[UF][FanFic] Redneck: Wilderness Pt. 7

[Kris Overstreet]

Ch. 16/THEN

Aboard SDF-17 Wayward Son, Outer Sol System
November 14, 2001

The Wayward Son had restaurants, vending machines, and
personal kitchens throughout its massive bulk, thanks to the design
genius (and nostalgia) of Lord Fahrvergnugen, MegaZone, and Gryphon.
However, the need for the old-fashioned mess hall still existed, and
so in one place on the ship, twenty-four hours a day crew members
could get mass-produced, healthy and not too unappetizing food served
hot and fresh.
The fact that the mess hall's walls were bare steel and could
be hosed down easily made it the prime place for a food-fight; in
fact, these days people came here more often to fight than eat.
Recreational slop aside, here you could get your food faster, and eat
it quicker, than anywhere else on the ship.
Lieutenant j.g. Kristan "Redneck" Overstreet left the serving
line with a heavily laden food tray. Unlike many loading up their
trays, he intended to eat everything on it. In fact, he intended to
eat it all in about ten minutes, since he had a squadron briefing to
attend in twenty, and launch right after that. He'd need a heavy
lunch, with hours in a Rapier cockpit ahead of him.
Looking around for a spot to sit, he noticed Princess Asrial
Arconian of Salusia, also a junior lieutenant on the Son, walking
towards a small little blonde woman with twin half-curled horns on her
head. Kris knew this one as Danilia Santova, another junior lieutenant
and a frequent collaborator with Martin Rose and the Clay Pigeons.
Kris paused and watched the scene play out; Asrial smiling,
obviously asking if she could join the blonde woman. The blonde woman
steadily ignoring Asrial. Asrial pressing the point, probably asking
what's wrong. The blonde looking up with a stare of incredible anger
and hatred. Leave me alone. The words couldn't be heard across the
room, but they were easy to read on her lips. Asrial, shocked and
hurt, walked away and sat down by herself to eat, not even noticing
the stray slice of key-lime pie which narrowly missed her shoulder.
Kris looked directly at Asrial, who seemed to be lost in
thought, eating mechanically and slowly. Then he looked at Danilia,
who was waving hello to Lt. Tricia 'Terror' Currier. She seemed to have totally
forgotten the incident; in fact, she looked more chipper than usual.
Somewhere in the back of Kris' mind, a button went -click-.
Kris strode purposely towards Dani, pausing only to dump his
tray all over the free spirit who'd pasted his shoulder with a wad of
mashed potatoes. A moment later, he stood over Dani, who noticed the
shadow and looked up into the Redneck's eyes. "Hi, Red!" she piped.
"How's it going?"
"What the fuck was that bullshit you fucking pulled with
Asrial?" Kris growled. Dani's smile vanished; anyone who knew Kris
knew his profanity grew in direct proportion to his emotional state.
Three gratuitous obscenities in one sentence was, to understate
the point, a bad sign.
"What was what?" she replied neutrally, quietly challenging
Red to make an issue of it.
"Asrial came over here and tried to be friendly with you,"
Kris jabbed a finger at Dani, "and you fucking blew her off like she
had the goddamn Bubonic Plague or something. And then you go on happy
and perky as ever," he was beginning to shout now, pointing at Asrial
as he ranted, "while she sits by herself over there trying to figure
out just what the motherfucking hell she did WRONG!"
"I don't see how this is any of your business," Danilia said
frostily.
Red stifled a sudden urge to slap the smaller woman. Several
calming breaths later, he continued. "I happen to like Asrial. She is
a very nice person. She is a good and reliable and understanding
friend to have, and she would never hurt anyone like *you* just hurt
*her*."
Dani matched Red stare for stare. In her eyes, he thought he
saw a deep, buried anger, something dark and unsociable, and its
attention was riveted on him now. "I have my reasons for what I do,"
she said, calm, controlled, and much different from her normal,
carefree tones.
Red, being who he was, ignored the subtle hints to bug off.
"And I have my reasons for wanting to know what Asrial did..." A
thought occurred to him. "Or who she is. Hm... she's blonde, maybe
you're jealous... no. you smiled at Terror when she came in, that
doesn't wash. Salusian? Same thing. What's different about Asrial..."
The missing piece slipped into place. "...except that Terror is
a commoner human, whereas Asrial is a Salusian princess...
that's it, isn't it?" He glared at Dani, and the last bit of calm he
had burned away. "You don't give a fuck about who Asrial is, do you?
All you see is the title, 'Princess Asrial.'" He choked down a shriek
of rage, composed himself, and hissed, "I can't believe you could be
that shallow."
Dani glared silently back, defiant, unashamed.
Kris wanted to do any number of things, mostly violent, to
that defiant look, but instead he straightened and said, "Danilia... I
don't think I like you anymore." With that, he strode out of the mess
hall, pausing to punch a vending machine as he passed it. The front of
the machine caved in, and its contents poured from the dispenser slot.
Red ignored it; he no longer had an appetite.

