I feel that like in all really good stories, exposition is the key. Therefore, we will have exposition, rising action, more rising action...and multiple climaxes. ^^;; eheh heh, no pun–err, "fun" intended. And, of course, falling action and a resolution. It's just going to take us a while to get there... So bear with me, will you?
Okay, so here's the premise: It's sort of like the series about Acorna, by Anne McCaffrey, with star wars, Inheritor, and all the other sci-fi I've ever read mixed in (asimov, etc.). Kagome gets found by Inu, and all sorts of havoc ensues. Rin gets found by Fluffy. Kouga + Naraku = BAD. Aw, shit, just read it, ok? I hate summaries, they're usually mind numbing drivel that gives you no idea what the story is about. So, READ!!!
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The stars spiraled outward from the gigantic mass of heat, movement, life. Here, in the space between galaxies, time moved strangely, and fate stranger yet.
Inuyasha watched indifferently as the stars sped by, dancing through the viewplate of the cargo ore hauler. It had been fifty long years. Fifty years, since he had given up his place as one of the heirs to one of the richest interstellular travel companies, Western Starlands Inc. After the strange death of his mother under suspicious circumstances, and his father in a space pirate duel, he had fled into hiding, trusting his father's oldest friend to maintain the family "fortune."
He had seen and had enough of the death, violence and disorder caused by his pirate brother, Sesshoumaru, to last him to his death.
Why did his brother hate his father so much for marrying his mother and becoming a respectable intrastellular transport magnate? He wished father's second, Higurashi, the best of luck with the whole mess. Becoming an ore hauler was not his idea of a great way to hide from his psychotic brother, and from his father's rival, Naraku, but it was probably the least likely thing that anyone would think of him doing. Who would WANT to live on the outer rim, where strength was the key to survival, and people killed just for fun? Life was hard, and everyone was tough, indifferent, and detached. It was a survival mechanism, out among the farthest star systems of the galaxies rim, where individualism was the absolute creed.
Grimacing once at the memories, he quickly yanked his eyes away from the streaks of stars, and checked the navicomputer. Good, good, all systems were green. He proceeded to check all the other systems as well, the ore holders, the collector, the grappling arms. He breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going well, this last run. He had a full load of some very valuable bauxite ore, as well as some other minerals that he'd had to stake out a claim for. He'd registered the stake too.
It was a good thing that the Tetsusaiga was a good solid ship, and wouldn't need any extensive repairs this time. It was a lucky break. He'd bought, no, won the ship in a hand of poker, and had decided to make his escape with it, never guessing that it would become his home and refuge from humanity when the world went to shit. It was a good ship, an ex-claim pirate's ship, and had a truly amazing (and illegal) weapons array, as well as backup computers, and many other handy features. It could come in real handy when defending a claim, or even against another ore pirate. Strangely enough, it had been named for a rusty old sword that hung on the wall above the ships nameplate by the same name.
Predictably, life on the rim had changed him a lot. He was less social, and definitely coarse from his interactions with other miners. Most days, dealing with his partners, Sango, and the lecherous Miroku, he was best described as surly, or better yet, completely rude and blunt. He was tall for a spacer, but not as tall as his girlish brother, with a compact, well-muscled frame that often earned him unwanted attention from bar flies of the opposite gender at the spaceports where he sold his ores. Also, because of his parents, he was a half-aug, which meant that he had a longer lifespan and other heightened senses as well as greater strength. No-one knew about his nanite augumentations but Sango and Miroku, and his surly reputation ensured that no-one else would ever get close enough to find out. His full-aug brother knew, but it was extremely unlikely that he'd ever find Inuyasha, or care enough about Inu to seek him out other than to kill him as a rival for power of Sesshoumaru's pirate group.
Glancing again at the board, he frowned. What the hell? When had that subspace distress beacon started? Why the hell hadn't he noticed it? "Stupid, shit. Shoulda been watching." He muttered. Growling to himself, his hand moved to tell the computer to ignore the signal and keep flying. It was, after all, none of his business, and probably hazardous to his health to do so. He growled again, remembering the last time he stopped, getting involved with that stupid manipulative bitch, Kikyo. Her ship had been blown to bits, and she'd been floating oh-so-innocently in an escape pod, "waiting" to be rescued, with a blaster pistol and a knife. She'd rigged the convincing trap, hoping to snare some other person, and when she got him, she'd tried every way she could to seduce, cheat, trick and lie to him... just so she could get his ship and use it to get her revenge against Naraku.
Luckily for him she hadn't counted on the backup systems that had kept him from being shoved out of the airlock into space and dying. Because of his augs, he would have been frozen in hibernation until someone picked him up or he fell into the gravity well of a sun. The ship, instead, had snagged him with a grappling arm, preventing him from floating away, and later enabled him to regain control. *KEH* he thought.*I still was able to boot that bitch off my ship...lucky break again!* Not realizing, of course that the ship's recognition system would only allow others on the ship if they shared his DNA pattern or he was with them. The stardrive had shut itself down, and so had the engines, until he had gotten back inside.
Shut off, the beacon indicator ceased to flash on his viewscreen.
