the with the other.

"So, Matt, what would you like to watch? We've got the whole gamut available right here, what are you in the modd for?"

"No, thanks. I'm good. How 'bout you Ukie, you want anything?"

Reaching down, she began to pet Ukie with one hand and continued to surf the with the other.

"So, Matt, what would you like to watch? We've got the whole gamut available right here, what are you in the modd for?"

Ukie just wagged. Matt nodded and said, "That will be all." He hung up the phone and sat down next to Ukie so that the dog was between them.

"Well how about a comedy, I haven't seen one of those in awhile."

Matt began to pet Ukie also, so he was just in pup heaven at the moment. Ukie swung his tail around a few times and then laid down with his head on Matt's lap.

Subject appears to be suffering from extreme pain. Cause internal, no new outward damage.

"Dude, are you okay? You don't look so hot. Want me to call a doctor?"

The Dealer lowered his guard and placed the sword on the ground, approaching Jacob in what looked like an honest attempt to help.

Bio-scan and enhancement detectors active. Scanning subject.

"You look like you're hurting a bit."

Jacob made a hacking, pained coughing noise and said in a tired sounding voice "Yeah, it's these damned stims. They switch on when I get into combat. Problem is that they can't tell between simulated combat and the real thing. It should be passing any second now. Would you like to continue?"

Jacob took one step and brought his blade into a lower, defensive pose. It seemed to glimmer in the room's harsh electric lights. His skin glistened with sweat, both from the pain of the stims and the heat of the duel. It wasn’t to the death, but it was the first one that Jacob had participated in for months. His skills were rusty and his reactions dulled. His nerves were deadened, shutting themselves down as a sort of defensive measure after his emotional trauma.

The Jackup would allow him to regain his skills faster, for that was how it worked. Everything in the body went faster. Mind, heartbeat, reactions, everything. Of course, he’d be really, really hungry afterwards, but that couldn’t exactly be helped.

He eyed the other man carefully. There was *something* strange about him. He was too good to be a civilian. Likely military training. But was he Klonor Security? Or was he away from home as Jacob himself?

"So, what's on now-a-days that's funny? Most recent programs are just violence, sex, and sexy violence. Don't ask me how, they just manage to do it."

She flipped, almost desperately, through a dozen more channels before stopping on what looked like a group of old men throwing pies at one another.

"Well....this looks interesting."

Of course, once the men stopped throwing pies they all grabbed rocket launchers and proceeded to blow the hell out of each other.

"Or not. Come on, that guy looks like he's to old to even pick up a launcher, it probably weighs twice as much as he does!"

Picking up the remote she kept flipping, stopping occasionally at whatever looked like it might not have to do with sex and violence, until she paused at a video that seemed vaguely familiar.

"What the....."

On the screen, in a chamber filled with thousands of people, she saw the tiny image of a person walking towards the center of the floor.

This seems really familiar. Have I seen it before? Ah, it's on the History Channel. Probably some documentary. Hey, now I recognize that place, that's the Meeting Chambers for the Peoples Assembly back in Deneb. And that guy down low is the Duke! That means....ah, crap.

She quickly aimed the remote at the Vid screen and rapidly pressed every button she could, hoping to change the channel as quickly as possible.

"Uh.....sorry, but I always find history shows so boring. I've got an idea, why don't we just use one of the guide channels?"

If I'd stayed there for five more seconds my face would have been on the Vid screen from thirteen different angles. I'm guessing Matt might have had some questions about that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject claims to have biological stimulants within his body. Scans support subjects statement.

"Dude, you're stimmed up? What the hell are you thinking, telling people in public like this? You want to be arrested or something?"

Subject appears unaware of the meaning of the word 'stim' in Klonor.

He quickly glanced around, seemingly nervous that Jacob had been overheard, then excused himself.

"Look, you're good, but I've got enough trouble on my hands already. If the Corps shows up I do not want to have to explain why I'm with a stimmer. See ya."

Turning, the Dealer rushed out of the room in obvious haste. Once outside he slowed to a walk, entered a bathroom, and uploaded a recording of the entire encounter to his commanding officer.

Matt chuckled, if it was at the impending homicide or what was unclear. "Really violence has been part of entertainment for a long time. Hell Shakespear goes from a joke about men comparing each other's well size to outright blood shed in less that a coplet in Romeo and Juliet. However I don't really see the reason for going from pies to bazooka's."