Ch. 16/NOW

Washuu's Lab
August 24, 2388

The Lab's lighting dimmed to a grey twilight, leaving the
forms of Rianna, Kris and Washuu illuminated in the light of several
dormant monitors. None of the three forms seemed capable of movement;
Washuu still lay immobile, mummified, on the bed; Kris lay keeled over
forward from his chair, sound asleep, head and shoulders lying beside
Washuu; and Rianna sat utterly still in her own chair, leaning back
slightly on its rear coasters, eyes closed in a low-level Force
meditation trance, alert for possible invaders.
Rianna started in her chair at the sound of the crab-chime
clattering above the lab door, blinking as the Lab 'woke up,' the
lights returned to full strength, the monitors beeped and flashed.
Rising from the chair, she noted two women walking toward the
examination area. The one in front, a voluptuous blonde, walked with a
fidgety step- Gina did not care in the least for escort duty. The
second woman looked sharp in her CFMF dress uniform, the brand-new
triple bar of a lieutenant commander gleaming on her collar. Her
orange hair framed a freckled face, normally quick to smile, now
deeply disturbed. Who, Rianna wondered, was this?
Gina nodded a greeting to Rianna. "I'm glad you're awake, Ri."
Jabbing a thumb towards Kris' sleeping form, she said, "I'm even
gladder he isn't. He was about to go nuts and take us with him."
"I'd guessed," Rianna replied. "He wouldn't go to sleep until
I forced him to. Lucky for me he was pretty much out of it or he
would've thumped me."
"Um... You..." Gina assimilated the idea, filed it away for
future research, and said, "Anyway, this is Terri Curtiss. She's been
bugging me for days to let her see Red. Can you keep an eye on her?"
"Terri Curtiss," Rianna recognized the name instantly.
"Pleased to meet you. Sure, Gina, I'll take over," she added, sensing
Gina was less than patient right now.
"Great," Gina said. "Sit down, let Zathras get you a snack-
and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. -Either- of you. I'll be right outside if
anything happens." Gina turned and walked briskly back to the lab
door; the crab chime clattered her departure.
Terri watched Gina leave; then, for a brief, uncomfortable
moment, she looked at Washuu. Finally, she focused her gaze on Kris,
stepping over towards where he slept, reaching a hand out to touch his
head...
"I wouldn't," Rianna warned, and Terri swiveled to look at the
civ-hunter.
"Why not?" Terri asked, half curious, half challenging.
"Because if you disturb him now, there's a good chance that
you might get seriously hurt." Rianna thought very quickly about which
words to use next. "He was very upset when I put him to sleep, and
very determined to hurt anyone who came between him and Washuu." She
attempted a warm, friendly smile. "Let them sleep. Right now... right
now they need each other."
"Hurt?" Terri looked at Rianna in disbelief. "But why would
Red want to hurt me? I'm..." She looked at the withered form and its
sleeping guardian, and her voice fell, "...no, I guess I'm not... I
knew he felt something for Washuu, but..." A hand strayed to her
pocket, bringing out an old ring box. "Not like this," she finished,
looking at the ring-box and trying not to cry. Re-pocketing the ring
box, she paced a couple of times along the bed, working herself up to...
something.
After a minute or two she exploded. "Dammit! Why does the
Artist have to DO this?" She glared at Rianna through tear-clouded
eyes. "Tell me why, dammit!"
Rianna was still contemplating the unusual reference to God as
the Artist, so it took a moment for her brain to catch up. Finally,
carefully, she guided Terri to a chair. She sat down beside her, and
in a very gentle voice she said, "In a way -- and don't misunderstand
what I'm saying -- I'm closer to Red than you are. Those who are
strong in the Force- like Red and myself- are open to other Force
users, in a way. We feel each other's emotions, occasionally each
other's thoughts, without even trying.
"For a long time now, Red has been seeking someone he can fall
in love with, someone he could call a... I think soulmate is the word
he would use. I don't mean to say he doesn't love you- he loves you
very much," she added. "He loves a lot of people... even some," she
murmured, nodding towards Washuu, "that he didn't know he loved.
"How long have you two known each other?"
Terri looked down at her hands, curled together in her lap.
"I've known him about three years, a little more," she said. "He
claims he's known me, or of me, for a lot longer." Leaning back, she
said quietly, "But really... only three years."
"You've known Red for three years. I've known him for thirty.
Washuu has been with him, off and on, for almost four hundred years.
He depends on Washuu more than most people can ever understand, I
think. That's why he was in such pain before.
"She's..." Rianna searched for some way to describe the
relationship. "... he called her his other half. If he lost her, Kris
might not be able to go on living. That's how much he needs her... he
loves her." Looking Terri in the eyes, she said, "It took all of this
madness to make him finally realize that. And that leaves the ball,
as they say, in your court."
"Me?" Terri said, looking up, giving Rianna a long look at her
wet cheeks, at the troubled eyes. "If what you've just said is true,
then either Red gives up, or he runs off with Washuu. Where does that
leave me?"
"If you believe that, then you don't understand Red as well as
you think," Rianna said, shaking her head. "Kris Overstreet would
challenge the gates of Heaven and wrestle with the demons of Hell for
you, for me, for anyone he cares about. Even if Washuu lives, he made
a promise to you, and he'll do his best to make you happy. If you
want him to, he'll take you straight to the altar, without a word.
"So... where does that leave you, after all?" Rianna asked,
looking straight at Terri.
Terri looked at Kris again, reached out a hand again, pulled
back just before touching. Then, balling her fists, she leaped to her
feet and growled, "Dammit, WHY? It's not FAIR, dammit!" She took a
swing at the nearest monitor; Rianna's hand blocked the punch
effortlessly.
Terri stared at Rianna's hand, then fell to her knees and
sobbed, loud and long, mumbling, "s'not fair" over and over.
Rianna knelt down and hugged the redhead tight. "You aren't
losing him," she said. "What you and he still have won't ever change.
But what he has with Washuu is..."
Terri sobbed even louder, and Rianna gave up on words,
settling for hugging the woman and simply being there for her. The
Sith were warriors, not counselors. The fact that, in order to keep
Red and Washuu together, she'd had to drive Red and Terri apart made
her feel even worse- she wasn't just incompetent, she was evil.
"I'm sorry, Terri," she sighed. "If Washuu were awake...
maybe she could explain it better..."
It was at about that point that Washuu's body decided to take
a deep, rattling breath.
Rianna and Terri jumped up, anger and grief forgotten, and
watched the withered, shattered body take another deep breath, chest
moving out and in, lungs wheezing as the air left them again. For a
long, long moment, the body lay as still as before.
And then it _happened._
The hypodermic syringe flew out of Washuu's arm, ripping away
from the feeding tube, spanging against a large cabinet at the far end
of the examination area. Gray skin rippled, smoothed, took on a
healthy pink tone. Hair sprouted on Washuu's scalp like some berserk
stop-motion film, going from shadow to bristles to long, flowing
tresses in moments. Washuu's face and body filled out like a dry
sponge exposed to water, cartilage and flesh restoring itself, skin
continuing to smooth until the childlike body was nearly restored to
its original appearance.
The changes didn't stop there. Washuu's body filled out even
more, growing taller, fuller, and more feminine. The childlike facial
features flowed into adulthood, from her old pixie cuteness into
statuesque beauty. Her legs grew long, slender yet shapely, and her
subtle curves became... unsubtle. The changes finally stopped, leaving
Washuu almost as tall as Kris himself, very definitely adult, very
definitely female, and very definitely well-developed.
Washuu... and yet not Washuu.
Terri found her voice first: "Holy shit."
"So that's what she really looks like," Rianna said quietly.
Somehow, this new form didn't surprise her in the least.
Washuu twitched at the sound, then rolled over onto her side
to sleep; as her hand brushed against Kris' head, her eyes snapped
open. Sitting up, she surveyed the room, spotting Kris, Rianna,
Washuu, the leaking IV streamer still taped to one arm, the Van de
