I dug out an old story that I'd worked on as my first attempt ever to
seriously write something.  It started out as a script, and a pretty
clunky read at that.  Here's the first two, very short chapters.  C&C
appreciated, requested, begged for, as usual.

----------

				   *******
				Blue Lightning
				   *******
				   Volume I

			   (c)1995 By Damon Casale


	The year is 2008.  Overcrowding, a totalitarian government, and
vicious, constantly infighting intelligence agencies plague the world.
It's not a nice place to live.

	I had a plan.  There was a way out, away from all of the worst
humanity has to offer.  It was only a matter of time...


* Questionable Tactics


	She's dead.

	I stood in front of her.  Eyes closed, not a strand of hair out of
place, even the horrible bloodstains gone.  But her sleep will last
forever.

	I shook myself out of it.  There, the tube's closed.  Click.  The
conveyor carried it away, and a hatch opened and closed.  A dull *thump*,
and the launcher kicked it out into open space.  I felt hollow inside.
Cold.  There may be a universe out there...but the beauty is gone, leaving
an empty, mocking husk.


	"I've decided.  We're going back."

	Puzzlement, then shock played over Steve's face.  "Do you have any
idea what that'll mean?  Damon, you can't just--"
	"I know.  I don't care any more."  The bridge is silent for a long
moment.  "I assume no one wants out now..."

	Jupiter swung before us, looming large and silent.  Then Saturn, a
halo and myriad of moons spinning lazily away in space.  Finally, the solar
system was left behind.

	'It's all in the past'.  'You can't look back, only forward'.
There are dozens of them.  Each one, a silent memorial to what I'd lost.
And each one utterly devoid of pity or remorse.  No.  I've come this far,
and now even the immutable past can be remolded and reshaped.

	"Let's go."  I touched a few buttons, laying in an autonav
sequence, and stood up.  There's no turning back now.
	On the viewscreen, the stars took on a reddish haze.  A thick, inky
black ring of darkness coalesced around the ship.
	Numbers, data, tests...they mean nothing now.  In a few seconds, we
could all be--

	The viewscreen exploded into a fierce, intensely bright light,
taking me by surprise.  Blue Lightning shuddered, an unsettling tremor
reverberating throughout the ship.  I shielded my eyes, but the light
rapidly faded away.  I looked...

	"Holy--"
	I slammed myself into the nav seat.  A small, drab, grayish-white
star lay directly ahead, growing steadily larger on the screen.  The heart
and bones of the ship, suddenly thrown before a yawning abyss, lurched and
screamed in agony.  I attacked the console furiously, grabbing the control
spheres and forcing them to one side.  For a few, frantic seconds, the ship
slid ever closer to the neutron star.  Then slowly, achingly slowly, it
drifted away to the left.

	"That was *too* close."  Steve collapsed into another chair,
shaken.

	"I hate to say it, but let's try that again."
	Nick chuckled.  I glared back.
	Steve smiled sarcastically, but kept silent.

	The stars again began to take on a reddish haze.


	"We're back already?"  Jeff threw me a questioning glance.  "Didn't
you say you can't steer--?"
	"No, look at it again.  There's only one continent on the whole
planet, plus a few scattered islands."

	The blue-green world crept closer, something out of a forgotten
dream.  A small, pithy moon slid into view.  Opposite the planet, another
was barely visible, very dim.  The first moon drifted out of sight.

	"What in God's name is THAT??"
	Steve, aghast, stood and stared at the large, ungainly lump of a
ship edging out from behind the planet.  Numb, I shook my head slowly.
Whoever they might be, we obviously weren't welcome.

	The other ship spun off to one side, and the first moon swung into
view again, growing huge against the starry night.  Blue Lightning coasted
into a slow, drifting orbit, the planet on the other side.

	"Looks like it's already occupied, D."
	I glanced back at Steve.  "Not very likely.  We didn't see or scan
any artificial satellites, and that's only one ship we've seen so far.  My
guess is they're investigating it, same as us."
	Steve paused at that, not taking my implication very well.
	I looked back at the moon, slowly drifting by beneath us.  "As soon
as it orbits back behind the planet again, which should be in about..."  A
quick jab at the console again.  "...seventy five minutes, we'll make for a
quick landing."