Matt seemed to be alternating his look from Amy, to Ukie, to the screen. When she said, "What the..." he looked up from Ukie at then at the screen, which was then switched away.

"Hmm, I guess that is Klonor's Duke? I've heard various things about him, something like a living Lazarus or such but I wondered if it was just more off-world rumor or something?"

Matt started to scratch Ukie's ears. "I guess History programs tend to get annoying to those in the know on things. I mean I've seen Mav throw a fit about some commentator's comments being so horribly off about matters State."

"Oh, the Duke is an.....interesting fellow. The man has died more times than I can count, and he always asks for a drink the second he comes back. Compared to him the rest of Klonor looks like an anti-alcohol church group, but he always manages to stay sober when he has to. Recently, though, he's been a bit out of touch, rumors are that he's gotten himself a new love interest and they've been off together somewhere. But you do have to wonder why he bothers, odds are she's just going to end up disecting him in some horrible fashion or something like that, that's how it always ends up with him. Ah, here we go."

While she spoke she'd been browsing through the guide channels, looking for something without to much gore.

"It's old, but I've alway liked it. The Garden of Suma, funny and sappy at the same time."

Matt sat back on the couch. "Sounds intresting, anyone I might know in the cast?"

There was a knock on the door and Matt got up, pushing Ukie's head off his lap. Matt opened the door and the bellboy pushed in a cart with a bottle of sherry and two glasses.

Matt gave the youth a tip. And the ushered him out the door. He began pouring himself a small glass. "You know, a good sherry at the end of the day with good company and a loyal companion is just what the doctor ordered."

"Who's your doctor? Mine ordered me to avoid any alcoholic beverages and to go on a diet. Pfffsh, like that'd ever happen."

Grinning, she got up from the couch and took one of the glasses from Matt, drinking deeply.

"But the Garden is a low budget local thing, I doubt you'd have heard of anybody in it outside of Klonor. It's not exactly an untouched plot, three people are trapped within the garden of Suma for eternity and need to learn to deal with one another. The fact that they're all men and the fans of seperate sports teams just makes it that much more hilarious."

"Who's your doctor? Mine ordered me to avoid any alcoholic beverages and to go on a diet. Pfffsh, like that'd ever happen."

Grinning, she got up from the couch and took one of the glasses from Matt, drinking deeply.

"But the Garden is a low budget local thing, I doubt you'd have heard of anybody in it outside of Klonor. It's not exactly an untouched plot, three people are trapped within the garden of Suma for eternity and need to learn to deal with one another. The fact that they're all men and the fans of seperate sports teams just makes it that much more hilarious."

Matt laughed, "His name is Doctor Feelgood. I am afraid he is a well known quack but then they all are." Matt sat back down. "Anyway so it is a movie about three men stuck together in a garden who like diffrent sports teams...." He looked at Amy for a moment.

"When you said sappy I usually relate that adjective to a love story." The wheels in his mind began to go down a path leading to the phrase gay porn.

"The sappy part comes when they meet other people trapped within the garden and each attempt to woo the same attractive woman. After all, when you're trapped for an eterntiy you don't get many options."

"The sappy part comes when they meet other people trapped within the garden and each attempt to woo the same attractive woman. After all, when you're trapped for an eterntiy you don't get many options."

"Ah, well that explains it...sort of the Three Amigo's go a wooing."

"Sort of, but if I tell you any more it'll ruin the ending for you. Sit down and enjoy!"

She walked back over to the couch and sat down, drinking from her glass as she goes.

Matt had been sipping at his sherry. After all it did have quite a bit of alchol which was quite deceiving by the sweet taste that covered it up.

"Well alright, I will be quiet." He leaned back and began watching the movie. Don't look at the pretty girl too much boy. You don't want to scare her off. went through his mind several times a second.

Amy watches the movie.....(Hey, let's see you get a quality post when all your character is doing is sitting still and looking at a screen!)

Matt shook his head at the end of the movie. "You know that Garden of Suma is either heven or hell depending on who you enter with."

Ukie wagged and looked up at his now shifting master. "Yes, I would take you Ukie...God is it late. "

Matt looked at Amy again for the millionth time that evening. "Well that was nice, and not that sappy. Three guys, one girl does not a happy ending make. "
Matt stood up and streached, "Well it is late...and we both have had several night caps."

"Speak for yourself, tonight has been a rather dry night for me. But you're right, it is getting rather late."

Getting up herself, Amy likewise stretched, cracking her back in several places, and began to walk towards the door.

