"Y-(x.x)-Y" (Story #13)

The shattering crack of a glass bottle. The thud of punches impacting. The drunken yells of the customers. The sound of a SKOM loading... >.>;

*sigh* Another barfight. Sometimes started by the regulars, usually but the not-so-regulars. One Itani pilot, one of the few people on the Makchuga's blacklist, happened to start this fight (again).

Whenever Miharu and Smittens met, sparks flew and not in the lovey-dovey good way either. Always a battle when they met, never peaceful. The room would go quiet as these two strong headed, opinionated people butted heads like mountain goats. The first one to piss the other one off enough to end the argument, won.

Add to that the routiness one gets after most of the Deneb Runs and the free flow of liquor (complements of LeberMac), a mess was inevitable. There didn't even need to be a logical reason to fight, it just happens in the drunken haze that consumed us all.

So, yeah, fights broke out, pranks were played and morphine passed around (foggy memory and all, but I think the latter was my fault >.>) Throw in the AutoDoc a dart board and darts, Leber's famous tequila for all... -.-

Well, I'm glad I didn't work at the bar at the time. I can only imagine the mess. Thankfully, I only remembered what I wrote down above in my inebriated state. And the fact that the next morning, I woke up with a foul taste in my mouth... >.<;

"Alcohol is good for the head. It makes you forget your worries and releases your inhibitions." A quote from my old boss and mentor, a barkeep known as Old Eddy. I had worked for him while undercover... Getting back to the subject (there's a subject?!) The quote couldn't be truer. The woes of the CDC and the still lingering memories of the Order and Megan were overwhelming at the time.

I mean, I'm not a drunk, like some. I only drink when I need to get away, when a planet seems to be resting on my chest and won't roll off. Liquor usually eases the weight, but recently Joyce has helped alot too.......

Well, sorry for making ya read this. I guess I did nothing but rant about nothing in particular. Thanks for listening to a currently drunken fool *hic*. I thought Gargle Blasters were non-*hic* non *hic* non-alcoholic.

*hic*
*hic*
*hic* >.>;

MIHARU! >.<

"The 17th Deneb Run" (Story #14)

*Disclaimer: This is aa fusion of alot of past experiences in my racing "career". This is NOT an official write up and doesn't try to be one*

Oh no! The radar screen had two blips, one of another raacer and one of a Serco bounty hunter. I carefully strafed and then turboed for the exit farthest from the two of them. And then there was only one blip. The station had blocked my view and I was in a rush to dock. So I just thought, that's it, I lost. So I drifted into the dock and landed.

Moments later, i hopped out of my Orion Hornet Convoy Guardian and headed to the bar. I kept my head down in dissappointment. I was so close! I had the lead and slowly lost it to my guildmate. Not that I minded losing to him; He is great competiton.

I started to reflect back on the race. There were six of us. After the MC fired off his gatling turret, we took off. I plotted around a storm that I thought was there. But, lo and behold, it had dissappeared. So four of the six racers were already ahead of me.

I thought, well, the storm in Sedina SHOULD slow them down. Yet again, it had dissappeared. I had gained a little, though. I took fourth place and Joyce took first with some well placed jumps.

I slowly caught up to iTripped and took third from him. Then I entered Initros and was greeted (as always) by thirty plus strike force ships and bots. I plotted a one jump diversion and then entered the wormhole sector to Pyronis. Lucky me, I had avoided a storm that the leaders hit. I slowly pulled ahead, eVen with several eight thousand plus meter runs to a wormhole.

And then I hit Eo. I tried to plot around (Itani space is storm central) but the only one jump diversion was through an asteroid sector (rather than four on the direct route). Ah, that one sector couldn't POSSIBLY have a storm. Duh, of course it did! >.<

That and me worrying about so much that I bypassed a wormhole by three thousand meters while staring at my navcomp, allowed Leber to take the lead. More storms in Itan and Jalilk slowed him down until I was only seconds behind. And then I jumped into an unmarked asteroid field in Edras. -.-

Luckily, the person behind me plotted to the wrong wormhole because he was laughing so hard. So I kept second and hurried to catch up to Leber. I was only thirty seconds behind him when he entered Odia. I thought he had the race at this point but I pushed on anyway. But, finally, whatever spirits there may be smiled on me as Leber took the direct route to the finish sector and got caught in a newly brewing storm. I entered Odia and quickly plotted around the storm. And then we were neck and nec, heading for Corvus Hold..