Graaff field surrounding the bed, everything at once.
Finally, she looked directly at Rianna and Terri and asked, in
a voice deeper and richer than the one they were familiar with, "What
happened?"
Terri blurted out, "`What happened?' What happened to you??"
She stared gape-jawed at the newly adult Washuu, who hadn't bothered
drawing up the sheet and who was probably giving Terri a major
inferiority complex.
"This is her true form, Terri," Rianna said matter- of- factly.
Turning to Washuu she went on, "As for what happened, I found you in
what was left of your X-Wing, on the edge of death. I brought you in,
and I called Red. He brought you here... and he brought you back."
Washuu looked down on the sleeping man, eyes filled with
worry. "How is he?" she asked.
"He'll be all right now," Rianna said. "Now that you're all
right."
Washuu looked at herself, sighed regretfully, and said, "The
two of you are the first to see this body in five thousand years."
Looking at them all in turn- Rianna, then Terri, finally the sleeping
Redneck, she said, "I... I don't like revealing myself if I can help
it. It's a habit... it's a habit that could have destroyed us both, I
think."
Terri glared angrily at Washuu. For a moment, it seemed to
Rianna as if she would tell Washuu exactly what she thought about a
lot of things. Her anger faded into sadness, and instead she mumbled,
"He had a message for you, if you woke up." Rianna had a double-take
at this blatant untruth, and Washuu raised her eyebrows at the twitch,
but she held her peace as Terri dug into her pocket and drew out the
ring box. Opening it, Terri knelt and presented it to Washuu, saying,
"I think he wants to know... will you marry him?"
Washuu stared at the ring box, at the old diamond-studded ring
lying inside, then at Terri. Terri managed to keep her face straight,
held back the sobs... but the tears running down her face told Washuu
what she really meant. Holding out trembling hands, she took the box,
tears trickling down her own face. "Terri... thank you," she
whispered.
In the back of her mind, Terri heard Rianna's voice, seeming
to reverberate gently inside her skull. <You just did a very brave
thing, Terri Curtiss,> she intoned quietly. <And they will both love
you forever because of that.>
Then, suddenly, Washuu's body shrank as quickly as it had
grown, and the childlike mad scientist they were more familiar with
smiled at Terri, speaking in her old piping voice, "So, how do we go
about sharing him, hm?"
Terri's jaw dropped open, before she said, "Share?" Rianna,
meanwhile, was trying not to snarf too loudly; she should have known
this would happen.
Washuu replied, "Sure! After all, he loves you too... and
don't tell me you didn't have fun those nights in your quarters!"
Terri blushed vividly, and Rianna's struggle to contain herself became
considerably more monumental and less successful.
Looking at Rianna, Washuu barked, "Don't laugh too hard,
Little Miss Sith Lord. You're going to be in on this too!"
"Oh -really-?" Rianna replied with a smirk. Despite her
shock, Terri giggled.
"Sure... he just hasn't realized it yet..." Washuu smiled.
"And there's Leeanna, of course, and maybe others yet to come. Kris is
a person who loves deeply, and widely... reminds me of other people
I've known."
Then, suddenly serious, she stared at both the women intently.
"One thing I ask of the two of you," she warned. "I ask you to tell no
one- especially not Kris- about what you saw just now. I do not want
people to think I am anything else than what I appear to be- unless I
do." An energy sword suddenly flared into existence in her hand,
glowing brilliant yellow. "Some secrets are very important to me," she
whispered. The beam vanished, and she said, "Promise me. Please."
Rianna regarded her in complete silence for a long, eternal-
seeming moment. Then: "On my honor as a Sith Adept, your secret will
be safe with me, Washuu Hakubi."
Terri stared at Washuu for a long moment before Rianna nudged
her in the ribs. "Um, um, right, um, I promise, um... I promise on my
oath as a Freespacer... not as impressive, but I won't tell anyone,"
she finished with a weak smile.
"Thank you both," Washuu said. Then, to Terri, she said,
"Please leave us for now, Terri, there are other things I wish to say
to Rianna... alone."
Terri nodded and said, "Thank you, Washuu... I... I'll have to
think about... about your offer. And thank you too, Rianna." Rianna
and Washuu watched as Terri walked away, through the Lab Door and out
into the word, in silence
As the last echoes of the Lab Door's chime faded, Washuu took
a deep breath and looked Rianna straight in the eye. "Rianna..."
Washuu shifted back to her adult form.. "Rianna, I owe you my
life..."
"I would be lying if I didn't say that _was_ a very stupid
thing you did," Rianna replied evenly. "Taking an X-Wing into a kill
zone like that."
Washuu smiled sadly. "When I heard his voice, crying out to me
over the radio..." Washuu hugged herself, shivering. "I thought that
would be the last thing I would ever hear."
"It very nearly was. I might have found you, but my knowledge
was useless after that. It was Kris who knew how to save you."
>Do not belittle yourself, Milady,< Washuu said in Imperial
Santovasku, surprising Rianna a little. In English she continued, "I
owe you a debt not only of life, but of petty vendetta as well. You
are Santovasku; you are Jedi, or Sith, which at heart is the same
thing. I have reason to hate both, from long before your mother was
born.... so when I saw you, I hated you, for no better reason.
"Ever since I met you, I have avoided you, avoided your
questions when I could, and lied when I couldn't. I dug up every
secret you possessed, to use against you if the occasion presented
itself. I went to great pains not to give you the least hint
about your people's history, their downfall, their remnants.
"I am sorry now for having misjudged you. I've treated you as
an enemy all this time, and in reality you were a greater friend than
I deserved. For what I have done, and what I have failed to do, I am
very deeply ashamed." After a moment's pause, she said, "I will keep
your secrets, all of them, as well as I keep my own. And those secrets
you seek in turn, I will help you uncover. I only hope this can begin
to repay the debt I owe you."
"Please, Washuu," Rianna said, but Washuu held up her hand to
forestall her protest.
"I have reasons still, beyond spite, for not revealing
everything I know, or even very much of what I know," she said. "I
believe the answers you seek, and people like Tita, Lara, Gina and
Nadia seek, are best found through your own efforts, and not my gift.
But now, if you ask for my help, it is yours, in all things. This I
swear..."
She took a deep breath and clenched her fist. A small trickle
of red blood slid down her palm. >This I swear by blood, as Washuu,
Lady of the Nether, Sorceress,< she swore in the old form of the
Santovasku. >This I swear unto you, Sister, Rianna, from now unto the
death of Time.<
There was silence as Rianna watched the blood flow, clearly
impressed by what she'd just witnessed. "Thank you, Washuu," she said
at length. "I always wondered why you seemed cold to me, distant. I
always wished I could understand. Now... now I think I finally do."
"My third lover..." Washuu answered quietly. "The one before
Kris... was a Jedi Knight. He died a senseless death in the
Yoma-Santovasku War. I have never forgotten or forgiven that; I doubt
I ever will." Relaxing her hand, she said, "But his blood is not on
your hands. I have no reason to hate you; I hope you will forgive me
for being too foolish to see it."
The trickle of blood stopped then, and Washuu shrunk back
into her juvenile form, slumping back into the bed. "Whew...
that took a bit out of me," she chuckled, propping herself up on
her elbow.
Rianna chuckled. "Pretty impressive speech, I gotta hand
it to you. Dad would've liked it."
"I don't doubt he would," Washuu grinned. "I'm looking
forward to meeting him."
"That reminds me," Rianna said, remembering something. "I
gotta email him, tell him I'm still alive."
Washuu waved a hand; a holographic terminal appeared beside
her. After a few keystrokes, she said, "There. The message you type in
will appear in his e-mail instantly, totally untraceable." With a
gesture from its mistress, the terminal glided over to Rianna.
Rianna looked at the terminal for a long moment, absorbing the
implications of the gesture. Washuu said, "I've known your father's
identity since shortly after Kris met you. I assure you, the secret
is safe in my keeping." Smiling mischieviously, she continued, "Until
we get together and tickle him until he says Uncle."
Rianna grinned and accepted the keyboard. After a moment of
thought, she typed:

