All right, so sue me.  I kicked the Quantum bucket and wrote the last
part of volume 1.  :)

Now, should I bother with volume 2?

----------

				   *******
				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...


* Transition


	I needed solitude.  I didn't want to deal with Steve's prying
questions, or anyone else's.  But the park was occupied this time.

	Who?
	"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was here.  I'll leave."
	"No, it's okay."

	Reluctantly, I sat down next to her, beside the brook.
	"You're Steve's friend, aren't you?"
	"Yes."

	I'd met Beth a long time ago, briefly.  She and Steve had been
working out together, both attending the same Tae Kwon Do school.  She
seemed the decent sort, although a bit shy.

	But it wasn't the time to be renewing acquaintances.  I stood up,
ready to walk away.
	"Wait...what's wrong?"
	"I really need to be alone right now."

	"I heard about what happened down there.  Is that it?"
	"No, I just...need to be alone."

	"What you need is a little cheering up."  She casually rested a
hand on my shoulder.  "How about I make dinner tonight?"
	"That's kind of you to offer."
	"No trouble at all."

	"Then I'll see you later.  Thanks again."


	How long?  How long will it take...?

	I collapsed onto my bunk, and the door slid closed.

	Not five minutes later, it opened again, and Steve walked in.  "I
hear you've been feeling a little down lately."
	"I guess so."

	He planted himself in a chair.  "You ready to talk about it?"
	"Not really, but you're not gonna go away until I do, are you?"
	"Course not.  That's what friends are for."

	"I just can't seem to get her off my mind.  For a while on the
planet I could forget, but..."
	"Now it's hitting you all over again."
	"Beth was right.  You need a little something to cheer you up."

	It's going to be a long time before I'll ever feel happy again.  If
ever.

	"Steve, tell me something.  Do you think I'm being selfish?  Trying
to save Kerin."
	"You might call that selfish.  I'd call it something else.  You
gotta go with what's in here, man."  He held a hand over his heart.

	"Maybe.  Maybe you're right."
	"Course I'm right.  Come on."
	"No, I'll stay here for a bit."
	"Suit yourself."

	The door closed, and I was alone again.

	I'll find you, Kerin.  That's a promise.


	The mess hall was a bit crowded on this particular occasion.  Even
Chris showed up.  She'd been pouting since we left Earth.
	Andrea, Nick, Chris, Eric, John, Jeff, Ben, Jim, the other Ben, and
Lucky, were sitting around two long tables.  Steve and Beth were serving...
I don't believe it.  It must be the vegetarian version, since we didn't
pack any meat.
	"Thanks.  Both of you."  I smiled warmly.

	They finished, and sat down.  "I'd like to dedicate this piece of
lasagna to a very large stomach."
	"Whose would that be?"
	Beth glared at us with mock exasperation.  "Enough, you two.  Eat."
	A fair amount of chuckling wafted over the table, and I grinned at
Steve.

	I still didn't understand.  Somehow, in Weya's mind, it was more
important for me to rescue Kerin, and risk changing my saving her people,
than to play it safe.  Was it because it was what I wanted to hear?

	No, that couldn't be right.  She knew the risks.  It couldn't have
worked out any better for her, and it hurt her deeply to tell me I could,
and should, change things.

	"Hey, there's more.  Go get yourself a piece."

	"Come on now, cheer up."
	"You were right.  I wasn't being selfish."
	"Heh?"  Steve frowned at me.

	"I just realized.  Something Weya was trying to tell me."
	"Well, don't leave us in suspense."

	"Weya's husband died saving her village.  She knows that, and even
though she still loves him, she's willing to forget about him.  Because he
died for a reason."
	"But Kerin's death was pointless.  And Weya was trying to tell me
there's nothing wrong in wishing it otherwise."
	"I see."

	"That doesn't make the pain go away, though."
	"Thinking about it never does."

	I stood up, finally.  "I think I'll take you up on that offer."
	"Good."

	That feels a little better.


	I sat down, watching the swirls and eddies creep past me in the
brook at my feet.

	"What are you doing back here?  I thought you were feeling better."
	I smiled.  "Hi Steve.  I am.  I'm just thinking about Weya."
	"And?"

	"What's going to happen back there?  They've got all the
opportunities in the world.  More."
	"I hope she'll be happy."
	"I'm sure she is."

	"So tell me, what did you two do with all that time you spent alone
together, just before we left?"
	I smiled again.  "It's a looong story.  But I'd rather not talk
about that."
	"Didn't think you would.  But I can guess."  He laughed.
	"Hey!"
	"Don't take it so seriously!"

	He sobered up.  "You two..."
	"It was pretty obvious, wasn't it?"

	"Well, it's not like you could hide that sort of thing."
	"You get to know a person pretty well, once you've been inside
their head."
	"What was that like?"

	"Difficult to explain.  Let's just say Weya got a lot more from me
than I ever expected."
	"So I guessed.  She seemed a lot more confident after that."
	"You noticed that?"

	"I notice a lot of things.  It's my job."
	"What about you?"

	"I saw only bits and pieces, but let's just say Weya's had a very
painful past, even besides the death of her husband."

	Steve was silent for a moment.  "One last question.  What was the
name of their planet?"

	I looked out across the park, seeing something rather farther away.
"Nefaroo.  They called it Nefaroo.  'Precious life'."


	Weya stood near the shuttle, before a large group of seadwellers.
"If we are to work together, we must be able to talk to one another."
	"Each of you will receive a translator.  Together, we will build a
home for the spiders on the continent."
	She paused, contemplating.  "In time, perhaps we will venture into
space above.  Until then, we are masters of an entire world."

	The seadwellers slowly filed into the shuttle.  Krrlik separated
from the crowd and joined her.  "<Have only one warning.  Was no accident
that caused plague that probe.  Deliberate it was.  Caused it who know not
I.  Hope that dead long since are they.>"
	"<Otherwise, the Great Death can happen again.  And this time, we
cannot save everyone.>"

	He followed the last of the seadwellers inside, leaving her alone
with her thoughts.

	I hope you do not meet them, my friend.  Whoever they are, they
hold no value in life.

	A single tear fell.

	I will miss you, Damon.


End of Volume 1

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?