So I walked into the mostly deserted bar. I ignored the comm and got myself a cup of Xith Sapper. Sitting down, I looked around and nursed my drink. Okay, there's Screwball (gotta remember to ask for my prize money) and there's Miharu (gotta stay away from that MEP)...

"Hey, where's Leber?"

"Hmm. When'd you get in?"

"Just now, why?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"No, what?"

"Mecha blew him apart. You're the first one here"

And with that, a broad smile formed on my face. Chuckling to myself, I sat back and watched the other racers pull in outside the window.

Eventually, four of the six racers finished. Leber, well we all know what happened to him (I'm pretty sure it has something to do with something Leber claims to be >.>;)
and Krashis was mangled by the inumerable itani strike forces. Joyce came in fourth, but tha's fine with me. I'm proud of her. ^^ Hell, how many girls do you know are not only truly interested in what their boyfriend does, but participates in those things with him?

I'm a very lucky guy. A great gal and my 5th (maybe 4th, I lost count) Deneb Run victory. And that's not counting my second or third place finishes. =D

Be sure to get JS's latest amazing race story in there, Monkey! :D

If you do use a word processor, you will need to retype all quotation marks and apostraphes when you paste the text into the post field--they become incompatible cross-platform or something.

Not if you use apple works

"It will be spacedust..." (Story #15)
*I'm paraphrasing. Not meant to be completely accurate in anyway shape or form*

*I hit my right side retros and evaded another green stream of energy. At the sound of beeping, I jerked my joystick away until the missiles' fuel ran out. And then the circling began anew.

My hull sensors read 90% and my ammo full. All 64 Sunflare rockets were loaded, but my safeties were locked on. I could not, would not fire back at her. And without the need to line up shots, my full attention was on strafing, rolling and evading. Anything to keep her occupied while I figured out what was going on.

When I could, I spoke and asked questions, more fire was the response I recieved. And so we circled like two boxers, but I with no intention of punching. Another set of seekers, I fled again and the seekers ran out of fuel.

With a two thousand meter gap between us that was quickly fading, I hurriedly asked "Is it the Spike?". "*Zzzt*....Help....me...". A queit explosion three hundred meters away. She was gone...*

**"Escorts, keep your eyes on the Behemoths. Count the cargo when they dump it. They should all be at their max load so report if they are below". And with that, the seven CDC escorts and I spread out. Cargo was unloaded by the ST6 commander and distributed to the members. It went quietly until...

"Faceless has dumped only 119 cargo units. I repeat, one crate has not been dumped", fooz reported. The meeting was in Odia and, according to some intelligence, the Spike needed to get to Serco space. And this was the convoy that would do it.

"All escorts, but Forrest and I, report to the Odia/Sedian wormhole. If they try to make a break for it, you guys will be the only ones who can stop them". And quickly, we were alone with the moths of ST6.

"Faceless, we report only confirming 119 cargo units from your ship. Will you please jettison all your cargo for reconfirmaation"

Silence. I opened the sector comm a few seconds later to repeat my request, but as soon as I flipped the comm on, my systems went haywire. First my comms died. Then my NavComp went offline. My manuveuring thrusters would not respond. Eventually, one by one over a minute, all my systems failed. All I could do was watch as the moths moved out and Forrest cover them, per my last order.

I was still banging my console and cursing like a madman when the station guards dragged my ship back to the dock....**

***I sat in Sedina, helpless. All I could do was watch his Ragnarok. Chaos Swarms and Gemini missiles firing at nothing in particular. The ship tried different dodges and manuveurs. He even crashed into the ice crystals once or twice.

Knowing ST6 was involved somehow involved, I attacked the only member in the area. But once his ship had truned to floating scrap, the situation still hadn't changed. He still mumbled if the Void, Deep Blue and "this unit is/is not..". This sort of odd behavior isn't that far off from how he normally acts, so it took longer than it should've to figure it out.

And yet I could do nothing but wait until the effects had worn off. We could only tell him what had happened. A quick check by him showed a very bad thing: Deep Blue had been compromised....***

I leaned back in my chair and looked around. My eyes drifted around the apartment, stopping at the viewport, the story I was writing, Kraz.... My view eventually settled on the feminine figure lying in the bed. She was sprawled out over it, pillows and blankets messily about. She snored quietly, blowing a lock of her green hair from her face with every breath, only to have it settle once again.