Dad--

Belated thanks for the warning. Sorry for taking so long to
answer but things are a real mess out here right now.

We made it out in one piece but we had quite an interesting
trip. I'll have to tell you about it sometime.

You think maybe the new political situation will let us talk a
little more freely? I'd like that. I have some friends who'd
like to meet you.

Until whenever,

--Ri.

She pushed the terminal away. "Thanks again. For everything."
Washuu smiled, waving the terminal back into nonexistence.
"Anything I can help you with, I will. But please, don't ask for too
many straight answers." Smiling even more cheerfully, she chirped, "I
just wouldn't be Washuu if I made things easy, would I?"
"No, I guess you wouldn't," Rianna replied with a grin.
"Himself here probably wouldn't be Redneck if *he* made things easy,"
she added, jerking a thumb at the still-sleeping Redneck.
Washuu ran her fingers through Kris' hair. "How was he, before
he passed out?"
"Not very well," Rianna sighed. "His aura was all over the
place, along with his mental state. I was only able to make him sleep
because he was completely exhausted and running on vapor."
Thinking for a moment, Washuu finally said, "Please stay a
while. I want you to be here when he awakens." Moving carefully in
the bed, drawing the sheets up to cover her nudity, Washuu took Kris
and easily lifted his head into her lap. "Besides, you should know,"
she went on, smiling, "he really does love you."
"Yeah, I know," Rianna smiled. "I could see it five klicks
away. I always told him our ideologies were too different, but really
it was because I knew he just didn't know who it was he really cared
about, and if we'd gotten involved it would've just confused things
even more. Now, though, I think we can all be truthful." Washuu
nodded, and even without the Force Rianna could see Washuu's eyes
screaming with joy.
"I dunno, though," Rianna continued, a smirk creeping onto her
face. "Everytime I do anything vaguely Force-related I give him the
shakes. He's liable to run screaming if I were to actually come on to
him."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Washuu snickered. "If he
survived Leeanna Zard'al, he shouldn't have any problems with you."
"Heh. Oh, um..." Rianna had been aware of this problem for a
while, but there had been other things... "Would you mind pointing me
to a shower? I've been stuck in this flight suit for a few days now
and I could use some fresh clothes."
"There's a small guest suite across the lobby from this
place," Washuu answered, pointing in the general direction. "Remove
your clothes and put them in the hamper by the bathroom door. By the
time you're done, the closet will have a selection of clothes to your
size... including some nice lacy items for later," she added,
giggling, and Rianna couldn't help but follow suit.

Rianna was surprised at the depth of variety Washuu's
closet had produced when she stepped out of the shower. Everything
from elegant formal gowns to skimpy workout suits, all perfectly
tailored to Rianna's measurements- if Mayl ever heard about this,
Rianna chuckled, she might just decide to emigrate to the Lab
full-time.
One outfit caught Rianna's attention straightaway. From one
hanger draped a long, heavy black cape, beneath which lay the long,
floor-length robes, black with gold and bone trim in some interesting
places, of a junior princess of the Santovasku Empire. Poking out from
the hem of the robes was the tip of a long, heavy, broadsword; Rianna
noted the delicate etching on the metal, spelling out a long name;
Rianna Santova Hiru, nu Shar Washuu Busholdu Ji.
Princess Rianna Santova, adopted sister of Sorceress Washuu,
Lady of the Nether.
Rianna looked at the robes for a long time, absorbing the
message Washuu had sent through them; here, the robes said, you have
another friend.
Rianna pushed the robes aside; the next hangar held a perfect
duplicate of her flight suit, only her old flight suit had been a
general-issue storebought item, whereas this suit looked to fit her
like a second skin. Beside it hung a small tangle of lace which,
Rianna smiled evilly, were a not-so-subtle hint from Washuu as to what
kinds of activity ought to follow when this flight suit came off.
A few minutes later, Rianna walked back over to the
examination area in her new flight suit, and Washuu nodded approvingly
at the choice. "I thought you'd prefer that," she said.
"Well, I was tempted with the leotard you had in there,"
Rianna said, "but I think the jiggling would be too much for Red to
take all at once."
Washuu smiled with Rianna, somewhat more gently. "I think we
should begin," she said at last. For a long moment, Washuu looked down
at Kris, caressing his head gently. Then, she began to hum, a soft,
wandering tune Rianna couldn't quite put a name to.
Then, in a language Rianna didn't recognize from anywhere,
Washuu began to sing, softly, gently, beautifully. Rianna was amazed;
normally, Washuu sang painfully off key, loudly and nasally, working
the audience for maximum pain. Now, her rich, lilting voice filled the
room, soothing nerves Rianna didn't know were upset. In the back of
her mind, words fell into place, as if from a memory she hadn't known
she'd had.

Close your eyes, little one.
I will watch over you.
My love will keep you safe.
I will watch over you forevermore.

Cling to me, my darling.
Know I love you, love beyond all words.

As the song ended, Rianna snapped back to consciousness.
"How..." she asked, but Washuu motioned her to silence, as Kris
stirred and looked up at the small form holding his head in her lap.
The woman's long red hair draped down unrestrained behind her, a few
stray locks springing up in memory of her former carefully crafted
style.
"Washuu..." he whispered, eyes filling with tears.
"Good morning, Kris," she answered. "Welcome back. Are you
done being homicadally mad at me yet?"
Kris reached up and hugged Washuu, sobbing quietly as he cried
with relief. "Yes," he whispered. A bright white glow surrounded the
two, and Rianna shed a tear involuntarily as the overflow emotion
passed over her. Finally, the moment passed, and the light dimmed, but
Kris still hugged Washuu, until finally she pushed him away to look
him in the eyes.
"And, as to your question," she smiled, holding up her left
hand to the light, "the answer is yes." The Overstreet engagement ring
shone brilliantly, diamonds glinting in the light. "Yes, I will marry
you."
Kris stared at the ring, smiling gently, and he whispered,
"I... I don't think I've ever been so happy to be turned down by a
woman in my life." Then, he hugged Washuu again, and the light glowed
even brighter, forcing Rianna to turn her head. Finally, as the light
dimmed again, Kris said, "Washuu, I love you more than I ever knew.
You are the only woman I want to marry, now or ever. I would be
honored to have you as my wife."
Washuu smiled, tears flowing, and she said, "Ever since I met
you, I think, I've been waiting for the day when you would look at me
and see someone you could love, instead of an annoyance, a tool, or
even just a good friend." Hugging him back, she whispered in his ear,
"You've just made me happier than I've been in five thousand years."
"How CUTE!" a voice squealed from behind them. At the edge of
the examination area, Mayl hopped up and down with delight, ears
waggling furiously enough to carry her off into the sky.
Beside her stood Gina, arms folded, smiling sardonically.
"It's a Kodak moment," she said. Kris, startled, broke the hug, and
blushed slightly at the sight of the two newcomers.
"Gina. Mayl. Shoo." Washuu said, flatly yet forcefully.
"Mayl, I will see you tomorrow. No earlier," Rianna said.
"Bye, then," Gina said, and without allowing Mayl to say
something dumb, she grabbed the elf by the arm and dragged her away.
Washuu and Kris hugged again briefly, and then Kris leaned
back, holding Washuu's hands. "You understand I can't marry you right
away," Kris said. "It wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to share your
honeymoon with a pile of reports from the fleet, or a Romulan attack
fleet. Can you wait a little while longer?"
Washuu stretched up and hugged Kris' shoulders. "When the
fleet doesn't need you, and you don't need the fleet," she said, "I'll
be waiting."
Rianna watched silently from beside the bed, sighing with
relief. Kris was apparently over his depression, mind and heart at
ease for the first time since before the battle at Wilderness. As the
two hugged yet again, Rianna could not help feeling left out. She kept
her feelings to herself, of course; these two deserved this moment,
for as long as it lasted.
Washuu caught Rianna's attention over Kris's shoulder, winked
at her slyly. Then, before Rianna had time to react, she said, "Kris,
I'm tired, I know you're still tired, and Rianna is still tired. Now,
I can't get up just yet, but I want you to make sure Rianna is
comfortable, and that she gets a nice long rest... and Rianna?"
"Yeees?" Rianna grinned, guessing what was about to happen
next.
"Make sure he _needs_ a nice long rest, eh?"
At this, Kris looked at Washuu, looked at Rianna, and looked
at Washuu again, suspicion building. "I've been set up, haven't I?"
he said.
"Bingo," Washuu said. "Now get lost and get yourselves
educated. I want some surprises for my honeymoon!!"
"On my snnrf... on my honor as a Lord of the Sith," Rianna
giggled, unable to even fake seriousness, "I will see to it that
we are well-educated."
"Ah, excellent," Washuu smiled, "a woman with a sense of
humor. You'll make a great mistress for my husband, Ri!"
"MISTRESS?" Kris said, mild tone of outrage creeping into his
voice as Rianna broke completely.
Good, Washuu thought to herself, he's getting back to normal.
In Santovasku, she added, >My love with you, Sister. Treat him
well.<
"What was that, Washuu?" Kris asked.
"Oh, nothing, just an old proverb," Washuu said. "'The friends
that lay together, stay together.'" At this, Kris blushed and glowed,
and Ri took advantage of his confusion to drag him towards the guest
suite.
Washuu smiled and called up a terminal. First thing, she set a
Do Not Disturb field around the two... researchers. After a moment's
thought, she added scanners and recording equipment to monitor the
situation for later study. Finally, she put in a call to the Lab's
autokitchens and programmed a feast.
She was -extremely- hungry.