"I've had a wonderful nigt, Matt. Here's my number..."

She pressed the controls for the doors Phase Gate.

"...give me a call once your hangover dies off."

Matt laughed, "No hangover Amy...I'll call you to see what you want to do about lunch...for some of us this is a working vacation. Good night, sleep tight."

Matt really wanted to go for a kiss but Amy was just moving too fast for him to actually attempt one. He gave a small wave as she vanished and turned towards the bathroom.

"We have a book discussion and signing tommorrow morning don't we Ukie..."

Ukie wagged his tail and jumped off the couch to follow Matt into the bedroom.

Amy exited Matts hotel, walking back towards her hotel.

Well, that was a nice evening. If I can make it back to the hotel without having the threaten to behead anybody else it'll end quite nicely.

The Next Morning

Matt walked through the doors of the bookstore and looked about. "I wonder if I am in the right place..." he said outloud. His publicist had arranged for a book signing and discussion about the War of Insolence. Of course the address he had been given proved to be a bit off.

Matt's eyes began to try and search out a store clerk.

OOC: This post deals with rather excessive violence. If you're offended by this, you'd best just skip over it. Viewer discretion is advised.



”What was that all about? Once I told him about the jackup, he freaked out.” Jacob thought to himself, shrugging as the man fled the scene post haste. It was unimportant at any rate. The stims were giving him a major case of the munchies. Munchies he soon satisfied with a quick visit to a nearby burger joint. His hunger sated, Jacob returned to his hotel, blissfully unaware of pursuit by the Dealers, as well as certain other interested parties.

When he arrived back in the hotel room, he noticed something was off. The training drones didn’t give him the little chirp-chirp greeting that they always did. They seemed deactivated. Curious… But wait, one was still active. Mostly. “Hey, what’s up here? What happened?” Jacob asked, inquisitively.

The drone’s response was to play the few seconds of uncorrupted video it had managed to preserve. It showed a man, clearly not Jacob, doing *something* in his luggage. “Hmm…” Jacob thought, his voice trailing off into nowhere. The training drones had been mostly disabled by EMP. Odd, most Imperial technology was proof against it. But wait, there was some damage. Most of the drones’ seals were broken, no doubt by the airport guys. Ach. But what was more concerning was that guy on the recording.

”Hell-spawned demon!” Was the idea that Jacob’s mind, influenced by years of training and months of paranoia, leapt to immediately. But no, a Demon would have left some tell-tale mark. Like a pentagram written in blood or something as equally obvious and ubiquitous. Unless this was a subtle Demon, actually a much greater threat than one who goes rampaging across town.

Either way, Jacob couldn’t really do much at the moment, and he was exhausted from his training. After carefully checking his possessions, he fell backwards onto his bed and into a deep sleep.

”Hello again, Paladin.” Came the dream-man’s voice, the scent of cigar smoke and sweat again invading Jacob’s nostrils. The room was just as it had been.

“What do you want now? Haven’t you tormented me enough!?” Jacob asked. No doubt he would be forced to go through another soul-searching hoop by this crazy, sadistic bastard.

“Torment? No. I seek to teach you. It is your fault that you derive torment from my lessons.” The man’s face was perfectly neutral and calm. Come to think of it, the only ‘expression’ Jacob had seen him take was the enigmatic grin that the man wore at their first meeting.

But before Jacob could get a word in edgewise, the old man leaned forward and said “Even the best can be possessed by evil, corrupted by its influence. You know this all too well, don’t you?”

“Yes… Brother Michael. He was one of the best amongst us. A two eyed man in the kingdom of the blind. The entire Order was shocked when he turned against us. Some whispered that he had been possessed by a powerful daemon. The Cardinals thought he had been mislead by the forces of evil. They could not comprehend their brightest son turning from the light. His actions on Celene proved them wrong. By the time we arrived, there was no one left…” As his voice trailed off, Jacob knew he had made a mistake. He knew he was in for another ‘history lesson.’

Jacob was no longer with the man. Instead, he was just stepping out of his ship in full battle armor, stepping out under the emerald sky of Celene. He was reliving one of his most grueling battles from the beginning. The scent of death mingled with human filth assaulted his scent as a visage of rotting and maggot filled corpses stretched as far as the eye could see. Insects and carrion creatures were feeding off the gangrenous bodies, gorging themselves on raw human meat. Verily, Jacob had stepped into a circle of hell.

