Light and Haze, 1: Turning Point
12 Sep 2021Meowers
This story emerged from RP section as a spin-off, but I tried to make it more 'stand-alone', separate. First part serves as a 'prologue', it starts right from the point where RP events ended, and there are also some explanations and descriptions made to make everything perceivable, without redirecting and backtracking. So then, I'll say my thanks to JB and Creamy for that nice little story we three played. And, well, it took a while even to start writing this one, like, almost four months from the initial idea, as I wanted to finish the previous arc prior to it.
And this is quite a change of style. My previous, 'Unguided', was a compilation of log entries, put together to form a 'chronicles'. Dedicated mostly to my actions, decisions, comments on various events. With some humourous things too. But this one is relatively slow-paced, far more deep and introspective, telling more about personalities rather than describing any actions or serving as a diary of sorts. It will contain moments that someone may see disturbing or difficult. But this story would be impossible without them, as it's actually mostly about them, as I tried to explain it in the very first lines.
Events of the life and our reactions to them are forming our personalities, both 'how we see self' and 'how others see us'. They give us a knowledge of this world and a chance to create our own, unique path. Journey called life. Our personal experience. We see this world as a compilation of what we know about it, and our actions define how world sees us. It's a constant, natural process and it lasts a lifetime. Nothing and nobody can read your thoughts, and therefore actions are important, as it's the way to show your personality, to manifest it. To let the world know who you are. React on you. Know that you're here. However, our thoughts, our decisions precede our actions. And every event leaves a mark on us, some of them are echoing in our memory through years. Memories of the past shape our decisions made today.
Speaking of turning points... Did I ever thought I'd be standing here, in that crowded dusty dock, and planning the next move to make it fit not just for myself, but also for a woman who's close my age, have no ID, no money, no possessions and probably no place to return to? The only thing that she has now is that battered flight suit, and it's too big for her size. And it's stolen. Top half from one person, bottom from another. But don't worry, those people won't complain as they're dead. And, well, khm, I was looking none less glamorous, with that scratched baggy military outfit and a rifle, loosely hanging on its belt, with only one mag left. I swear that the barrel was still warm only a few hours ago.
Uh... How did I get to that unusual situation at all? First, I thought that I have to put Marshmallow into a complete, detailed long-term diagnostics and maintenance. At last. After all that we've been through last months. To make sure that every little single piece is on its place and functioning properly. Quick field check-ups and repairs can't guarantee that, and... Okay, sentimental moment, I became seriously attached to that ship, it's almost a part of me, so she deserved that rest. Definitely.
And then I decided to combine it with a visit to Citi Gateway station in Inara, instead of hanging around Komotae and staring at the same walls of the same living compartment day by day as the ship maintenance goes. That particular place has a bit of reputation... Mostly because of its none less famous Inara Galactic Bar. It just looks like your usual bar, but known for being a point where many paths cross. One of the places you should visit at least once after passing the exams and becoming a private spaceship pilot, to see what's going on in this Galaxy. And what kinds of people you may encounter. A rite of passage of sorts. Well, I was quite late with that one as I'm usually sticking to my own line, but let it be that way.
Here we go. I'm in the place where you can find yourself dragged into some strange events, my ship is partially disassembled at the local maintenance station, I have nothing to do for the next pair of weeks and there's a bar nearby, with all sorts of peculiar characters visiting it. What can go wrong? Hell, everything!
So, in one of those days I was contacted by a person named JB Threepwood... Who was contacted by some private security agency... That was contacted by the Imperials... In a long chain of, uh, trying to hide what's happened, apparently. Ugh. And, of course, to let more creds hit the pockets of countless middlemen. Turned out that one eccentric Imperial character with an equally eccentric name Creamy was kidnapped recently and held hostage, and it's not a rare case in their fancy society. Ah, I guess they just simply wanted to grab that ransom money from Imperials, pretending it was transferred to those thugs. And expendable mercs were sent to risk their arses pulling the hostage out.
Why did I even accepted that thing? See, I pissed off some certain Imperials, hard. Yeah, superpowers don't like me in general, but it's all more like a summary of efforts that were spread across the independent space. I was aiding local folks in repelling the attacks... Or kicking the bootlickers away from their cosy nests in places where they don't belong. Here and there, here and there, and for a long enough time to become recognisable. But there was a pair of Imperial factions... And their advances in several systems were stopped, no exceptional attention from me, not more than to others of their kind... But a coincidence. And I was seen, ummm, almost in every single system of those conflicts. So I thought that they want to have a little talk in private. And I brought my heavy plasma rifle with me to make the negotiations enjoyable. Well... Turned out it was connected to the Empire. But, uh, not the way I expected.
What do you know about hostage rescue operations? What do I know about them? As I think, they should be carefully planned, be as stealthy as possible or with rescuing side having overwhelming firepower and numbers. To minimise possible threat to hostages, collateral damage and all that unwanted stuff. So, as you may probably guess now, I had none of those luxuries back then, as improvised plan became a wreckage from the very start. Because JB thought that I'm a 'tech genius', meh. And it were two of us and a platoon of them. And... well, being stealthy really isn't my thing. You see, it already looks like a start of some strange story.
Of course the operation quickly turned into a complete mess. Faint signal from a personal transponder brought us to the frozen little rock in the Lozin system and it's too far away from anything worth any attention. And then things became loud and shooty, we had to improvise, but we made it, rescuing not only the 'primary objective', but also her. As I know, she has some medical skills, so they kept her as a, um, nurse for that guy. Expendable... And, well. I don't know how long she was held there. What now? Now we certainly need to find a quiet place to let the things slow down a bit. So, meet Jacqueline. My new companion from that accident.
Or it wasn't an 'accident' after all?..
(Jacqueline. This photo was made quite later, so she looks okay here.)