	He eyed me, looking a bit disturbed.  "Sure that's a good idea?"
	A quirked eyebrow and narrowed eyes, I silently told him exactly
what I thought of his question.
	Steve breathed a small sigh.  "Fine, I'm heading downstairs."  He
walked across the deck, stepping onto a protruding ladder, looking back at
me and beckoning.  "Coming?"


	In the heart of this maze of metal and plastic lay a bit of lost
paradise, a small island of Earth in the depths of space.  We climbed down
onto a carpet of fine, green grass, slightly damp.  An artificial creek
burbled its merry way across the room, though you wouldn't know it was to
look at it.  A single stub of a tree leaned over it, drooping.
	We sat down under the tree.  Steve took his boots and socks off,
rolling up his pants, and hung his feet in the cool water.
	"Care to talk about it?"
	I shook my head slightly.  "Sorry.  Not now, at least."

	Steve faced the stream, looking away.


	It was an issue of questionable tactics in the first place, years
and years ago.  I knew *someone* was onto me, but had no idea who.  My
apartment had been searched, though discreetly, my phone bugged...and I
knew it was time to do something.  And so it all began with a phone call to
a longtime friend.
	"...I just need something else in my life, you know?  I'm even
getting bored with Maison Ikkoku."
	I shrugged.  It was a stupid idea to begin with, but it was this or
nothing.  "Well, more like depressed, actually."
	Steve laughed at that.  "Can't help ya, man."
	Up to this point, I'd never had any kind of relationship with
anyone, being the geek I was.  "Even after the last episode, too!  Maybe I
just empathize with Godai too much."  I smiled slightly.
	But I'd already decided to attract some of that unwelcome attention
in a bit more of a direct fashion.  And my voice picked up a note of
sadness.  "Maybe I'm just lonely."
	"You? That *is* a change."

	It was time to go hunting, and I did it the hard way.


	The moon slid away to reveal the planet again, minus its unwanted
visitor.  Steve and I exchanged glances.

	A bay door in the belly of the ship slid ponderously open.  The
scoutcraft within drifted forward, and the door closed.

	The planet below opened up invitingly, and the scoutcraft brushed
through a few faint wisps of cloud, heading for a small island near the
mainland.
	"Just in case.  They're probably already on the continent
somewhere."


	The exit ramp descended, and a touch of breeze brought the salty
taste of the sea.  Outside, we gathered near a small copse of trees.  Vivid
green bark and a light purple ocean brought home the alienness of the
world.

	"It's a good thing this air is breathable.  I'd hate to have to
walk around in those stupid suits all the time."  Nick grumbled at nothing
in particular.
	"Then relax and enjoy it.  Let's take a look around, shall we?"

	A nearby cliff beckoned.  The sun was low on the horizon,
reflecting a rainbow of light off of the rippling water below.  So peaceful
and serene.

	I looked down...
	"Oh my god..."

	On the rocks below, a humanoid form was spreadeagled next to the
crashing waves of the sea.  Steve looked at it, his expression unreadable.


* Choices


	"Damn, he's heavy."  Steve stumbled a second time, cursing.

	Inside the scoutship, the three of us laid him on a bunk set into
the wall.
	"I hope you know what you're doing", Nick growled.
	"Do we have any choice?  Look."  I turned his head, revealing a
small, electronic device, cracked open and innards exposed.  "Something
tells me that's not supposed to be there."
	"So now what?"  Steve looked back at me as I walked down the ramp.
	"We wait for him to come around.  I'll be outside."

	I sat down, dangling my legs over the edge of the cliff, looking
down at the crashing waves. The sun was setting.
	Maybe he's right.  This isn't such a good idea.

	I looked out over the sea, as the sun dipped lower, almost below
the horizon now.

	On the other hand, I've got to do something.
	I rested my head in my hands, watching as the sun finally set, the
last, faint rays of light slowly fading away.

	"He's coming around."
	"I'll be right there."

	I stood up, kicking a pebble over the edge of the cliff, and
looking rather despondently at the darkening sky.