“My God…” Jacob heard himself say, parroting his comment years ago. Even though he was expecting this, it still filled him with revulsion at what he saw. To think that one of his closest friends and cohorts could do this was unthinkable.

Suddenly, he heard a great, sickening crunch, like a meaty bone being broken behind him. Jacob spun around rapidly and came face to face with a great, hulking abomination. It was taller than him by far and covered in a thick, fleshy hide. Bile mixed with the congealed blood of its meal as the two fluids ran down the creature’s slimy lips. Its nine beady black eyes seemed alive with malevolence if not intelligence.

Its roar was a deafening one filled with rage, or perhaps pleasure at finding fresh meat. Jacob didn’t give it a chance to attack. He sent a quartet of powergun shards into the creature, following them up with a long jet of purifying flame.

But the sounds of battle had attracted more of those things. “Hell-Spawned Demons!” Jacob heard himself yell as he gazed back at the steadily growing throng of creatures. There were hundreds, nay thousands of the things. Each summoned with unholy rituals and bound to this world by evil. By Michael’s evil. Jacob knew what he had to do to stop this madness. He had a friend to kill. But first, he had to get by this wall of delirious Daemonic flesh.

Soon, he was attacked from all directions by dozens of gibbering monstrosities. His phase blade danced amongst them, hewing off limbs, hacking off claws and heads. Fleshy Sinews fell apart as he weaved the silvery blade amongst them. But those he killed were but a mere drop in the ocean, and if he didn’t work fast, he would be swamped by sheer numbers.

So he did the only thing he could, he used the suit jets to bounce away. A randomly guided tac-nuke moments later bought him some breathing room when he landed. There were so many that he knew he would hit some of them. But slaughtering Demons, while satisfying, only tired him out. They were meant to delay him, to sap Jacob’s strength before he found Michael. And unfortunately, they were doing a good job. At this rate, he would run out of nukes before the enemy ran out of bodies to throw at him. He had to get to the source. But where was that wretched man? Jacob thought for a moment. If he were a demonically possessed ex Paladin, where would he go? Saint Edwards Cathedral of the Cross of course! It was the largest and most significant religious site on the planet. The heretic would no doubt go there first to corrupt that house of God.

So that’s where Jacob had to go. He bounced and flew until his suit’s engines glowed white hot and threatened to melt themselves under the stress. He paused only for brief respites, enough to disembowel a demon here or spray cooling gel on his engine fans there. Finally, after several hours of wearying multi-kilometer hops, Jacob arrived at the Cathedral, quite literally on the side of the planet from his starting point.

The once hallowed building was now a corrupt, insane image of its former self. Its pure white marble was blackened and charred, with barbed, slithering spikes sticking out from cracks in the stone. The great walkway from the nearest city to the doors of the Church was lined with hundreds of men, cruelly impaled upon enormous, jagged pikes of wood. All bore the face of a man in agony, their faces contorted by pain. Some twitched still as they shuffled off the last bits of their mortal coil. And in the middle of the walkway, at the doors of the church? This planet’s Cardinal was impaled, still garbed in the flowing red robes of his office. Still clutching a copy of the bible with a death-grip in one hand, and a crucifix hanging loosely from the other.

Jacob carefully stepped past the corpse, praying to God that he would get a chance to bury one of his most devout followers. Praying to God that he would be able to put an end to Michael’s evil. Gazing up at the heavy oaken doors, Jacob felt the opposite. There was a palpable evil emanating from inside, and the thick portals seemed to radiate malevolence. Still, Jacob knew that he would have to enter and confront his friend inside.

Jacob threw open the doors and stepped into the monstrous chapel of the Cathedral. Blood seemed to flow from the walls, coursing over glowing orange pentagrams. The entire chapel was lit with harsh black-orange flames and a scent of burning brimstone hung in the air. At the altar in the center of the chapel was what had once been a man. Michael.

His skin was a pale, powdery, chalky white. What one could see looked positively corpselike, but that was not the most striking thing. Great pieces of armor, thick as tank plate seemed almost grafted onto his body. Great spikes, tentacles, and boils protruded through the chinks in the armor, dripping slime and pus as the man turned to Jacob. He reeked of death and corruption.

Finally, Michael spoke, his voice a malignant and arrogant laugh. “So… A mighty Paladin has come to end my reign of terror, is that it? I killed Cardinal Gageri with but a flick of my wrist. What makes you think you have the power to stop me, Jacob? I am empowered by my Dark Lord and by all the souls I have consumed this day.”

