This has nearly doubled in size.  I did a bit of editing on the original
text, and added a lot of character description.  After all, it's supposed
to be a diary of sorts.  It's the best way I can think of to get character
description into the story.

-----

				   *******
				Blue Lightning
				   *******
				   Prologue

			   (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.  Only a matter of 
time, in many ways.


	I wrote that only five years ago.  It seems like an eternity.  I've 
seen more and lived more in the past few years than I had ever, before.  
But Kerin...  I should start at the beginning, of course, but then the 
story would take forever to tell.  So I'll start five years ago.  The day 
Kerin died.
	Am I writing this for myself?  Yes and no.  I can't hold it inside 
any longer.  But more than that, I want to remember.  Kerin and I had had 
good times and bad times together.  No matter who she really was, I needed 
to remember to survive.  I would never have left Earth, if it hadn't been 
for her.

	I know I'm not making any sense, but it's too much to tell all at 
once.  Thinking back to five years ago...  There were twelve of us who knew 
about the project, not including myself.  The ship, Blue Lightning, had 
finally been completed, and was ready to launch.  I had been careful enough 
to avoid being discovered by the various intelligence agencies, or so I 
thought.  There was only one thing left to do...

	Oh.  Before I even get into that, I should introduce some of the 
major players in my story.  You might know me already.  Then again, you 
might not.  I was a scientist, who'd managed to stumble onto something I 
shouldn't have.  Other than that, I'm pretty average, or at least I try to 
look it.
	Steve, one of my closest friends since we were kids, became my 
personal bodyguard.  Well trained in many styles of martial arts, and a 
connoisseur of anything from a semi-auto to a rifle, he'd had many 
occasions to put his talents to use.  When I'd first started the research 
and development company bearing my ship's name, the powers that be were 
understandably suspicious.  Several times, we'd both had rather unpleasant 
encounters with intelligence agents after certain secrets...but I'll get 
into that later.
	There are plenty of others who have a part in my story.  Chris, the 
navigator I'd chosen to fly my ship.  She was still pretty much an enigma, 
and she looked it.  John, the diminutive ship's doctor, with an acidic wit 
that would offend even McCoy.  Jeremy, the ship's engineer.  That is, if 
anyone could hold that title.  He wasn't a Mr. Fix-it, although his 
electronics and computer skills I'd had many occasions to appreciate.

	And of course, there was Kerin.  But before I get ahead of myself, 
let me begin my tale.


Damon Casale, scyth@andrew.cmu.edu

				* Love *
                 Between two people, there is nothing that
                      can draw them closer together