I look at her and can remember many good memories. But then I think of how we first met, guns blazing at each other. I guess I didn't really "meet" her there, as she wasn't herself...

I can only look back with guilt, rage and remorse at that night, even though the best things in my life have come from it...

I tiptoed over to the bed and knelt beside her. Bending over carefully, I laid a kiss on her forehead. She wrinkled her nose a little and turned onto her side, still asleep. With a fire in my eyes, I thought "Now, more than ever before, I have a reason to see to the Spike's destruction".

"Not so fond memories" (Story #16)

*Climbing. Scrambling. Bloody hands that burn from friction. Scrapped knees. Sweat dripping into his eyes, make him blink. Hair disheveled. Broken nails. Eyes watering.

Scrambling, always scrambling. Reaching for the next hold, a thing to hold onto, so he wouldn't slip into the abyss. The pebbles slide, shrubs scratch.

He climbed up the slope with a single minded purpose. Away, he had to get away. The world below was too much, choking him, making it difficult to go on.

The sun was setting. A fitting sight for is current mood. Light gleaning off the sea, more beautiful than the source itself, the source would blind you but the water would not.

Running, hiking, scrambling, even some rock climbing. No equipment, just raw feelings. The agony was his safety belt, hope his rope. He ran past trees, streams, fallen logs. Birds flew, herbivores grazed. All was ignored, the boy could see the trees parting.

Tripping, sliding, straining. Doesn't matter. The boy had to reach the spot. Like a fish caught on a line, it reeled him in, hook buried in his heart.

And then, with a final trip and slide, the teary eyed boy came clear. The view, the view, oh what a view! The cliff he was on was a barrier, a wall of slate sealing the city off from the mainland. The water gleaned a deep, translucent blue.

The homes sprawled out lazily below, like a lazy man in his chair. A building sprinkled here or there, but mainly homes blanketed the earth. Grassy meadows and firs poked through in vast open spaces.

His sky blue eyes reflected the passing wworld above. Clouds shone like cotton and would dissappear with every blink, only to shine forth once again.

He sat cross-legged on the rocky outcrop, blood, sweat and tears pouring forth. He wept....*

I woke up bleary eyed. Yawning and stretching, I glanced out my viewport. Still with fuzzy vision, I could make out the asteroid but could not focus on the scrolling numbers on my HUD.

Shaking my head, the dream was slowly fading, already retreating to the back of my mind once again. But the lingering whisper that it left made me shiver. I hadn't thought of my childhood on Cerberus for a while.

This particular flashback had been of a host-family I had at the age of fourteen. This was one of, if not the, worst families I had been with. The husband was a supply clerk; he never entered the Order due to his casualness about everything and his laziness. The wife was dominating and abusive. And, lucky me, the wife was the only one with any knowledge and thus taught me in everything.

There was this short metallic rod with a ball at the end. When activated, it would send a shcok of electricity to anything it contacted. It hurt like a *****! Corporal punishment was legal, but society frowned upon it. Even the Order discouraged it. But this did not concern this woman, however. Whenever I messed up on a question or did less than perfect in a skill, I would be shocked.

Well, on the third day, I had to do some athletic excercises. "Faster!" *Zap* "Faster!" *Zap*, was all that could be heard. My body ached from the excercise and the constant torture. Finally, she swung again, disatisfied with my performance. I don't know how I did it, but I was faster. I tumbled out of the way and grabbed the device. Yanking it out of her hand, she stood there stunned. She stared at me stupified as rage took me over and I swung. I arced for her gut, but she ducked.....

The jolt to her temple sent her reeling to the ground. She just lay there. I knew she wasn't dead, but fear took over and carried my legs away.

The husband eventually found me on the cliff. The next four days could arguably be called the best days of my childhood as my host-father lavished attention, food and items(probably stoledn from his work) to me. He thanked me for doing what he couldn't do, what he wouldn't do. He knew that she would be back from the hospital eventually, but for a little while, he was free.

I fiddled with my left hand a little and thought of better things, better people and better events to come. With a smile on my face, I slouched in my seat and fell asleep again, mouth agape. Completely oblivious to the superheated asteroid in front of me. I dreamt of love and happiness.....