Jacob was terrified, this was a foe beyond what he had ever faced before. That it was his friend was only poison icing on the acidic cake. Inwardly, Jacob was quaking. But outwardly, his voice came off as an icy razor. “You have fallen so far. God’s grace was wasted upon you.”

At that, Jacob brought up his hoary phase-blade into a defensive position. The only way Jacob could defeat Michael was in single combat. Michael just stood there smirking as he unsheathed his own blade, conventional steel that none the less seemed to cackle with dark and forbidden power. Moments later, Michael charged, moving to eviscerate Jacob with a quick strike. But he leapt to the side, just barely missing the soul-rending blade.

Michael’s power had bloated his confidence and arrogance, he had left his left leg totally open. Jacob took advantage of that mistake, slashing away at Michael with his Phase-Blade savagely. Michael took the hits, soliciting a great scream of rage. But, Jacob was perplexed. He had sliced deeply into the armor on Michael’s leg, not the leg itself. And yet, Michael was screaming as though he himself had been hit. And that’s when Jacob noticed something which nearly made him regurgitate his lunch. Michael’s armor was actually bleeding where he had cut it.

Michael, taking advantage of Jacob’s momentary distraction reached out with a perfectly timed and well-aimed blow, sending Jacob sprawling backwards, battle armor and all. Jacob slammed into the wall with the sickening creak of bones breaking. Red dots swam before his eyes as he struggled to remain conscious. With one hit, Jacob was nearly killed outright. Most lesser men would have already fallen. Now, it came time for Michael to gloat, as any true demon-possessed villain must.

“You see, Jacob? I told you. I…Wha-!?” Michael started to say as Jacob, with one last burst of effort slammed his phase-blade into Michael’s chest, cleaving its way through armor and sinew, bone and flesh. Yet he still lived.

“Kneel and repent, Heretic!” Jacob rasped, blood dripping from his mouth, from his injuries. His lips had the feel of copper, of blood.

For Michael’s part, it was as though a great veil had been lifted from his mind. He knew what he had done and collapsed onto his knees. The Morningstar had abandoned him, for evil does not abide failure. “Oh… Lord. What have I done? My god, all those innocents! I… Jacob? I’m sorry.”

“God does not accept your apology, Heretic.” Jacob spat as he raised the blade and struck again, neatly severing his neck as though it were cut by an executioner’s axe.

Jacob’s perceptions faded to white as once again found himself in the dream-man’s room.

“He was corrupt, true. But in the end, he did repent.” The man’s voice still had that grating guise of neutrality.

“God does not abide heresy no more than evil abides failure.” Jacob replied, not entirely too sure of himself. He had seen too much to mindlessly spout the Order’s rhetoric.

“It is God’s choice what to stand and what not to.” The man replied quietly, almost to himself.

“I refuse to believe in a god that condones such evil.” Jacob said, feeling a spark of… something in the back of his mind. Recognition? Understanding? Eternal enlightenment? Actually, that was probably the stims losing effect.

”And that, Paladin, is the point.” The man said, wearing an unfathomable grin.

That is when Jacob woke up, again covered in sweat. But this time was different. He felt… closer? But closer to what..?

Roger Hilon slowly shambled around the counter of his small bookstore, gazing at his new customer. Not one he recognized he paused for a moment, bewhildered at why somebody so young, who'd obviously grown up in the age of micro-books (Books about the size of a fingernail that maginfy for the reader), would be in a normal bookstore. If it was one of his regulars he'd understand, old men who couldn't adapt to the changing times and rebillious youths who felt that something was lost on the micro-books, but this man was unknown to him.

"Excuse me, sir, can I help you?"

"Possibly...My name is Mathew Peterson I was supposed to be doing a book signing and giving a talk on the War of Insolence between Knootoss and Pancatoria. The problem is that the address my publicist gave me doesn't appear to exist, or I wrote it down wrong....."

He looked about the store again, "And this is the closest bookstore I've found to the address."

He profered a slip of paper with a nearby address that was non-existant.

"Really I should have looked for this yestereday but I got distracted..."

"Sorry, I don't recognise the address and this is the only book store in within a kilometer. Sorry. Perhaps you can contact your publicist?"

"This is going to be one expensive call..." Matt pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number...
"Angie...is that you...Matt Peterson here...yup...no...the address is completely wrong...hmm..."

He looked at the shop owner, "Do know of a bookstore called Aries Books?"

"Aries books? Nope, not off the top of my head. You could check the directory if you want."

