Sam smiled and then looked around, she loved her new home she just hasnt been here long yet. Sam was very happy at the reaction for Doctor Christie seeing them will help Can she hoped. Sam smiled and pet Mila as she seemed just as excited to see Can. Sam then worked on her vid board  and was getting everything ready for the Burian Fleets departure.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:13, Fri 09 Apr 2021.

There was a brief scowl as she heard Nic’s comment with her then muttering ”I didn’t grumble” just under her breath though it was clear that she was less than enamoured with her new duties and colleagues. It was then that he asked her if there was anything she wanted to do seeing as their picnic was a no go ”Not really, I’d just be happy to wander around for a little...enjoy the sun and fresh air while I can” she replied taking another sip of her drink ”What about you? This is your first trip here, anything you want to see or do whilst we’re here?” she asked with a smile, though admittedly they didn’t have a great deal of time left which  kind of limited things.

   Shade  tugged on  Henry's   arm and Pointed to an APV that had a fellow  holding a  sign that said 'Shadow Village"

   A Burian Shuttle  was landing on the  airfield, When the Ramp came   down. Shadow, Roy, Zob, Billie  and  a Burian trooper  walked down the ramp.

 Shadow whistled  for the APV to  wait as he saw the  sign, the Burian nodded and waved. Shadow saluted  smartly.

  Inspection  is over  , Admiral hack.. Save   for the ..horrible, horrible accident, i believe the ship is clean and   should be ready.. there might be some small vermin and such aboard, but i am certain    they will leave the ship first chance they Get...

 he  turned to   Sarah,Something the  Commodore  might keep in mind, so there aren't any infestations.

 Speaking of that, Commodore? This trooper Po-Li has expressed interest  on The Hermes. But he might  be of equal  Value  to  your  growing  organizations ... I'm sure he'd  be happy with  either...if you do not need me any longer, i would like to go back to the Village, I do not want them to feel ignored by me..

 Thank you for the report, LC..carry on...
Another  Sharpe salute and  Shadow  pivoted, walked a few steps then began to jog to  the waiting  APV.. Shade  chasing after him.

 Henry and others  were loaded up  as the  driver  waited for those who wanted to return to the Village,

  meari arived   , on the far side of te Capitol.  Building  build  with or Into  trees, or built into rock.

 roads  for wheeled  vechiles  were laid out  well, with openings in the canopy of trees  for  hover  vehicles.

 the  hove  car settled  down in a parkign area, from a 3  story wooden mansions, , some of the wood on the  sides of the building was growing!..stems and leaves     flowing out.

 A HUman  woman and a Burian  Male approached the  car, they offered thier hands.Greetings , I am  De-Ta.. this is my mate  Soya// she  trnasferred here from the Athena last time the fleet was in... I am a Native Burian, i have alot of  creds tied into ship building.

 Soya smiles,as we  try to get  to Know Skiffle, it is very  obvious, she did not have  real paretns, and  had a  Hard life... she has mentioend  alot of names she said  are 'Stem Kids"..and she mentioned  a 'Sneak"..She mentioend   You..and an SM Spencer?.. and.. LC Shadow...

 The Man grunted a  laugh as they turned to the mansion,..we do not know what to make of it all, but to think the LC would have time for  one such as her? is....maybe.. elongating the tale?

 Soya  adds,Skiffle   is out  at the  pool in the back, with some  kids from the neighbors... she is havign some trouble  fitting in, one boy had a broken nose a few days ago?... but for the most part, she seems to be getting mor 'socialble.'

"Thank you, Shade," said Henry, giving him a Thumbs Up.

  Aa  the APV  head to the Village, Shadow, Shade, Dusk and  another other of the 'inspection  team' who wished to  go there as well.

   Shadow reached over and Fuzzed  Mila...he looked at Val and henry,..you'll like the Village, Doc henry, Val... they are  real people...and they  might have some   food animals penned up for you to look at?

Nic chuckled at her response, she might have said it under her breath but he had heard the sound if not the words and could have guessed what she was saying. No, she really wasn't happy with it but she wasn't angry with it either. He quirked a brow at her and then picked up his mug, taking a few gulps of the beer then set it down. He gave a slow nod then and smiled.