ZzzzZZzzzZZZzzZzzzzZzz

"Into the Jaws of Hell: Part I" (Story #17)

I sat over ten thousand meters from the Leviathan. The hum of my Orion Hornet Convoy Guardian broke the silence of space. All my ships had been sold, my mining and trading Behemoths, my Tri-Sunflare Valkyrie Vengeance, even my faithful Hornet Mk3. All that remained was my racing ship, my Orion Hornet. After outfitting four Sunflare Rocket Launchers and reinforcing my hull with extra Xithricite Alloy, it was ready.

My faithful ship. I barely left that ship in all my life, but for this mission I would need the absolute best. Glancing outside the viewport, I sighted two friends. Both would help me on my way. "Ravenheart", as I've come to call him, would be accompanying me.

He is a bit unstable, I don't know what he could do. But he vowed to join me on my mission after I helped him with a little UIT problem. All I asked was that he "Do everything you could to bring Joyce back alive and well". I didn't think he'd go this far...

The other person was a guiding spirit. She had helped us alot over the past few days. With more power than I could imagine, she has aided me. When Joyce was in danger from the Void, she sent us to Eo quickly. When Jex kidnapped Joyce and was trapped in Pherona, she confirmed he was bluffing that he was "out of our net". And now, she would be the one to activate the device and send us on our way...

DAMNIT! She promised she wouldn't go! We were sitting in a Miharu's house and she said she was going to the bathroom... DAMNIT! We would've heard if she fought back. She wasn't captured in the house, she walked out willingly...

And then Jex caught her. He started to run to Helios, but my racing experience paid off. Dodging storms I intuitively knew were there, I almost nabbed him in Pherona. He was less than one thousand meters away, but his exit was different then mine. He kept jumping, taaunting the massive group twe had gathered to find him. All told, over twelve different people came from all corners of the universe to help us. but still...

Tears clouded my vision. But still, he evaded us. He powered down his ship and waited us out. The group disbanded and I knew I couldn't cover both wormholes by myself. Filled with despair, I headed back to Eo. Even through the haze, even though i felt nothing, I managed to come up with a plan.

And so here I am. I had given a package to Miharu containing all my (and Joyce's) funds and a PDS with specific instructions to only give it back to her if I didn't come back...

With tears and hugs, I said my goodbyes, knowing full well they may be my last. She had pulled strings for me and gave me a reinforced escape pod. She said that it would withstand the forces, that I would live until someone picked me up if I ejected. A small comfort, but I know that it is nothing but hope.

Hope, funny word. three days ago, I HOPED I could get Joyce to Eo, to safety away from the Void. Now I HOPE that I can save her, even if it means my life. If that happens, at least she'll have Miharu and Jan and all the friends who constantly help us in our rescue attempts. They are true friends, people who aided us when we most needed them.

And so, nearly eighteen hours later, Braveheart and I sat, ready to gun for the Levi. Through some espionage and some good research from Jan's colleagues, we found out how and why the TGFT pilot dissappeared. And so, we will recreate those conditions.

"Ready Braveheart?"

"Always"

And with that, I locked the turbo and headed for the center of the asteroid ring. Braveheart was following close behind. Seven thousand meters.. sixty-five hundred... six thousand...

My mind flashed back. I saw the day when I told her how I felt. The awkwardness, the nervousness, the love..

Four thousand meters... thirty-six hundred... thirty-one hundred...

More flashbacks. The Halloween Bash, her fairy costume, the ghost stories...

Twenty-two hundred meters... eighteen hundred... fifteen hundred...

The ring, the tears of joy...

Nine hundred... seven hundred... five hundred...

Lights flashed in front of my ship, similar to the gauss shots but it seemed to hover.

Three hundred...

Her smile

Two hundred...

Her touch

One hundred...

Her kiss

And the vortex opened, allowing us to pass. My mind would've reeled at the chaos of colors and energy, but I was focused. I had one goal. "This is for you, Joyce", is all that passed through my mind.

A few seconds later, the pseudo-wormhole collapsed and Sedina was back to it's Hive infested activity once again.

If Monk lives? /me isn't sure Joyce will live out the night!

Dude, it's dangerous to jump into the unknown like that...

Please see: http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/7/11522#149293

*sigh* Never a dull moment for Monk -.-;

/me points to the Missing Nanites thread.