He gstured toward the small computer console next to the door.

"3 Floren charge per hour."

Matt was still on the phone and just started to laugh. That explains it...that is the Phase Gate number....I will explain later....well much later...do you know how much this is costing me....yeah, tell him I hate is guts...bye..."

Matt looked at the bookstore owner. "The number is the store's Phase Gate address. I realized it when she described the orginal notes she made. Oh well the Assistants really do all the work anyway. So where is your Phase Gate?"

"Right in the door, where else would it be be?"

Turnging away from the obviously-not-a-customer person he began to work his back behind his desk, muttering to himself.

"Bloody tourists, don't know a damn thing."

Matt shook his head. "I guess I expect people to put them in odd places." He walked over and typed in the number 695. A moment later he was looking at what appeared to be the inside of a book store that sold both small objects as well as antique and rare books. The massive statue of Aries, the God of War, in the two story atrium seemed to dominate the space.

"Where have I seen that face before. It looks awfully familiar." He said outloud...walking towards it.

"Mr. Peterson, I'm so glad that you could make it!"

The stores manager, a weasley looking fellow, rushed forward and grabbed at the hand of author.

"We were getting a bit worried for a moment, we feared that you might not show up. I'm glad we were mistaken. Come, let me show you to your desk for the signing. I've set up everything just as you requested!"

"Mr. Peterson, I'm so glad that you could make it!"

The stores manager, a weasley looking fellow, rushed forward and grabbed at the hand of author.

"We were getting a bit worried for a moment, we feared that you might not show up. I'm glad we were mistaken. Come, let me show you to your desk for the signing. I've set up everything just as you requested!"

I think I liked the guy at the other store more...
"Quite...a bit of a mix up with the address I'm afraid."

Matt sat down at the desk and looked about. It appeared to be quite a few older gentlemen in line mixed in with middle aged men Normal crowd, the lovers of naval history. Quite...

Later
"In the end it was the fact that the Knootian ship building industry was far better equiped than their enemy that led to their dominance...." Matt looked about the group sitting in folding chairs and wished they would all go away. His hand hurt, his head hurt. Really this day was starting out bad and getting worse.

Someone else raised their hand in the back. Matt all but hid his groan. "I am sorry but you see I have a...lady freind. Who I promised I would call..."

Several of the men chuckled. The universal rule about women is that they were more trouble than any man desired, but men kept on winding up in relaitonships with them.

Matt smiled a crooked smile and went around the end of a glass bookcase constaining 17th century french manuscripts. He dialed Amy's number and hoped that she was there...

No, don't let him go! Shoot him for Junos sake! Oh come on, he's definitely worth it! How would it lower you to his level, he's a mass murderer! Oh, son if a b--

A low beeping suddenly drew Amy's attention away from the action Vid she was watching and she got to her feet, crossing to the small panel on the wall of her living room. Making sure she was decent, just in case it was a Vid caller, she pressed the small button and accepted the call.

"Yes?"

"Hi is this Amy? It's Matt..."

"Oh, hi Matt. I thought you said you had a book signing today?"

"Yes, that is where I am right now...although both my hand, and the crowd have died down. Now I'm stuck answering semi-serious questions...I need a valid reason to escape or I am going to get dragged into the age old debate of lemons versus limes." Matt did not sound exactly thrilled with that.

"So what are you doing for lunch?"

"Well, I'm a bit busy right now..."

She glanced down at herself in a bathrobe and the cheesy action movie on the Vid screen.

"....but I should be available in about an hour. What are you in the mood for?"

"Hmm, I don't know really...just something that doesn't use chopsticks..."

"Chopsticks?"

"Try signing your name a few hundread times in two hours and see how much you hand wants to be doing anything than hanging limply by your side for two weeks..."

"Okay, but what are chopsticks?"

Matt just blinked on his end of the phone. "You don't know what chopsticks are? Asian eating utinsel basicly. I will have to show you some time...Actually is there a Mongolian Barbacue in this town? Somehow all this mentioning of asian cusine has made me desire some good old fasioned wok cooking."

"Mongolian barbacue? I don't know, I'll have to check."

Reaching out, she drew a small computer towards her and began to scan the computer registry of restaurants in Epsilon Pegasi.

"How do you spell 'mongolian'?"

"Ah m-o-n-o-g-i-l-i-a-n....I would be surprised if London has one and not here."

"London? You mean the Old Earth city? Okay..."

Clearly not getting the relevance of London she began to search for any 'Mongolian barbacues'.