"Sure we can just wander around for a bit. Fresh air and all." He gave an apologetic look to Melia and then nudged Harry. "See you back on the Hermes, Melia, and thanks," he said before nodding towards the door to Harry.

When they exited the dive bar, he looked around and started heading back towards the edges of the village though with everything going on and things being cooked, well he grabbed some food from the vendors and well impromptu picnic of sorts. "Come on, lets find a quiet spot to eat. Cause I don't think we have long before we are recalled sadly." Which made him unhappy at least. Next time they would have to coordinate. To think, if she had come down on the run, maybe it would have been different.

 Meari got out of the hover car with her crutch, and walked with a crutch towards the Burian man and Human female. Meari smiled and replied," It is a pleasure to meet you both, I am very glad Skiffle got a good family to stay with, she has been through a lot."

 Meari listened then seemed to get more stoic as she answered," Oh those stories are all true, LC Shadow , SM Spencer, myself and a few others where the ones who rescued Skiffle from going onto a plater for their special grotesque meals. She spent time on the Beach on Everest with us and LC Shadow. The doll she had LC Shadow told all the kids to get one thing, so that was from him.  I hope maybe a few of the other new children are close so Skiffle can still keep in touch with the other children from Everest."

 Meari looked at them both and replied," It will take time she lived a very different life in the Stem of Everest, just show her love and discipline and I think she will be fine. Skiffle is brave and strong though the bad guys made her hold a live grenade when they tried to escape, Skiffle stayed strong and she didnt let the grenade go. Yes the social skills she will need the most on, and I can see you care about Skiffle and that is very good. Be parents show her love and you will all be fine."  Meari did want to say more like if you hurt her I will rip you apart with my bare hands but Meari could tell this was a loving couple trying to help their new adopted daughter be the best she can be.


 Meari then asks," May I see and talk to her before I must get back to the Hermes?"

  The  Shorter Man waved to her, to follow   then to the back of the manor,..I was lucky, i was forced into  ship repair  work , when the Empire  came her, I escaped the  orbiting docks   as the workers used  all the shuttles  we were able to get  our people out of there... After the  2nd  Time , when The Shadow and His Great lady  came,  i was able to  get a pass to  start up a ship building  company  with   those  of  my people who had  learned the
 art.. we now have a few tech schools  to  teach   and  we are doing well with the influx of our   AP brothers and sisters..

  as the  walked through the house, it was very nice, some of the  furnishings made of living wood, with  pads   and such on for  comfort.  there were some Powercell  lights, and   natural lighting, though it was starting to fade.

   when they  entered the place where trhe pool is,  Meari saw soem green  kids  and  a few .normal  kids; as well as a pair of Occui kids who were splashing in the  water, or  getting   a drink from a servant  who stood  by the Grills  cooking .


 A high pitched scream....MEEEEEE RIIIIIIIIIIII and   a  little gril in a green and  brown bathing  suit  slammed into her , hugging her leg  and  squeezing...

Quickly finishing her own drink, Harry would get up to follow Nic out of the bar, throwing Melia a smile that confirmed what Nic had said earlier about her and Nic being more than just friends before following him outside.

They would walk through the village at leisurely pace with Nic stopping every now and again to purchase the Burian street food on offer as they looked for somewhere quiet to sit down. With most of the Hermes crew seeming to be heading in the opposite direction it wouldn't be long until Harry gently slipped her hand into his and spoke to him as they stopped by a stall selling something that resembled a green kebab "thank you for last night, you don't know how good it was to finally get a decent nights sleep" she gratefully said, though she would be lying if she said it had solved all of her problems.

After getting a little something for them to eat they would find a relatively secluded spot where they could sit on the grass and admire the countryside as they ate, with Harry gradually moving closer to Nic until she was at the point where to get any closer to him would require climbing into his lap...not that she objected to that idea "You know...I never thought I would actually come to miss grass" she softly said as he ran her hands across it, marvelling at the way it felt against ehr sin after so long in deep space "You know Daddy used to take Julie and me on picnics at the bottom of the garden when we were little, I think it used to send mum spare as he'd make us skip all of our classes to do this, but it was nice to spend a little time with him as just the three of us" she said with a fond smile as she recalled the memory, proving that not everything about her childhood was bad.