"Into the Jaws of Hell: Part II" (Story #18)

He felt detached, like his body was going through the motions and his brain was attached to it by a tether. So, there it was, just floating around, doing it's own thing while the body piloted the ship like an automaton. This was easily the seventieth trade mission of the day. He might as well have been on autopilot himself.

After delivering the cargo to the station, he quickly grabbed another job and headed out again. The same routine. He was either loading up Plasma Cores or Phase Arrays from Oretes Orbital or Consumer Robotics from Asuin Holdings. Back and forth, back and forth...

He was in debt, but for a good reason (unlike some he's seen). But till, he had only paid five out of the thirty million credit ransom himself. And that's after selling everything he owned save for his Hornet. They kept saying "he didn't owe them" or for him "to take his time". But there was a feeling of an obligation, to set things right, to do all in his power to make things normal again.

He didn't want charity. And he definitely didn't want money to get in the way of friendships. And so, he turned down all offers of money without work and persisted that he pay EVERYONE back. But all wasn't bad.

Thinking back to the previous two days, thoughts of the rescue attempt filled his mind. but this time, there was no depression, no sadness, remorse or guilt. No,
this time was different. So his mind went ovr the events for the umpteenth time that day, while his body continued to steer...

After a little SNAFU (I don't want to talk about it -.-;), I ended back up in Sedina, not two hundred meters away from the Leviathan. O.o; After getting my now foul smelling butt out of there, I began to head in the direction of Joyce's (and my) destination: Helios.

I could look out the viewport and see the roiling, chaotic energy licking the hull. But I didn't see a thing. Why? The viewscreen had automatically shut off to prevent an overload in it's imaging systems. All that remained scrolling across the screen was my HUD and basic targetting information. The EM signals emanating from the sun were playing with my computer. I had already recieved false target locks, shaky radar images saying a ship was there and yet, at the same time, wasn't, etc. Ugh. But there I waited, hoping the Outfit would get here with Joyce's stasis pod before the tectonic pressures crushed my ship into a little ball.

I sat by the Helios/Ukati wormhole and waited along with four other members of our nine man group. Recieving some intel that the sun wasn't their destination after all, I had taken up my position in the blockade of the Helios system, along with my friends. Some were doing it for the five million reward, others just to help. Some garbled communications over channel 100. It looked like the Outfit transporter had been backstabbed by his escort. Trickery, I thought. Nevertheless, I advised the group to report if they saw either the transporter or the escort.

BOOM! Fist-man's Warthog became debris as I passed through it, flares still spewing from my weapons ports. He said he did not have the stasis pod, but why should I believe him? He was making a break through our blockade to Helios after all. But, alas, he was being truthful. No pod was to be found in his wreckage. And so I now knew that the private conversation I was having with John Galt was serious, and that he controlled her fate...

"How much for her release?"
"You will have to take that up with my employer. He'll contact you after I deliver the pod to him"
"And who would your employer be?"
"A good friend of yours, Lecter". My eyes bulged. That was almost as bad as Jex holding her.
"Name a price for her immeditae release"
"Are you insane!? Do you know what Lecter would do to me? Besides, from what he has told me, he has no intention of sending your lover to the Void". This gave me a mixed feeling. One the one hand, she would not die, which was very VERY good. but on the other hand, it was Lecter... But now, I had hope for getting her back safe and sound.

"Clear out of the wormholes or I'll dump her in a Hive-infested sector!" I quickly did the math in my head. At least 150 botted sectors, split between nine people in a fifteen minute timespan looking not for a ship sized object, but for one no larger than 3 meters across..
"Clear out of the wormhole", I ordered. There was no way we could recover her if he made good on his threat. And I wouldn't put her life in jeopardy for the slim chance that we could recover her.
"But..."
"Just DO IT!" We broke off into Helios, but tailed him without firing a shot to Helios Outpost.