"So, what kind of food do they have at these places?

"London? You mean the Old Earth city? Okay..."

Clearly not getting the relevance of London she began to search for any 'Mongolian barbacues'.

"So, what kind of food do they have at these places?

"It is sort of a make your own meal place. They have a selection of vegies, meat, sauces, spices and you make up your dish that is then stir fried on this huge wok. Quite popular back in some parts of Old Earth."

The computer beeped, displaying the lack of results.

"Sorry, Matt, but no results. There are none in Epsilon Pegasi."

"Well anything towards the asian tastes?"

"Well, I'm sure we could find one. Tell you what, why don't you finish up your book signing and come to my hotel once your done, we can figure out what next once you're here."

"Fine...what hotel are you staying at?"

"I'm staying at the Elome Hotel & Resort, you should be able to find the address in any Gate Guide."

"Phase Gates...you gotta love them...I'll see you in about an hour and half then Amy."

God no Mongolian Barbecue...what kind of second rate backwater is this anyway.

"I'll see you then. Bye, Matt."

With a cheerful farewell she reached up and turned off the conversation, then turned around and went back to her movie.

Matt checked the address for Elome Hotel & Resort one last time before entering in into the Phase Gate. He seriously did not want to discover a women's restroom, or gay bar, or the emergency exit of a live weapons range. Based on these things you could wind up just about any damn place...and who knows if being there would be a pleasent experience.

Matt blinked as he found himself in Elome Hotel and Resort. It was far more upscale than he had juged Amy to be living. Well she is either better paid, a higher level beuracrat, or was born to money

Matt walked over to the front desk and asked, "Ah Miss Eio's room number if you would be so kind."

He paued, something wasn't right. A tingling at the back of his neck saying someone was watching.
I felt their eyes long before they opened fire. Long before their sudden counter attack...

He was back in the Kandi suddenly, looking at a line of trees. The marines who's blood covered his hands had been hit by a slow moving projectile. It was a nasty gut wound and he couldn't do anything really about it. Morphine one-shots and a few stem tabs. Cut down on the blood loss, perhaps the medic on the chopper could save this kid.

Matt's eyes looked into the deep jungle only a few yards away. He never heard the shot. Just felt the stab of pain and the slam of force as the bullet slammed into his arm.

Matt grabbed the old wound and looked about the lobby. Realizing the clerk behind the counter had just said something. "Oh sorry could you repeat that? I thought I saw someone I knew..." he covered with a quick lie. His hand covering the thobbing scar on his shirt covered arm.

"Yes, I asked if Miss Eio would be expecting your call. We prefer not to have our guests be disturbed by random vagabonds who happen to stumble into our lobby. I'll need to see some identification before I advise her of your arrival."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

No......no.......no......oh, come on, I'm going on a date, not working the street......no....no.....

The small catalog in front of Amy flickered and shifted, displaying a new outfit after each design was vetoed as a possible outfit for her meal. There were hundreds of options programmed into the small display unit and thousands more could be accessed through the wall terminal, but nothing seemed to fit.

No....no....hmm, maybe, it's not that revealing......no....oh, that's pretty......

She paused, eyeing one of he more colorful costumes, before shaking her head and continuing her search.

Hmmm, maybe he'll be late.

Matt handed over his passport. It was red with the symbol of the United Duchies in gold leaf on the cover, a rampant lion and dragon on both sides of the Crawford family seal. Matthew Peterson, of the United Duchies, Old Earth.

Of course the passport photo was of him in an obvious uniform collar. The second page indicated that he had diplomatic immunity in the Federation State of Vrak, and all the other pages were full of visa's.

“Humph. I feel… different today.” Jacob mused as he shaved and got dressed for his morning jog. But first, he’d have to have breakfast. No problem there, the hotel had a decent continental breakfast that he could snag. So that’s exactly what he did. The bagels were particularly good, yet the orange juice tasted odd. Almost like a tequila actually…

Jacob’s view started getting more and more hazy as he drank the alcohol laden juice. Whoever thought of spiking orange juice in the morning? After a few tall glasses, he was feeling less and less surefooted, and after twelve, he felt like he was going to collapse in his chair.

”Uhsh, You thank for the good breakfast.” He said to the waiters as he drunkenly stumbled out of the hotel into the harsh, bright morning light. The air was cool and crisp, although Jacob in his present state could barely perceive either. “Why am I feeling like this?” He heard himself ask. Being drunk was an almost alien state to him, something he had only done a handful of times in his life. Once with the sacramental wine, again after slaying Michael, a day after Amber’s suicide. Times he really, really needed to escape from reality and harmless hallucinogens simply don’t suffice. When he wanted to simply forget everything for a time.

