Flashes
Could she discover the
truth within herself before the Yannoneth Hunter found her? Tanya
Was she a new enemy, or a long awaited ally? Or something else entirely? A Bottle of Wine - He lovingly held the bottle as the tears
started. He longed to walk the Highlands again. the Bombardment began. Father and Son -
What will a father do to protect his son from madness?
Remember
those cartoons where a devil pops up on one shoulder and an angel pops up
on the other? I think of Sarsoneth and Misqmal that way. Oh, they don't
really sit on my shoulders of course; they're just in my head. But if I
close my eyes when talking, it really does seem like that. Maybe it just
makes it easier to take.
Yeah, yeah, I know, the Danaereans had hundreds,
thousands, hell, maybe millions of memories in their genes. My God, the
Twelve have a whole civilization! Even the Yannoneth have the memories of
their ancestors in the d'na'tnek.
But damn it, they don't have people!
These guys are full fledged people. Well,
personalities anyway. And sometimes they just don't know enough to pipe
down and shut the hell up! They're like bad guests who don't know when its
time to go home.
I know, the Twelve gave them to me to help me defeat
the Yannoneth. And I wasn't supposed to know they were there. And if they
hadn't broken their silence and used the g'ru'tnok to save me, I'd have
been ground up into feed for Yannoneth experiments. I know all that! It
still gives me the heeby jeebies. Especially those experiments. Ugh. But
there are times when knowing doesn't really help much. It'd be nice to
have a little peace and quiet, even just once in a while y'know?
Like the other night. Things were kinda quiet, and I
decided to have a nice dinner at a little restaurant I know. Nothing
fancy. Just good food, better scotch, and no one bothering you.
I was just sitting there savouring the warm
sensation from the contents of a bottle that Sam (his name really is Sam.
People can't lie around me you know) keeps way in the back of the bar. A
little secret between him, me, and a select few very close friends.
A woman with auburn hair to her waist and the
prettiest smile you ever saw came in and sat at the bar. Its not that she
was gorgeous. I'm not particularly attracted to gorgeous. She just had
that air about her, a composure that spoke of self assurance without the
arrogance that goes with gorgeous.
Sarsoneth, true to his origins as an Ethical, paid
no attention. Hell, the whole Victoria's Secret swimsuit lineup could come
in he wouldn't comment beyond wondering if they might catch a chill. No
wonder so many of them became Disaffected.
Misqmal now, that's a different story. Misqmal is
all human. And from a time and place when/where such niceties as courting
and consent were not only not practiced, they would have been considered
downright rude. Not that anyone would have considered not consenting.
What's a little pleasure between friends? Or strangers for that matter?
Misqmal's problem was that he was prone to forget
that he wasn't where/when he came from. And that it wasn't his body he was
trying to get our auburn haired visitor to wrap hers around.
Before I knew it I was half way across the room and
definitely too close to make it seem like I was just headed to the
bathroom. Which was in the other direction anyway. She looked directly at
me and smiled.
At which point I kicked Misqmal in his non-existent
shin and sent him back to my sub-subconscious. Where he would sulk. Good.
In the meantime, I had missed what the un-object of
my attentions had been saying. After an awkward few seconds of silence,
she laughed a laugh like tinkling crystal, repeated herself, and held out
her hand.
"Tanya," was what she had said.
"Rick," was what I replied, if belatedly. "Rick
Redmond."
"Won't you join me, Rick? I would enjoy the
company." Even without Misqmal's coaching I wasn't exactly slow to take up
an invitation like that.
Tanya and I spent a pleasant next little while
engaged in the kind of conversation that men and women who meet in a bar
like Sam's have always engaged in. Then we left. Together, if I have to
spell it out for you. Which thrilled Misqmal no end, the perverted voyeur.
And affected Sarsoneth not in the least. He retreated to whatever the
psychic equivalent of a study is and faded from my awareness.
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of fresh
brewed coffee and the delicious sounds of someone bustling about in the
kitchen.
.