Ch. 17/THEN

Washuu's Lab
August 25, 2388

"Rianna?"
"Yes, Kris?"
"Penny for your thoughts."
<I was just thinking I'd like to try that again...>
<Well, if you insist...>

"Rianna... I don't think I've ever told you before... but I
really do love you, too."
"Are you going to propose to me too?"
"If I did, would you say yes?"
"I'm not the settle-down type, Red. Of course... I'll always
be there for you when you need me."
"So will I, Ri. So will I."
"... Hm, looks like you could use some help right now..."
"I wasn't going to say anything, but if you're willing..."

"Rianna? Rianna?"
Kris sat up beneath the covers of the well-used bed. Rianna
had finally, well and truly, fallen asleep, after a long and gentle
session of mutual lovemaking. For Rianna, it had apparently been a
relaxing session- to say nothing of the fulfillment of quite a few
secret fantasies. For Kris, though... for Kris it was yet another
complication in a tangle of personal affections and passions which
were now working overtime to keep him from sleep.
Oh, he loved Rianna- he hadn't realized it until the
lovemaking had begun, but he did, and he had for quite some time now.
When they'd first met, he'd felt a bit like a surrogate parent, a
protector... now, the child had matured into an adult, who had taken
over the job of protector... and whom, he had to admit, he loved
rather intensely.
And Terri- similar feelings there, Kris thought, an initial
desire to protect, maturing into a love based on mutual interests,
genuine friendship, and physical attraction. Terri had made her
feelings very clear in the 'test drive' about the latter; in fact, she
had used her body to express her desire in the most emphatic- and
enthusiastic- of terms.
And then there's Leeanna, Kris thought. In that case, his
love, even after almost four hundred years, was strictly one-sided.
Leeanna regarded him as a -very- good friend, and a fun occasional
partner, but her heart was strictly reserved for two people, and Kris
would do nothing to disturb that bond... and everything to maintain
it. Still, he admitted to himself, he would have gladly proposed to
her at any time- had he not already known the answer.
And finally, the love which had snuck up on him, the love he'd
been utterly blind to until it was gone- Washuu. It was unfair to say
that his love for Washuu was any greater than the love he had for the
others... but Washuu was different. In the end, it came down to this;
the woman he wanted, needed, more than any other being in the
universe, was Washuu.
And this presented, as they say, a problem.

"Washuu?"
Kris, wearing bunny slippers and a bathrobe, shuffled up
behind Washuu, who was going over a long data readout on her holoterm.
She'd already found one of her usual black-and-teal uniforms and
roosted on her floating hassock as if nothing had happened in the past
two weeks.
Her glowering expression belied just how much had changed- in
the Lab inventory, at least. "How DARE she take my naked singularity
collection?" she ranted to nobody in particular. "Why, I've been
keeping this galaxy nice and tidy for fourteen thousand years and she
just ups and snatches away my work? I ought to fill her water supply
with Rigellian swamp sludge!"
"Washuu?"
Washuu looked around and noticed Kris at last. "Hello," she
smiled sweetly. "Shouldn't you be lying unconscious in a puddle of
your own fluids?"
"Been there, done that," Kris shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. Can
we talk?"
"Sure," Washuu nodded. "What's on your mind?"
"Love," Kris shrugged. "You just sent me off-"
"Four hours ago."
"Ahem, you just sent me off to have sex with someone else. We
get engaged, then you hand me off to someone else. I don't understand
it."
Washuu looked unnaturally thoughtful for a few moments before
saying, at length, "Rianna loves you. Terri loves you. Leeanna....
well, Leeanna isn't leading you on," she smiled wryly. "And I love you
too much to lose you... but...."
Washuu looked very uncomfortable as she whispered, "I haven't
had the prospect of my mortality thrust in my face since I was about
three thousand years old.... I went through hell twice over, once for
losing you to Terri, then again for losing you because I got fried.
"Now I have you again... but I will never, ever forget the
pain, the gut wrenching agony, of having someone else take all my
dreams away like that." Washuu hugged herself tightly as she said that
last. "How could I live with myself and inflict that same Hell onto
any other woman?"
When Kris opened his mouth, Washuu raised a hand. "Don't say
anything. I approve of Rianna, and Terri, and Leeanna as mistresses.
So long as you come back to me- that you never leave me- I will not
interfere in those relationships." She smiled with a hint of her old
impishness as she added, "Anybody else will have to meet my very
strict qualifications!"
Kris actually chuckled at this, but before he could say
anything else, Washuu said, "Now go back to bed. Tomorrow you're going
to have a very, very busy day tackling all the work you've let slide
over the past week."
Kris nodded. "Okay... good night, Washuu... and Washuu?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks."
"Yeah, whatever," Washuu waved off the gratitude, already
buried in her Lab inventory. "WHAT!! She took my TARDIS?!? Does she
have any idea how much trouble I went through to borrow that? You'd
think twenty years of apprenticeship would leave some sense of
gratitude, but NOOOOOOO...."

Next stop, Terri's quarters.
Kris leaned on the call chime, waiting for Terri to wake up
and answer.
After serveral minutes, and one confused-looking passerby, a
voice responded to the bell. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Terri," Kris said. "Can we talk?"
Kris waited for a few moments. Then he waited a few more
moments. After he'd waited quite a few moments beyond that, he asked,
"Terri? You there?"
"Red..." Terri's voice sounded a bit shaky though the closed
ship's door. "Red, I don't think we have anything to talk about..."
"Terri...." Kris racked his mind for something to say,
couldn't think of anything coherent.
"No, Red," Terri said quietly. "Whatever Washuu told you....
I've thought about it... it isn't right for me. It may be for Washuu,
but.... but... " Something thumped against the door. "... Kris, please
let me alone for now...."
Kris stood and listened for a few minutes; when he didn't hear
anything more, he turned and walked back to his office, the Lab, and a
nice warm bed.
But as he walked, he kept looking over his shoulder towards
the door to Lieutenant Curtiss' quarters.