"Halt, That's close enough" Lecter ordered. She was almost free; I didn't want to risk that by doing something stupid at the last minute. So there we were, no backup, no friends lying in wait, just me and Lecter, over two thousand meters apart from each other.
"Verified?" Turning on my zoom, I saw the stasis pod, which my computer had confirmed contained a lifesign within.
"Yes." I transferred the thirty million credits to him for her ransom.
"She's yours". I turboed the gap in about ten seconds and made a pass past the pod to slow down. Picking up anything at two hundred twenty meters a second is dangerous, for the ship and for what's being picked up. I made another banking pass, this time at the much slower speed of sixty-five meters a second, grappled onto the pod and pulled it into my cargo hold.
There was still the matter of getting out of Serco space and back to Eo. But, through a combination of my racing skills and incompetence of the strike forces, I evaded Lecter (who had been tailing me for an unknown reason) and the defense force pilots. I was in Deneb while most of them were still just leaving Betheshee.

I sat in my chair as we toasted. The ordeal was finally over. Joyce wa safe at a medical facility on Eo, thawed out and recovering. I was more or less intact, save for some bruises and scrapes. All was finally well. I fell asleep in the chair after staying up for almost fifty hours straight.

And so he finished up his seventy-second mission of the day. But he didn't feel so out of it now. Slowly, his movements became his own, he could think and control what he was doing. He felt the weight lift off of him. The guilt was gone. For once he accepted that he did all that he could, and suceeded, to get Joyce back.

On to trade mission number seventy-three...

Monk do you REALLY need money that badly?
I suppose I have a special grant that I could give you to help reduce your debtload, but, just like Lecter, it has... conditions.

Contact me to let me know if you are interested, friend.

Suit yerself. Enjoy trading your way to 25 million. Ha ha ha haaa.

Heh, you know my offer, and sides we ain't even freinds so you don't have to worry there.

Ah, yes, CoI members playing loanshark instead of helping out a fellow Itani. Rock on, CoI!

As for Borb, well, he's Borb, and special dispensation must be made in his case, poor wrteched thing.

And as for moldyman, telling people what you're trading and from where is not smart, but then again...

/me tips his hat to Monk

Enjoy your trading

Jex: Well common after 74 mind numbing trade runs any vestige of smarts may have once thought to have had woulda been long gone.

I actually expect any shred of intelligence to have fled by the tenth run. How people can do nothing but trade for two hours, to say nothing of all day, is beyond me...

How the Akanese and Itani Interact

Yeah, I know this may come as a shock, but whatever they told you on Eo, forget it. This is the real deal, unedited, uncut.

*file opens*

A Study on how the Akanese and Itani Coexist

The popular version of these governments' relationship goes as such: The Akanese are terrorists and are activley hunted down by the Itani to prevent further aggression against the Serco in hopes of peace. The commonly held belief in the Itani nation is thus: The Akanese are terrorists, but are not activley hunted down by the Itani government, who welcome any help against the Serco Dominion.

What may shock most people is that both of these versions are inaccurate. After much research and investigation, the correct version is surmised as: The Akanese are the unofficial elite attack wing of the Itani Nation and are aided in their crusade against the Serco people by their brethren Itani. This is not to say that the Itani do not do crackdowns on the Akanese in their space, but it is never anything substantial. A storehouse here, an operative there.

Usually, if the general populace can come to the conclusion that something or someone Akanese-related is in their midst, then the Itani government will step in. As long as the OoA commander in the region is at least competent in covert operations, the Akanese resources in the area will be free from interference.

This pseudo-immunity only extends to the main branch of the Order of Akan, though, not to some of the more radical (if that's even possible) sects. So the Itani must confirm if a certain militant group is under the direct authroity of the Regent-Abbot of Akan or not. To do this, the Itani and Akanese governments must communicate regularly. And thus the system of regular diplomatic communication was set up.

During the recent surges of Serco activity (approx. the year 4205), the Itani Defense Force was overwhelmed. Guise piloted Vultures poured into Deneb non-stop. They were to take out the Itani Defense Vessels and Mega Goliath Cannons before the main invasion force attacked (Serco Military Strategy for this campaign was obtained through classified sources). After months of this, the Serco finally achieved their objective. All but one of the Mega Goliath Cannons were disabled (but not destroyed) and 90+% of the Itani capital ships were adrift and crippled or destroyed.
And thus, severly wounded, the Itani mustered up all available pilots for the defense of the Ellias Stand station, as all other territory in the Deneb system had been abandoned in favor of a united defense of the gateway to Eo.

The Itani only lacked pilots for their ships. The IDF was small and military training was nowhere near widespread (as it is in the Dominion). Thus, with heavy casualties and a small flying force, they began to call up all traders, miners, and mercenary pilota to aid them. But still, there weren't enough.