 Meari walked with De-Ta after he was done she replied," Yes Bura has a bright future now that the Empire is gone from here forever. Shadow's Great Lady was my Aunt and she was a Great Lady." Meari stopped for a second said a Udenese prayer and then continued walking with her crutch with her hurt leg with De-Ta. Meari was very happy Skiffle had a beautiful home and two parents who seemed to care about Skiffle.

 They entered the pool area Meari looked around at the kids and then she heard Skiffle scream her name and then felt her hit her hurt leg and squeeze hard. Meari smiled through the pain but the pain went away quickly she was so happy to see Skiffle. Meari then said," It is good to see you Skiffle and this is a very nice place. So happy you seem happy, everything ok Skiffle do you like it here?" Meari would carefully peel Skiffle off her hurt leg , she would then carefully lean down and give Skiffle a proper hug.

  reaching the Village, Doc Henry, and the others Got  Out.  Shadow  smiled  at the others  and took a  deep breath  as he   got out..

  Hey!//I  made it Back..Now show me some  more of this party!

 Cheers  from Piltos  and SEC  as   well as roars from the   Burians

 The  Chief  is really smilign  and Hemsly  says...Ye didn't sing  fer them yet LC....

 ..of  course not!..I like them!  people laughed..

  The Chief   asked...Sing the song before... the warriors  like that!....

 All right..I'll change some lyrics  though  he  waved    Dusk and Shade over  to him and Pointed to Lirg and   Nugest

 the  song  started   with  Dusk, and Shade  shakign thier heads and smiling   singing with Shadow   while Lirg  and Nugest  provided the deep voices...

 " If the  Crestians wants  war, we'll fight them to the   very end.."

 Lirg and Nugest  sing the deep voiced sounds  with brooks, Hemsly and  Burains beating on drums and   playign  strings.

 " If the  Largans  come we will fight them to  the bloody end.."

 more lirg and nugest

 " when the Empire comes they can bow to my Brethen..." he waves his arms out to encompass  the  Burians  who  go crazy..

 "lock in a cage and Parade them to the Hyrian's  Den!"

 dee4p isnrutmentals   as the crtowed got  fired up with the  three Shadow   jumping around, Dusk  looking good  doing it.

while lirg and Nugest sung in thier  languages.

 " I breath fire  like a Pirloc  killing demons.. yeh, go hard  cause  we gotta  sieze . the day"

 " Hell fire  raining down on your  people  if yer gonna  bring the  evil we'll bury it today.."

 Some   Hermes  and  Athena  folks Put arms  around  Burians   as  everyone  joins in the   chorus.

 " we've  all been lost we've all been cold, everyone rise to  the Brethren code, we got  yer back, we've all been low.Lets  all rise to  the Brethren code.."

 the  song  ends   after the  refrain  is  sung a few  times.. and the  Party started to Bubble up more..

 The  Chief   Gave Shadow a Hug and pounded his back, then did  the same Dusk and Shade  as the    Villagers began to sing  some of thier own songs  with  crew  and Natives   joining in

   The Chief  looked proud and Happy as  did almost all the Villagers. A  warrior approached  Shadow..People say you saved us... We  saved us!!!.. you just helped!

 The Chief looked at the  Warrior,  , Shadow  took a  deep drink of the fruit  juice, and smiled,..you're right?  with out the Burians  , we  could not  have cahsed the Empire from the planet

 Then why do they make a village for you..make  a totem to  Your  fighter?

 Not  quite sure?... Guess thay like me... and  my 'fighter' was a being..her Name  was  Lady.. those  tow   there  standign and eating some  of yopur food..are her offspring, and ..i suppose?..mine as well....But Lady stayed here  and fought...when i had to move...

 two  Younger  burians  holding  spears ran up...Mr LC!.. can you throw  a spear?

 ..I threw Javlin, i can throw a football?.. so i might be able to, but not as good as your people, i'm betting..

 The  Warrior  pushed the oldest Boy aside,,..mind your Place, before...