	The seadweller tossed restlessly.  He blinked slowly, and his eyes
opened halfway.  Just the barest hint of a melodic whistle sounded.
	"You're safe.  It's all right."  Nick rested a comforting hand on
the seadweller's arm.  His eyes opened a bit more, and he started to sit
up, then clutched at the device on his head.  It sparked.
	Nick pushed him back down gently.  "Careful there.  You need to
rest."
	"I don't think he understands what you're saying."
	I shook my head.  "Doesn't matter."  He's among friends, and that
needs no language to communicate.

	I gestured to Steve.


	"We've got to do something about that thing on his head."
	Steve looked away, at the cliff.  "We can't do anything here,
that's for sure."
	"Then we're talking about taking him aboard Blue Lightning.  Should
we risk it?"

	"If we were going to catch anything, it would have happened
already."  He faced me again, grinning.  "Besides, you said you didn't
have a choice, did you?"
	I smiled.  If only for a fleeting moment, this nothing did what
afore could not be done.  For now at least, I'm happy.

	"What..."  Now puzzled, I looked intently at the nearby copse of
trees.  Steve glanced at it, curious.
	"Give me your floptical recorder."
	He held out a small, rectangular device, with a slot in the back
just big enough for a 3.5" floptical.
	I took it, holding it out in the direction of the trees, as the
grinding sound grew louder.


	The scoutcraft flew into the night, and the clearing was once again
empty.

	...no, perhaps not.  The mystery, remained.


	John and I helped the seadweller onto a medbed.  He took a
medscanner, a calculator-like gadget with a couple of odd-looking
attachments thrown in for good measure, and panned it over the head of the
now prone humanoid.
	He gazed curiously at it.  "Maybe you boys should wait outside."

	Steve shot a satisfied look at me.  "Now's as good a time as any."
Ahead, around a slight bend in the corridor, a ladder ran through the
ceiling and floor.
	I stared rather confusedly at him.  "For what?"
	He started down the ladder.  "We need to talk.  About what happened
that day."

	"Now isn't--"
	His voice wafted up from below.  "You can't keep it bottled up
forever."

	I climbed onto the ladder, sighing heavily.  He's right.


	The door closed behind us.  I sat down on my bunk, and Steve
followed suit.  Painful it may be, but keeping it inside will only eat away
at that still small hope I clung so desperately to.  It's time to let it
go.

	"After we got out of the compound where they were holding her, we
headed for the ship."


	Below, a narrow dirt road was braced by trees.  The flitter raced
along, only a few feet above the treetops.
	"Why did you bother?"  Kerin looked at me.
	"I didn't want you hurt.  You know what they would have done to
you."

	She looked ahead, no trace of emotion.  "That's not it.  That's not
it at all."
	Embarrassed, I looked down.  She knows me well enough to realize
that much.  After more than ten years, I can't expect less.

	Behind us, a menacing black chopper rose into view, closing
rapidly.  Kerin looked back, fearful.
	"Looks like we've got company.  Keep your head down."

	"Why should you care?  You know who I am!"
	"I've known since we met."

	I looked at her again, her eyes wide.  "Now is not the time to
discuss this.  As I see it, you have two choices.  I can try to evade these
clowns and hide you somewhere where you'll be safe, or..."
	I paused, looking away.  "...or you can come with me."

	"Are you serious?  Do you really care about me that much?"
	"I..."  I stuttered, as always, unable to say it.  I *am* in love
with you.  No matter what happens...I can't lose you again.

	Machine gun fire sounded from the chopper, almost on top of us.  I
shoved Kerin down in the seat.  "Stay down!"
	The flitter dashed forward, and I broke towards the sun, high in
the sky.  In the distance, Blue Lightning came into sight, in the middle of
a large field with signs of heavy equipment having been moved across it.
"They're still tailing us."

	Another chopper came into view in front of us, swinging out from
behind the ship.  "Shit!  More trouble."

	Kerin peeked above the dashboard, and her eyes widened at the sight
of it.  "That's a...a..."  "Stay down!  We've gotta make it to the ship!"
	I pressed a button and spoke into a grille on the dash.  "Steve,
open bay 5.  Shut it right after we land."
	"Gotcha."

	I aimed for the opening door, as both choppers closed in.