But this wasn’t one of those times, so what happened? Jacob’s mind raced. Those damned hotel men! They spiked his drink, no doubt on behalf of some demonic assassin. But then his mind calmed down for a moment. If the hotel keepers were halfway competent when it comes to drugs, they would have given him something a lot more potent. Something that would cause the sidewalk to start talking to him instead of just giving him a bout of drunkenness.

"Thank you, sir. I'll notify Miss Eio of your arrival."

The attendant handed back the passport, having copied all the vital information and getting a scan into the computer, then reached over to a small call button

"Could you please notify Miss Eio that a Mr. Peterson has arrived to see her. He's currently waiting in the lobby."

The small electronic brain within the communicator contacted the floor head on Amys level, he in turn contacted the controller for her suite, who then took a quick video sweep of Amys room, making sure she wasn't in a "Don't interrupt me if you want to keep living" position or activity. Satisfied that she was willing to contact the outside world the speakers in Amys room emitted a small buzzing noise.

Excuse me, Miss Eio, you have a visitor at the front desk. A Mr. Peterson. Please acknowledge that he is indeed here to see you and that you are familiar with him.

Damnit, he's on time!

"Yes, I'm familiar with Mr. Peterson. Inform him that I will be down within fifteen minutes and that he should make himself comfortable."

Yes, ma'am.

Matt nodded his thanks to the clerk and wandered over to a chair to sit down. Hmm, well this isn't switzerland that's for sure. He sat down in a chair and looked about, quietly waiting for Amy to come down.

Finally, I though I'd need to go through a dozen more cartridges before I found something nice.

She made a few small clicks on the console in front of her and submitted her request for the clothing, then walked over to the service Gate at the rear of her suite. Used mainly for deliveries and whatnot it left the main Gate available for people to use without waiting for a package to be cleared.

Come on.....come on.....when they say 'Instant Delivery' I expect 'Instant delivery'......finally...

Within five minutes after the package had arrived she was dressed and ready, exiting her apartment and heading down to the lobby to meet Matt.

Matt sat quietly in the lounge. He was watching the gate rather than the elevators.

OOC: Ho-Ly Crap, I completely missed that you'd posted. I've been waiting for more than a month, mentally swearing and condemning you to hell, and promising to never RP with you ever again. Damn, sorry I've been gone.

IC:

"Matt? Sorry I'm so late, you probably feel like you've been siting down here for a month."

Smiling shyly, she approached the waiting escort and laid a hand on his shoulder, guiding him toward the computer pedestal at one end of the lobby.

"I'm in the mood for something tasty, no fast food tonight. There are plenty of quality restaurants strung throughout the system, so we have plenty to chose from. Do you have anything in mind?"

OOC:

It Is Coming

http://67.18.37.17/595/43/upload/p1245760.jpg

Expected In August

OOC: Weee...now then deep breath. And having a war over four or five threads doesn't help things.

Matt looked up from the magazine he had been reading. "Truthfully I completely lost track of time."

He smiled at his date, "Well you look quite nice tonight. But as for choices for dinner, well I feel like I could go for some seafood."

"Seafood? Well, let's check the registry."

Typing rapidly, Amy quickly brought up a list of seafood restuarants within the system.

"Wait...hold on a sec...."

Typing a bit more, Amy ran the list through an internal filter and immediately cut out any restaurants with the word 'Fishy' in the name.

"Ah, here we go. You in the mood for something local?"

"Well I've had elvish so I suppose I could see how you prepare seafood. But realize I'm from the Low Country, we know our seafood." Matt joked looking about, really he had the odd feeling of being watched.

"Yes, well, we'll just have to dazzle you all the more. It wouldn't do for a visitor to leve Klonor with a poor view of our culinary skills."

Pointedly ignoring Matts skittishness, everybody succumed to a slight paranoia every now and again, Amy highlighted one of the slections on the screen.

"Here we are, the Vsyd Ased, best seafood on this continent. At least according to the user ratings."

Tapping twice, she automatically had the Gate address transmitted to the hotels lobby Gate.

"Shall we go?"

Matt smiled at her. "Lead on my lady and your smitten Knight shall follow."

And the black pup went Bump into the furniture back in Matt's hotel room.