 Shadow grabbed the man's hand.....you touch him again, with out  great cause... you'll spend the next month picking Bura  berries.

 The Bura  Insult to any warrior,  made the Mad shout in anger,,,I challenge  LC  Shadow to  fight of Blades..!

 Shadow     lulled his ehad  from side to side...don't do this? I put up with assholes  all day, can't  I catch a break!

 The Chief looks at Shadow.....you must  accept.. to turn   this down will bring shame on the name of our Village....

  The   boy who got pushed  down was embarrassed to tears by being knocked down in front of the LC.....LC  Shadow will  accept, right!

 ..mother F.... Ok.. what is your Name...

 The Warrior  said.....I am SI-CO....

 Shadow blinked, and  turned  and looked  at the others.. alot of the pilots  had to  hide thier  faces as  Shadow looked to make sure this wasn't a  joke..even then, alot of humans  laughed out loud.


 SI-CO puffed out his chest and beat on hit  with a fist.  Shadow took off his  muddy jacket and  handed it to Dusk, he  took off his   weapons  belt    and handed it  to   Shade, pulling the green  shortsword-like blade , letting it catch   the light of the   fire and the Dying  sunlight.

 The Chief    said the Shadow.....Blade fight.. 3   cuts, fight is over.. death can   end  fight faster...

  Shadow frowned... Listen SI-CO... he looked back as  more folks laughed.

  Your a member of this Village.. I don't want to Hurt you and...

 SI-CO  screamed in rage , as it was apparent , that Shadow  just added another  insult.

 SI Co  had two Blades    Like Shadow's , his    arms  moved like   a mantis  turbine, his green blades  barely Visable  as he sneered at  Shadow....

  Shadow  waited for him  to  be   done, and he  whirled  his Blade a few times  just to get Lose......Right , Si?.. lets  get this  Over   with...

  Si-Co started to walk around in a circle  while drums beat  slowly like heart beats., The the    Burian   took some, very fast steps     with his  Blades  whirling Shadow    weaved to the left and  right    spun his  Blade   up wards , and  SI   shouted in pain as the blade from his left hade  landed by Shades  feet.. Shade  stepped on it.

 ..that is one for the LC Shadow...

  This  time Shadow   came in    His Blade  moving  fast  with Si-having no second blade , he had to comform to the 'new  fight' His  Blade came Up  to Meet  Shadow's  right arm.. Shadow took a   cut in the arm, but the left hand had the balde  and a  slide  across  Si's   belly  buckled him over..

 . LC Shadow has  2... SI-CO has  1.....

   The Burian was wounded and embarrassed... he charged in to go for a kill to win... but Shadow  Right  arm  hit  the Burian  in the   nose and  dropped him.. Shadow   went over  and   gave him a  small slice on this   right arm...

  LC Shadow  wins!..3 to 1!

  Shadow  Helped  SI-CO up, the man was  wincing, Shadow was bleeding badly on his right arm..

 ..you let me  cut you..so you could get the next cut!,.,you could have Gutted me...

 You are not  my enemy, we are comrades...

 Shade  brought the Other Blade over.. SI-CO says,..the blade is yours..... you defeated me...

  Shadow   took the Blades, wiped off the dirt  and such on his own shirt, and handed hit  back, Hilt  first...I have  my own Blades.. i would not take one, from a defender of the Village named  in my honor.. use it, to kill empire and EDT..and we will be even!

 , They grasped  wrists, which made  SHadow   wince.

 Stefi  shook her head,..lets go you two idiots.. see if i can patch you up when i'm half drunk...

  Shadow looked at SI-CO, don't  worry,, you won't be  able  to tell the difference.  The two boys came over..  they smiled   at Shadow and the LC looked to SI-CO.....these  young ones.. they need you and the other   warriors to train them..do not treat them as unknowing..instead, treat them as part of your own ..because they'll have to  fight the next battles...

 the  the two contestants  went to the Med tech tent.

    As Henry , Val and  Melia  walked around  during the song, Mila   found Can. he was  sitting  eating  some  food in a wooden   bowl, he was  dressed in Burians Greens.  other  kids  ran around  but he  sat and watched.


 some  kids   would say somethign  to him and he would  shrug and they would run off again.