	Just before we entered, machine gun fire sounded again, and Kerin
gasped in pain.  On her chest and shoulder, two splotches of blood were
rapidly spreading.  She slumped back in the seat, her breathing shallow and
labored.

	The bay door closed behind us.  The flitter settled to the deck,
and Steve rushed forward, alarmed.
	I cradled Kerin in my arms.  In a faint whisper, she breathed her
last.  "Goodbye, Damon.  I l..."  Then her eyes rolled back, and her body
sagged.
	I buried my face in her chest.  "Noo..."

	And so it ended, with the one person I treasured more than anything
taken from me not a moment before I left Earth, never to return.


	"You know the rest already."  A single tear dropped from my cheek.
I dabbed at it, wiping it away.  "...so close", I whispered.  "Why?"

	And there is only silence.

	"Let's go."
	I looked at Steve sidewise.


	The infirmary door slid open in front of us.  The humanoid was
sitting up on the medbed, his head now free of the device, a white bandage
in its place.  The device itself rested on a small, wheeled table nearby.
John, standing next to the bed, gestured.  "He'll be fine.  But I didn't
try to take the wires out of his head, that this thing was attached to.
Too much risk of brain damage."
	He walked over.  "You wanna know something?  His brain is almost
*exactly* like ours, except for a small third lobe in the back of his
head."
	Another puzzle?  "Wait a second.  How could he be that similar to
us?"

	"I gave Nick a skin scraping.  He'll take a look at his DNA.  Let's
wait and see what he comes up with, mmm?"
	I approached the bed and held out my hand, helping the humanoid to
his feet.  "C'mon.  I want to show you something."


	Steve and I guided him from the stairway onto the bridge.  The ship
was just beyond the edge of the moon, with the planet in view.
	The seadweller approached the viewscreen slowly, a wondering look
on his face.

	The other ship begins to edge into view again, and the humanoid's
eyes widened.  He slowly touched his hand to the bandage.
	He turned around, facing us.  He pointed at his eyes...and the
ship, looking at it.
	"Look at the ship?  I don't--"
	"No, I think he means he's seen it before.  Or maybe something like
it..."  Jeff climbed off the ladder.

	The humanoid faced us again, as the ship moved back behind the
moon.

	He paused, then approached me, pointing at his mouth...then at my
ear...then at my mouth...then at his...ear?  I nodded quickly.  "You're
right.  We have to find a way to communicate."
	He slowly pointed at the bandage, then cupped his hand in the shape
of the device so recently removed.
	"Are you saying...that was a translator?"

	He pointed at the viewscreen again, then looked confused.
	"It can translate their language?"

	We faced each other silently.  There are always...possibilities.
And the mystery beckoned.

	I sat down at one of the consoles, and pressed and held a button.
"John, think you could reattach that thing?"
	Click.  "Are you kidding?"
	"No questions.  Can you do it?"  I could almost hear his
indecision...but his trust won out.  "I...think so..."
	"Alright.  Tomorrow then."  I released the button.  "Steve, go find
Jeremy.  We're gonna need to get that thing fixed before we can put it back
on."
	His concern was plainly visible.  "Don't you think you should ask
*him* first before you go messing with his head?"

	I glanced back at the humanoid.  "I think he's already made that
decision."
	"I want Jeremy to make another one, too."

	Steve's eyes widened.  He wheezed and coughed repeatedly, trying to
recover.  "Are you *nuts*??"
	"Not hardly.  I'm gonna need one."
	Steve looked even more surprised.

	"If I'm right, that thing only works one way.  You can understand
what's being spoken, but not speak the language yourself."
	"Then how will that help?"
	I returned with a knowing look.  "I can start by using that voice
sample we recorded earlier."
	"How do you know that was their language?"

	I looked back at the seadweller, who was watching us both
curiously.  "What else could it have been?  Besides, I played it for our
friend here, and he seemed to recognize it."

	Steve looked glum.  "You're crazier than I'd ever hope to be."
	I smiled sadly.  "It's not like I have a choice, do I?"


Damon Casale, dc56+@andrew.cmu.edu

* Maison Ikkoku * Kyoko Otonashi * Video Girl Ai * Amano Ai *
               * Blue Lightning * Kerin Gray *
Blue Lightning forever...Kerin, are you out there?