The one thing the Itani had going for them was that they did not lack the equipment. Their industry was nearly fully-automated and pumped out so many ships, weapons systems and upgrades that all stations within the Nation had a surplus on top of their normal stockpile. And, thus, the Itani communicated through their diplomatic channels with the Akanese, providing their stations for repair and rearmament plus all the equipment they could need in exchange for military help. The Akanese agreed to to this, but on the condition that they do it their own way. Vaguely remembering the nuking of SkyCommand, they reluctantly agreed.

Almost a year later, through the stolid defense of the combination of civilian, merchant and military pilots in Deneb and the highly-sucessful raids of Serco space by the Order of Akan, the border system was once again secured and semi-peaceful. However, the Itani never retracted their offer of free repairs and rearmament, and the Akanese didn't fail to use it. The Itani now had a de facto military integration with the Akanese.

So, it has now been shown that: A) The Akanese are allowed to base military resources/operations in the Nation and B) the Itani aid the Order of Akan's paramilitary operations with war material. Everything short of formally recognizing the Order of Akan and completely fusing military command of the two brethren nations had been done.

It has even been known that the Akanese have been asked to eliminate certain Itani politicians, which is ironic because the Order of Akan, based on the beliefs of such a type of politician, asassinate orators who may have been the next Chancellor Akan....

*file trails off into assorted details of engagements that the Akanese and Itani have worked together in*

"Old Times, New Me, Well Sorta" (Story #19)

It all looked so... bleh. The dull gray metal was everywhere. The lighting was too dim, one could barely make out the movements of the workers. The ocassional flash of welding sparks would illuminate a corner. You could see a hunched figure with his mask on, sorrounded by a clutter of random equipment. The screeches of rolling munitions carts would deafen anyone within ten feet of it, forcing most of the workers to wear ear protection.

Thankfully, I had come in with full ammo and the nearest ship was twenty feet away. I sat on top of my Valkyrie Vengeance cross-legged, taking in the view. Well, what little I could see. My eyes were still getting adjusted to the dim light. The pearly white surface of my ship now seemed to be a muted gray and the green trim a mucky brown color. Even the semi-new ammunition rolling around glinted very little.

This much I remembered about Pelatus Bunker. It is a dark, gloomy, dirty place. Even when one was cheery and clean, the sorroundings would overwhelm them. Coming back now, I'm happy I left all that time ago.

But I am on vacation (thankfully) and only have one more day after this one of freedom. The past few weeks had taken their toll on me. And I figured now was as good a time as any to finally find out what had happened. My haze of thoughts were interrupted as a figure trotted up to me, clanging on the losse deck plating. The man was just above six feet, hpahazardly dressed in his dirty grey Ineubis Private Militia unfiorm and looked like he was about forty-five years old. His arms seemed to hang about behind his body, dragged along only because they were attached to his shoulders.

"Hello Monk", the figure greeted me. I sat up straight and stared at him quizzically.

"Um, hi..."

"You don't recognize me, do you?", he asked. I kept silent, knowing I probably should remember this man. I continued to stare blankly at him, almost as if a question mark was floating above my head. >.< "Um...", I blattered.

He sighed and put a shot glass in front of me. Staring at it, my memory tried to shift gears. As usual, my memory was failing me. What could Pelatus Bunker, this man and one shot glass have to... one shot glass. My eyes lit up as I hopped off my perch and gave him a big hug.

"How ya doing 'One Shot'?". He groaned and rolled his eyes. He got the nickname when I first started serving him at the bar. He asked for a shot of.... what was it again? Anyway, some liquor. He took the one shot of it and started staggering around. He ran to the bathroom and the sounds of gaging and hacking could be heard. Someone made a comment about him not being able to hold his liquor. I vaguely remember saying something about "One Shot". The name stuck. He never did like that name...

I pulled back, hands still on his shoulders. I noticed the glint of three bars on his collar. "I see you've zoomed through the ranks of the Great Ineubis Militia". He chuckled. He could sense the sarcasm in my voice, but I never was one for subtlety. "No more junior grade lieutenant for you. No, now you're Major one Shot!"