  Skiffle smiled  as  did her new parents....I  have  told people  about our of our adventures  and  living in the Stem..most do not believe me..but i know its  true.. I have a room with a bed and Vid machine, almost like  the LC's fancy place  in the Hotel

 The Burian man said,... we  will be havign  dinner out here with the children , would  you like to join us?

 with the Largs  getting herded back about the shuttle. Roll stayed near Haley and Nikki  since   henry went to the Village with  Val and the  doggie.

 the  sun was starting to sing below the  trees, another  40 minutes or so , recall would  sound

Billie still tagged along with Roy, stunned at what she had learned. "Rivets told me about what had happened on the hanger dec...but...I would have never thought that someone would do such a thing purposefully..." She kept her voice low, offering Roy any help if he needed. "I know that I shouldn't be surprised...war brings out the stupid in people...but yet, I am still shocked by it..."

In reply to Harriet Lynch (msg # 944):

Nic offered the vendor some credits as Harry spoke and he glanced over at her. "You are welcomed Harry," he said as he picked up the food the vendor offered and the continued on. He wasn't intentionally looking to be alone with her but Harry was more shy about those things so when she found the spot, he settled into the grass next to her. For him it was simple but for her, well things were not so much.

He shared the food he gained with her and when she was sitting close to him, he slipped his arm around her. She started to talk and he let her, it seemed to be a happy memory and he smiled at the image it brought. "Do you think he would be unhappy to know you were still around? It seems as if you really love him and it seems he really did love you because I doubt he would have cared too much about excluding one or the other if he really was that sort of person. And there's the smile I like seeing," he said, thumb brushing against her chin as he smiled back at her.

"My dad use to take me camping in the mountains. We'd go high and find a spot overlooking the metropolis. Seeing it lit up at night was a wonder to my 10 year old self. And you could see the ships flying in with their running lights. I suppose that made my choices clear when I got older." He looked at Harry and hugged her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

 Meari smiled at Skiffle , then she replied," Well you know they are true, just tell the truth and it will always do you well Skiffle. I told your parents a few stories they will believe you now. Oh yes that was a fancy place LC Shadow had many of you kids stay at."

 Meari was so happy to see Skiffle but she wish she had more time. Then the Burian male asked her to stay for dinner she smiled and sadly replied," I did not have a lot of time for shore leave this time around, I only have about 40 minutes before recall. I would like to stay with Skiffle for as long as I can before  I have to leave but I dont want to delay your dinner or anything." Meari kept smiling even if it was just for a short time Meari was so happy to see Skiffle and her family.

Roy's expression soured.  "Stupidity could be forgiven.  This was outright treachery.  Kush has been working with Lady V and the EDT for a long time...so busy trying to cozy up to her that he hasn't been very particular about which of her people he's lent helping hands to.  If Frost, Miles, and Hope hadn't been such monumental pricks and dumbasses, he'd probably still be alive and just reassigned somewhere that wouldn't be too reliant on him making good choices."  He shook his head.

"Instead, they tried throwing their weight around...and that doesn't get you anywhere when you're so far out of your weight class.  All they did was attract suspicion...and then some of the other Heimdall troopers mentioned some of their less savory pastimes and that REALLY got us looking.  And led us to Kush's seemingly unremarkable records, that upon closer inspection had been completely doctored.  And that led us to the comm recording of what happened on their hangar deck."  His voice was bitter.

"If it had just been stupidity, a lot of those men might still be alive, because stupid people tend to listen to someone who's an actual leader, like Miller was.  This was avarice and malice...Kush saw his chance to eliminate his one senior staff member who was actually a loyal ESN officer, along with most of the troops that would follow if Miller had been ordered to take command when Kush finally showed his true colors...war brings that out, alright...but it's dangerously naive to call it stupidity."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:26, Sat 10 Apr 2021.