The New Avalon funeral home wasn't used to having scheduled
funerals turned into Welcome Back parties, but at 1300 hours Saturday
afternoon that's exactly what they got.
Washuu (who couldn't understand why Kris had been so
traditional as to hire a funeral home anyway) had everything arranged
carefully, right down to the flower arrangements with labels like
YOU'RE STUCK WITH ME and TOO CUTE TO DIE on their ribbons.
And as most expected, a considerable bit of the old Washuu
came through, beginning with an off-color and frequently insulting
(but still funny) monologue, continuing with several off-color
wisecracks throughout the reception, and including, at the height of
the party, a very complex and subtle practical joke which ended with
Gina Shannon wearing most of the WELCOME BACK cake.
Nobody would have known who was responsible if Washuu hadn't
added her idea of a punchline- a full atomic wedgie, personally
administered, along with the cryptic quote, "That's for my Thomas
Dolby collection."
Despite the shenanigans, the guests noticed a change in the
little mad scientist... maybe not so mad, anymore. She took the time
to talk seriously with people she hadn't spoken to in decades. For
once, she was sober and considerate... and she did something else,
something unimaginable.
She APOLOGIZED.
Sincerely. Personally. To EVERYBODY individually.
This shocked the hell out of most of the guests, each of whom
left the affair wondering if the deep freeze hadn't done something to
her.
The only exception to the apologies was Gina, but since her
silk panties had been converted into a headband and her best dress was
covered in blue and white icing, she probably wasn't in an accepting
mood anyway.

Monday should have brought more work, particularly in standing
down some of the reservist CFMF personnel crewing WDF ships and
getting the Freespacer fleet reorganized into a tenable force for the
long term.
Instead, it brought invitations for the entire CFMF senior
command (at this point, anyone holding pay grades of O4 or higher) to
a reception in one of the Zeta Cygni shipyards' observation decks.
Despite (or maybe because of) the immense stack of paperwork on his
desk, Kris called a holiday and authorized leave for all senior
officers wishing to attend the reception.
After all, keeping connections fresh can't hurt, Kris thought.
At 1 PM, some twenty officers of the CFMF, the Marine
contingent notably absent, gathered in Observation Bay E-125 to mingle
with a somewhat larger number of officers gathered from the WDF,
Federation Starfleet, Discordian Silent Service, Salusian, Zardon,
Corellian and other fleets represented in the allied fleet. In some
cases, it was a reunion of colleagues from other services; in other
cases, notably Aya Nakajima and James T. Kirk, it was a clash of
rivals. (The rivalry, of course, was entirely on Aya's part.)
About thirty minutes into the reception, a bell chime cut
through the quiet conversation. The officers turned their attention
to the two men standing by the buffet table- a short, stocky WDF
officer with a shiny new admiral's star, and a greying Vulcan barely
stuffed into a respectable business suit, both of whom smiled broadly
at the gathering. "Your attention, please," Gryphon's voice echoed
softly over the dying murmurs of the assorted officers. "Before the
special review of ships in honor of our CFMF allies and their
sacrifice in the GENOM war, there is one item of business which must
be disposed of. Fleet Commander Sleik, please proceed."
"Ah, thank you, friend Gryphon," Sleik smiled warmly as he
moved to the center of the table.
"Please don't do that," Gryphon muttered.
"Don't do what?"
"Call me, 'Friend Gryphon,'" Gryphon winced. "It reminds me of
someone I used to know... generally decent person at hearts, but he had
that awful habit... oh, never mind," he shrugged, letting Sleik
address the assembly.
"Ah, yes, well," Sleik tried to shrug off his confusion and
drew a piece of paper from his pocket. "Ahem. 'Report of the Board of
Inquiry regarding the events at Wilderness Station, the board has
determined that Kristan Overstreet, commanding the fleet, was not in a
position to give orders through the majority of the battle, including
the critical period of Captain Condorcet's assault on the Dreadnaught;
that Admiral Overstreet had no way of knowing in advance Captain
Condorcet's intentions; and that, while in command of the fleet,
performed his duty with demonstrated competence and ability.
"'We therefore find no cause for court martial or dismissal
from his position, and therefore reaffirm our confidence in his
command. Signed, Fleet Captain Kalen Jerani, commanding CFMF
Palendrom, board chair; Captain Nanami Kondo, commanding CFMF Camelot;
Brigadier General Piotr Zev, commander 1st Division, Freespacer
Marines.'"
Polite applause followed this announcement, with one
exception; Captain Nakajima slapped Kris on the back and shouted, "I
knew you'd beat the rap, Admiral!"
Kris was too busy recovering his breath to reprimand her.
Sleik eased away from the table, allowing Gryphon to take the
fore once again. "And now, if you'll direct your attention to the
overhead viewports, any moment now, the CFMF's new additions should be
passing over for review."
Kris, who was still doubled over from Aya's congratulatory
slap, bolted upright and gasped, "The whaa?"
"Ahem. 'By order of the WDF high command, in gratitude for
their assistance and sacrifice in the late campaign, blah blah blah,
the WDF hereby donates the following ships, yak yak yak, signed Zoner
and me.' And if you'll look up..." Gryphon pointed up to the viewport
where, at very low orbit overhead, a quartet of Miranda-class
'frisbee' light cruisers cruised over the observation deck; as they
passed overhead, they flipped over in unison, revealing freshly
painted CFMF markings on their upper hulls.
As the cruisers flashed their lights in salute, Kris recovered
his voice and wits. "Well.. thanks, Gryph, ah, those should give us a
nice head start on rebuilding the-"
A quartet of Ikazuchi carriers crept into view, their dark
hulls repainted to the brilliant white of the CFMF. Like the Mirandas,
the ex-GENOM ships rolled over to show the CFMF flag as they saluted
the officers on the deck.
"... ah, those for us too?" Kris asked, wide-eyed.
"Oh ayuh," Gryph rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.
A pair of Constitution-class heavy cruisers passed overhead
next, followed shortly by the bulging arrowhead of an Interdictor
class cruiser; as they also saluted the deck with their new markings,
Kris wondered idly to himself how far afield they'd had to go to bring
in one of GENOM's few remaining Interdictors for this ceremony.
Then, to the oohs and aahs of many in the group, the
streamlined, gun-bristled bow of a Yamato class battleship passed
overhead; it fired a salvo from its deck guns before rolling over to
display the Freespacer flag painted across its upper deck.
Aya stared up at the battleship with wide eyes. "Ooooooh," she
cooed softly, "I know what I'm asking for for Christmas...."
Kris was gaping too widely to reply; as the battleship passed
out of view, another, much larger ship pulled into view... and
pulled... and pulled... and pulled. The observation deck as the
Imperial class Star Destroyer passed less than 200 meters overhead.
The behemoth slowly, slowly rolled over to reveal:

CFMF CHIMERA
CFF-101

Behind and above it, in escort formation, three Victory-class
Star Destroyers repeated the maneuver, firing off fireworks as the
giant white-washed vessels slid past the porthole and out of sight.
"Uuuuuh...." Kris took several deep breaths before finally
whispering, "Gryphon, have you gone crazy on me?"
"Maybe I could give the ships to the Zardon Defense Fleet
instead," Gryphon grinned.
Aya chose that particular moment to pass out.
"NO! - um, no," Kris shook his head, "that won't be
necessary."
In one moment, so to speak, the fleet had tripled its size. Of
course, the Star Destroyers couldn't be crewed for battle anytime
soon, but the rest of the ships changed the complexion of the CFMF's
situation considerably- and for the better.
Now, Kris wondered as he eased his way over to thank Gryphon
personally, how do I convince the reservists to re-inlist formally so
I can keep these ships flying?