"Might I remind you of the food poisoning on Corporate Day?" I clammed up. "That was ONE TIME!", I yelled. -.-

"Joking, joking"

"So, how's the gang?" He started walking and gestured for me to follow, so I did. "The gang's more or less together. Alicia is still around, still trying to become station commander one day. The bar's still here too"

"I thought it closed down"

"It did, but about a month after you left, the patrons drummed up money to reopen it and business has been better ever since"

"What of Jack? Rob? 'Roid Rammer'?"

"Jack was promoted to lieutenant on the station crew and was transferred to the more active post at Bractus Watch. Rob is still around, scrubbing air ducts and pedalling 'stuff' on the side >.> 'Roid Rammer' is still a stress tester for ships, and yes, he still smashes them into roids for fun", he smiled nervously.

"Ah, same ol', same ol' then" We reached the bar's exterior. It looked like any other dirty store nearby, except for the SynthWood sign with Green letters saying "Ye Olde Grille". My eyes lost focus. I just looked around in amazement. Walking through the interior, I explored every square inch. There were some changes, or maybe my memory was faulty (I'd go with choice #2 for 100c ^^;), but it was basically the same bar I had known before. And then... I found myself facedown on the floor, with a body on top of me.

"Ow..", was all I could utter.

"Oh, come on, I didn't even get a running start", the voice berated me. The person got off my back and extended her hand. I accepted the help up and looked at the woman who had tackled me. Like I would do many times that day, I hugged an old friend with a smile on my face.

"How are you MJ?", I asked. MJ, short for Mary-Jane. 5' 5", brown haired, brown eyed, "Caucasian" tomboy.

She smiled back with tears in her eyes, a rare sight which I aprreciated for what it was. "Everything's good. Patronage is as regular as always and the money's not bad"

"Oh, so this is an MJ establishment now?"

"Has been for four years and eight months now" She regained her composure and went behind the bar. "Would you two like anything to drink?"

Two? Oh... I sat down on a barstool next to the Major. I had completely forgotten about him. "I'll have a juice, any kind. Want anything One Shot? It's on me"

"Nah, these'll be on the bar", MJ stated.

"Now, how can you refuse?"

"Alright, alright" He ordered a coffee, so MJ got to work behind the bar. I sat back and observed my two old friends. The irony, I thought. MJ was pretty much Miharu and One Shot was alot like Leber. Of course they were different. For one, Leber could hold his tequila and was a lot, erm how to say this in the right way... louder. ^^; And MJ was a lot less varied in her skills, but was pretty much an open book to the customers, always chatting and helping around the station.

The drinks were placed in front of us. Mumbling my thanks, I took a sip. The awkward silence ensued, only broken by the constant hum of the station's machinery and the ocassional screech of an unoiled minuitions cart. I nursed my drink all the while.

"So, what brings you back to Pelatus Bunker, Monk?", MJ inquired.

"Visiting old friends and places. I'm on vacation from my current job right now, so I'm mining as well."

"Mining!?!" they both exclaimed.

>.> Uhoh... "Yeah, mining. There's nothing wrong with mining"

MJ stayed silent and stared at me, mouth agape.

"So, who is she?" One Shot asked over his cup

"Why would it be a girl?"

"Because you wouldn't be caught dead mining otherwise" Somewhat true...

"That was the old me"

"You're still dodging the question"

"No, I'm not! And since when were you interested in my love life anyway, 'ladies man'?"

"Oh, so you admit you have a love life. So, who is she?"

I felt trapped. I mean, these were my old friends, but I still didn't feel completely at ease talking with them again. And every second I spent here was a second away from her, so...

"So what ever happened to old Eddy?", I blabbered out nervously. This question had the desired effect and caught them off-guard. It was the reason I came to Pelatus Bunker anyway, so killing two ships with one flare was the best idea. But, they didn't respond. They looked around and busied themselves with trivial tasks in a sullen mood.

"Guys, what happened...?"

"We... don't know." MJ finally piped in after a few minutes.

"He just dissappeared?"

"Yeah". Well, I got my answer. The day wasn't a total loss. I stuck around for the rest of the day. Eventually I began to reconnect with them and feel comfortable taalking about my new job at the Makchuga, Joyce, racing, etc. By the time of the race, I almost didn't want to leave, but was urged on out. The had been watching me in the races for quite some time, apparently.

"Don;t be a stranger, ya hear?" MJ said at the docking bay.

"I won't" I replied as I climbed into my cockpit and began to do the pre-flight procedure.