“Stupidity comes in many…flavors. There’s the kind of stupidity that could genuinely be forgiven because someone didn’t really know any better. Then there is the kind of stupidity where someone knows the types of dangers they are getting themselves into but that...carrot being dangled in front of their faces is too great to resist and then they reason with themselves or others as to why ‘it won’t happen to them’ or they think that the one they are helping will step in to protect them.” She paused and replayed what Roy had said, slightly cocking her head to the side as she did so. “I mean you can’t honestly tell me that it wasn’t stupid that Kush thought his ass would be safe and that he wouldn’t get caught? Stupid people are easily manipulated by their own desires and he was obviously jaded by his status with Lady V and thought himself to be untouchable...but that is just me judging based on his reaction to hearing the COM.” Billie gave a shrug.

“Admittedly, you are more versed in this kind of stuff then I am...I’m just a rookie,” she said with a lopsided grin. “I am honestly surprised that I was allowed to tag along.” There was a brief hesitation before she looked at Roy, a serious look on her fair features. "Am I to keep this hush-hush? Rivets had told me about the incident on the hanger dec but I doubt he knew any of this..."

On the transport, Mila wriggled in delight as Shadow fuzzed her.

Once at the village, she soon spotted Can and bolted towards him, easily outstripping Her Human who was heading in the same direction. She reached where he was sitting and thrust her face into his, tongue licking and tail wagging wildly behind her.

Henry came up behind the over-excited dog.

"Hello, Can. Now we've come to Bura I had to look you up. Val and I - and Mila - have been missing you ever since you left. How are you getting on in your new home?"

”I think they’re going to look amazing on you” Izzy replied finding her girlfriend’s excitement over her new boots to be infectious with over the moon at how happy this was making her. With the craftsman promising to get the finished boots onto a shuttle for the Hermes Izzy would write their names, ship and room number onto a slip of paper and hand it over to the young man along with a fifty cred tip to show her appreciation ”Thank you you’ve made her so happy, I’ve been telling everyone what amazing work you do” she said hoping that the little shop would benefit from her praise of them next time the fleet stopped by.

Once they had finished taking all of the relevant sizes and details from Lizzy so that they could make the boots she wanted, Izzy would take her girlfriend’s hand as they left the shop ”See what I mean now? They’re like a fashion house that doesn’t cost the Earth nor are they up their own arses about it either!” Izzy said with a grin, with her quickly checking the time before continuing ”ok we’ve got a little time, I’d like to get a bottle of that wine for Zob and Melia, perhaps one for us too, and maybe a little something else ooh! Maybe we can find something for the party too?” she said in an excitable voice that resulted in a pained grimace as she overdid the arm waving and her wounds protested.

 Can  was  giggling a  bit at Mila, he put  his arms  around her neck  and  hugged her, a little tear roiling down his eye.

  he stood up  quickly when he heard  Henry's voice  and the food   fell to the ground,Doc  Henry!, Miss Val!.. you came... to see me? he looked up them  wiping the tear from his  cheek  , but keeping on nad on Mila's  neck 'scratching'  at her fur.

  looking around the Village when  Henry asked,it is  alright. I have food... and a place to stay... No one from the towns  wanted  me.. i think they were gonna send me  to another   area, But the   Chief guy said i could come with them. some of the  kids  are nice.... others  seem to not like me... I don't have  parents? i am in the    ;lodge of the Lost ones"... we are kids who do not have anyone?  they  feed us, make sure we are clean and have good  clothes, but people can come   and  takes us to help with  planting and  hunting and getting   wood  and stuff...Most of the   Lost ones  are Occui and a  few Humans like  me.. The Burians   get taken in right away.

.................

  Shoey  sighed  as he looked at his COM. aboput   30 minutes to recall.... they'll let you slide an hour or so..but its  damn hard to get a  shuttle  when  after Recall..and if you are there for cast off?..you are labeled  as AWOL, and that carries a hefty price.

...........

 Izzy would  know  where the    wine and spirits  were sold, about   two 'blocks' from the shoe  folks.

   Waving off   Meari's protest, The  Father   called to the cooks,..begin serving the food, at least two settings  for  Skiffle and  Meari... he  waved to the    round wooden tables  that dotted the deck,

 ..You two go and  sit and   the food  will be brought to you, My  Mate aand I will sit a bit away, close  enough for you to call for question?, But far enough so you may have some   quiet time together.