Aya dropped down into a chair in one of the Utopia Planitia
Shipyards' many visitor waiting rooms. Around her stood or sat the
other command officers of the late CFMF Defiant. "Booooy, what a
shocker that was!"
Homare sat down in the chair beside her. "Do you mean learning
that Kirk was Starfleet Academy's champion thumb-wrestler in his
class, or that the WDF gave the CFMF a Star Destroyer?"
"Both!" Aya shrugged. "I wonder which one we'll get?"
"Didn't you ask Admiral Overstreet- um, Commodore Overstreet
about it?" Shwarz said, not looking up from his handheld Sega
Revelation(TM) game set.
"He left right after talking with Admiral Hutchins," Homare
shrugged. "That was almost an hour ago. We would have left sooner if
Aya here hadn't kept at the champagne."
"Sugar water," Aya snorted. "How can you have fun with
champagne? A rich Corellian brandy, now, that's some party drinks!"
"Humans are unfathomable," T'Pall muttered as she sipped her
bottled water.
"Excuse me." A fresh-faced Condorcet in full formal uniform
stood at attention and saluted the group. "I have fresh orders from
Commodore Overstreet's office for Captain Nakajima and her command
staff."
Homare stood up and took the sealed envelope from Little Joe,
undid the flap, and read the orders silently to himself.
"Well, bro, what do they say?" Aya bounced up and down. "Let's
hear it!"
"Welllll..." Homare scanned down the list. "We're all ordered
to appear at a special WDF ceremony on Wednesday to receive the Order
of the Eternal Knight for our valor and initiative at Wilderness and
Zeta Cygni-"
"Eternal Knight? YATTA!!" Aya pulled a pair of folding fans
from her pockets and started dancing around waving them happily. "The
highest honor in the Federation! We're hot! We're hot! We know it!
YIPPEE!!!"
"Ahem," Homare continued, "Thereafter you and your staff will
have a week's leave, to report the following Thursday to CFF-101
Chimera-"
"I KNEW IT!! I KNEW IT!!" Aya shouted. "We're getting the Star
Destroyer! They love me! They love me!!"
"-- under Fleet Captain Gilad Pellaeon, late of GENOM, to
begin tenure as instructors for the Fleet Academy."
Aya froze. The fans dropped listlessly from her hands. "....
instructors?"
"According to this, sis," Homare said slowly, cautiously,
"you've been named the new Head Coach in charge of physical education
and self-defense training."
"Head... coach..." The tears glistened in Aya's eyes as she
remained frozen in mid-prance.
"The orders mention something to the effect that we'll be
given a ship after we've trained enough people to recrew the one we
lost... -and- the one we stole the shield generator from." Homare
folded the orders up and pocketed them, adding, "I told you the
Admiral would mind if we took that generator."
Aya's bottom lip began to tremble.
"I... I believe it would be most prudent to leave the Captain
alone to contemplate these orders," T'Pall said, already three steps
towards the corridor and moving faster with every step.
The others took the hint and, with less decorum, scattered.
A few seconds later, the Zeta Cygni Dyson Sphere reverberated
with the cries of a heartbroken former starship commander.
"WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Ch. 17/NOW

Five miles from the middle of nowhere, Texas Free Republic,
Earth
March 7, 2401

Kris waved to the postal delivery tank as it rumbled down the
old asphalt road to the next set of boxes on the mail route. He
thumbed through the day's mail- five letters- as he walked back up to
the house. Two letters were marked 'Occupant,' and a third marked 'You
May Already Have Won'; as Kris passed beneath the branches of the
immense birch tree in the front yard, he tossed the letters up into
the canopy, where a handful of small pterodactyls and a family of
mockingbirds fought over the nest-making material.
Kris stepped up onto the porch of his house, rebuilt on the
site of his old family home, and stepped nimbly over the large
ankylosaur sprawled lazily across the walkway. Looking down at the
chessboard sitting before the dinosaur, Kris reached over and moved a
bishop forward to threaten one of the rooks.
The dinosaur noted the move, lifted itself up on its
forelimbs, took the rook in his teeth, and placed it down on the other
side of the board. Its clubby tail thumped once, twice, as the
dinosaur settled back to its resting place.
"Checkmate it is," Kris nodded. "Showoff." He swung the front
door open and walked in, stepping over some of his baby daughter's
toys. He was about to open one of the two remaining letters when he
noticed his daughter sitting in the middle of the room holding
something small and brightly colored... which stared up at the tiny
pink-haired girl, body wrapped around her wrist, as its black forked
tongue flickered at her nose.
"WA..... wa... shuu..." Kris choked down his panic, forced
himself to call for his wife in a soft, non-threatening tone.
"Washuu... Wapiko is holding a -coral snake- in her hands..."
"What about it?" Washuu walked in, a load of clothes in her
arms. "It won't bite her. They never do."
"Bugs I can handle," Kris said, his nerves still shaky. "Dogs
and cats I can understand. Dinosaurs I can accept... but poisonous
snakes...."
"Get used to it, dear," Washuu said, setting the wash down on
the couch and sorting it out. "We were warned... and there'll be more
to come..."
As Washuu began folding the clothes, the snake uncurled itself
from Wapiko's hands and slithered slowly away, across the floor and
under the crack in the door. With her new friend gone, Wapiko looked
around her, saw her father for the first time, and smiled. "Ga!"
"Well, nice of you to notice me," Kris smiled. "C'mere, you."
He reached down and picked up the little toddler, raising her over his
head. "UP goes the baby!!"
Wapiko giggled as Kris lifted her up and down, swinging her
around and around until, with the loud grunt reserved for daddies
sitting down in soft chairs, he plopped down onto the sofa and hugged
Wapiko close while he waited for the room to stop spinning.
"Here you go, darling," Washuu leaned over the couch and took
Wapiko from Kris' arms. "I think it's just about time for your dinner,
young lady." As she cradled Wapiko in one arm, she glanced down at the
two letters lying on the back of the couch. "Is this all the mail
today?"
"I already recycled the junk mail," Kris smiled. He picked up
the first letter, opened and skimmed through it. "This one's from
Terri," he said. "Says here she's had a run-in with some Big Fire
ships off in the Outer Rim, but they weren't able to track them
down... wants to know if I have any suggestions," he sighed, tossin
the letter down. "Of course I don't have any suggestions, I'm not on
the scene, it's her fleet now."
"Only because you gave it to her," Washuu smiled.
"Well, I gave it to her expecting she'd be able to handle it,"
Kris shrugged. The only uniform he kept in the closet these days was
the one the Free Texas civil defense forces had forced on him, and in
this new era of planetary peace and rebuilding, the most dangerous
things the civil defense forces had to worry about were the giant
mutant dinosaurs or other animals left over from the Collapse. A year
of retirement had Kris relaxed, refreshed, and bored out of his skull-
though he had no intention of admitting it.
Kris picked up the other envelope and examined it. "Hm... from
the Blissex Proving Grounds, Chiisai Zardon... wonder what they want
with me..." He opened the formal wax seal on the flap and drew out a
handwritten letter, the dark script thick and crabbed in the
old-school Salusian style. "Hm... well, whaddya know, it's from old
Jan Dodonna," he said. "Seems the old coot -finally- retired from the
Salusian Navy... about time, too, he was my squadron commander waaaay
back yonder with the WDF, God knows how old he is now..." He trailed
off as he read farther down, then handed the letter up to Washuu.
"'I have used my pension funds to enter into partnership with
the Blissex engineering firm to develop a starfighter combining the
lessons learned in my many years of service. Upon the recommendation
of our fellow colleague Rayna Tangril, I am offering you the position
of chief test pilot and flight evaluation officer for proving
prototypes for the Dodonna-Blissex "A-Wing" interceptor. I will be
available at your earliest convenience to discuss the position and the
starfighter specifications...'" Washuu smiled as she read silently
through to the end. "It seems your talents are appreciated."
"Knowing Dodonna, th' thing'll probably be a rocket with one
gun and a rudder," Kris grumbled. "Dodonna's so much of a speed freak
he makes most Corellians look timid."
"Are you going to take him up on it?"
"Why should I?" Kris asked. "I'm having a great time raising
Wapiko and living off my savings, why do I want to go work for someone
else?"
"Kris, dear, you spent the last six months tracking down parts
and assembling an entire 1973 Gremlin," Washuu said gently. "You spent
the three months before -that- writing the entire history of the
Freespacer nation. You are bored. It shows. I think it's time we
rejoined the rest of the universe."
"But I retired specifically so I'd have more time to spend
with th' baby!" Kris said. "I don't want to be gone for months at a
time while I work. I want to be here for her, not off flying across
the galaxy."
"Kris, love," Washuu walked around the couch and sat down
beside him, holding Wapiko to her breast. "It's not like you're flying
off to save the world. You'll be back home every day after work- if I
take the Lab out of mothballs, that is," she smiled. "We'll move
full-time back into the house in New Avalon, get involved with our
friends again, -socialize- again. Wapiko'll have a whole lot of
playmates her age, Martin and Eiko can watch her if we decide to have
a night to ourselves..."
Kris blushed a bit and said, "Well, um, I don't know, I mean I
want to spend as much time as I can with-"
"Kris. Take the job before you drive both of us crazy."
"Ga!"
"Shh, go back to eating, dear."
Kris leaned back and thought about it, thought about it very
carefully. It was boring, it was quiet, it was isolated, and in small
doses he liked it that way... but he had to admit, there were quite a
few people he wouldn't mind seeing again, off and on. And it would be
good for Wapiko to meet playmates that had fewer than four legs. And
there would be television again, and the Net, and visiting and talking
with other people, and not worrying about dinosaurs digging underneath
the house...
"What the hell. Why not?"
"Thank you, dear." Washuu stood up and carried Wapiko into the
next room. "I'll have Zathras start packing our things as soon as
Wapiko's finished eating!"
Kris nodded absently, picking up the letter and turning it
over in his fingers, feeling the formal parchment crinkle in his
hands. More change, he thought, a new life before him, thanks to a
letter.
Things felt so different, so strange, even after- what,
fifteen years since the proposal? Or two years since the wedding from
Niflheim? And things kept changing, kept shifting around him, and he
had to shift with it all.
For the life of him, Kris couldn't really see any of it as
bad.
Kris folded the letter up and slid it into his pocket. He
whistled his way out the door, stepping over the ankylosaur and
strolling back towards the shed where the Y-Wing sat, power cells
full, hull polished, ready to lift off at a moment's notice.
It might be good to fly again...
... and life goes on...

*** AUTHOR'S NOTES ***

This story was begun in May 1996, while REDNECK: THE QUAGMIRE
PROJECT languished near completion. I was still working for Antarctic
Press, unaware of how close AP was to a round of downsizing which
would cut half its staff and all its manga and furry-animal line.
Since I began working on this story, I wrote or co-wrote three
other Eyrie Productions stories- REDNECK: DIE HARDLY, PRIVATEER: ONE
FINE MESS, and TWILIGHT Seals One through Four. I made beginnings on
several other stories, Eyrie and not, and began work on projects
which, God willing, will actually pay some money.
Since I began, I have left AP, returned as webmaster for their
web sites, been downsized from that, and now, as I finish the first
draft on the story, I am preparing to move away from San Antonio
completely and return to my roots in the back woods.
Since I began, my father, the living (and unknowing)
counterpart to Butch Overstreet in this story, Quagmire Project and
Twilight, has been hospitalized twice, once in 1997 for mysterious
attacks of partial paralysis, and once this year for pancreitis. He's
still struggling to find a way to stay afloat in the auction business,
while I do the same with my own comics trading and (hopefully) comic
publishing company.
Since I began, despite Clinton's best efforts, he was
re-elected. The Communications Decency Act was overturned and is now
back in Congress, making its way virtually unchanged through the legal
hoops on its way back into federal law.
Since I began, I have not upgraded my computer.
And since I began, I have finished.
Project SILBUSTER, Doubledealer, Aral Vorkosigan, Aya Nakajima
and her crew, May Azland, and most importantly Wapiko will all be
appearing in future stories, as will more characters both original and
borrowed.
The members of Eyrie Productions, Unlimited would like to
thank the creators of Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica,
Tigers of Terra, TenchiMuyo!, Ninja High School, Silbuster, the
Transformers, Star Trekker: the Manga Parody, the Vorkosigan novels,
Goldfish Warning!, Robotech/Macross, Iczer-One, Star Wars: the
Roleplaying Game, Appleseed, Space Battleship Yamato/StarBlazers, the
Legend of Zelda, Outlanders, Wing Commander, Gold Digger, and the
Honor Harrington novels, along with any other sources of inspiration
we might have used in the production of this story.
The principal author would also like to thank Larry Mann,
Martin Rose, Ben Hutchins and Rob Shannon for contributing text or
input for the story. Also helpful were Philip Moyer and Chris Davies,
whose input and advice were invaluable in the long and torturous
process of completing this (currently) longest UF story ever.

Kris Overstreet
San Antonio, TX
July 30, 1998

*******

Well, it took nearly a year to finish editing this, and it's
been a wild and hectic time since. My company has published two comics
issues and will publish at least two, perhaps as many as five, more
this year.
In September my father was diagnosed with kidney melanoma, and
had one whole kidney removed. In February he was mis-diagnosed with
carcinoma of the pancreas, had half of it removed, and died slowly
over the following week as the remaining half bled him to death. A
story will be dedicated to his memory.
In between then and now, I've been extremely busy, running a
company, helping run (and then shut down) another, writing, working,
organizing a family reunion, and setting Dad's estate in order. After
hitting the editing chores on Wilderness in fits and starts, I sat
down the week of May 23rd and began editing the remaining half of the
work, vowing that good, bad or ugly, it would go out before I left for
Project A-Kon X.

It's out.

Godspeed, Dad, I miss you.

Kris Overstreet
Five miles north of the middle of nowhere
southeastern Texas
May 28, 1999

-30-