He stared at where it had been. *Stupid idiots, don't they know better than to get stuck out here? No one will help them, it's too likely they're a pirate. 'Sides, if you're out here, you take care of yourself, and nobody else.*
He hesitated then. *What if it's one of my drinking buddies, who got in trouble and set of the alarm by accident. Ha! If it's Miroku, I'm gonna rescue him and then hold it over his ass every time I see the bozou! I mean, shit, it can't hurt to check, right? Maybe I'll get a reward. That's sure help me pay for any future overhauls I need...*
Before he could suppress the impulse, he pressed the button quickly, almost too late, overshooting the beacon a bit, just in case. He'd learned his lesson from last time. Grimacing, he sighed. *Well, since I've stopped now, I've gotta at least check, even if it's nothing.*
*****
Kagome grimaced. This had to be the worst situation ever. As the eldest daugher of Karatsu Higurashi, she was obligated to concede to her father's wishes and marry whoever he decreed, even if the man was as black hearted a bastard on the inside and as charming on the outside as any space pirate. "Naraku!" She spat the word like an epithet. That bastard had betrayed them. They were going to get killed or worse– raped. She wasn't a complete idiot. She knew how hard life was on the outer rim. She'd lived here for five years with a miko named kaede, learning martial arts and training her mind and body. In those five years, she'd seen quite a bit of the darker side of humanity, and its better side too; courage, compassion, hope.
She gripped her gun tighter. One thing was for sure, her shooting skills were a definite help. She'd encountered three of Kouga's thugs and shot them (this was amazing to her, that she could actually shoot someone!) in order to draw them away from her sister Rin, in the auxiliary bridge. She hoped her distraction was working, since everyone else seemed to be dead or unable to help at all. Her job was to clear a way to the escape pod deck and grab one for herself, saving another for her sister. Wiping sweat from her brow, she peeked around the corner, and seeing it all clear, sprinted to the next junction, using the recessed pressure doorways for cover. *Almost there, almost there...wait! Shit, there's one of them in the escape room. Now what do I do?*
Shoving her gun into the back of her belt, she walked into the doorway, in a sudden impulse, holding her hands up. "Who the hell are you people? What do you think you're doing?" The man, startled, and called out, "Ginta-kun, lookit what we got here!" "What, Haku-kun?" asked another voice as another man came into view. *Shit! I thought there was only one! Now what do I do? How do I get rid of them!* Her brain was not cooperating with her feet, because she was flying forward, dealing a stunning blow to one thug's head, and snap kicking the other into the wall. They crumpled unconscious. Kagome blinked. "That was way to easy." Or maybe she was just too used to fighting. Oh well.
Quckily, she opened one of the pods and stored her small sack of gear inside, checking to make sure that all was intact. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. *Oh no!* Quickly swinging the pod door shut, she prayed that no-one would notice the pod was occupied. Peeping through the hole, she watched as another man came in, checking on the other two men, and then talking into a radio. "Boss, Haku and Ginta are out. I'm gonna go search for the other one. One of them's shut herself into an escape pod." Kagome's blood ran cold. He knew she was there! Sinking down, she managed to set the door lock on the pod and then smash the controls, preventing him from entering. He tried the door lock, banging several times before giving up and dragging the other two unconscious men with him. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.
Too early. the ship's public address system began to bellow as the ship shook even harder than the earlier barrages. "WARNING, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED. ALL CREW ARE ADVISED AT THIS TIME TO ENTER THE LIFE PODS!" In the silence following the announcement, alarms wailed, and Kagome's pod mad an audible click, and her stomach dropped out from under her as the ship's computer spoke pleasantly. "Please prepare for escape pod automatic launch. All pods currently loaded will now be launched. Standby." Her eyes widened in horror. If all the pods launched, then Rin wouldn't have a way of getting off the ship! Kagome had the shikon plans to defeat Naraku and keep him from destroying her father's family, but doubted anyone would guess that they were stored in the jems of her necklace. But Rin! This was a complete disaster. It was too late though! With a final jerk, her stomach fell out from under her in despair in the zero gee. Her comm squawked, set open "Captain Kouga, I'm gathering the pods now..." She was jerked abruptly back into the cushions as something arrested her inertia, causing her to black out. "NO! We've lost them, sir!" The world went black again, and spun in and out of reality disturbingly. Another voice, coarser and darker "Damn you, you stupid shit ore hauler! I'll get you for that!"
*****
**flashback**
Rin stared at the screen, raising her chin. "I'm not afraid of you. You can't attack us anyway, wolfman. We're in dog territory." Desperately trying to hide her fear, she knew that her sister was probably still alive somewhere on the ship–hopefully she had gotten to one of the escape pods in her space-suit. Damn Naraku for double-crossing them like that! He had been greasily pleasant, arranging a marriage with the Higurashi family, pointing out that their businesses would mesh well, and that they could dominate the interstellar transport routes. *Damn daddy for not seeing that he was an evil lying cheat. I hope that I can bluff him until help comes. I'm the only one still alive on this thing* She'd set off the distress signal as soon as she had realized that they were not where they were supposed to be. Only treachery could be at work, if the computer were right, and they really were that far out near the rim!
Naraku had somehow reset their navicomp, so that they ended up at a totally different location from where the rendevous for the marriage was. *Did he know Kouga's reputation for raping and despoiling young women? I bet that's why...he must have tipped off Kouga that we were going to be here, and with us presumably "dead" or missing or even dishonored, he could take over as daddy's heir in the company...and smooth over our shame... But the computer says this is inutaisho's territory. Maybe If I offer him –sesshou-something?– enough money, he'll help us. Damn, DAMN, Kagome, please be alright!* Naraku had also reset the weapons systems, so they were unable to defend themselves in time. Kouga's men had boarded the ship, but she and Kagome had managed to run and elude capture. She'd gotten pretty banged up in the process though. Blinking back tears, she thought of all the others, dead within seconds of being boarded.
She clenched her jaw, willing herself to glare at the evil bastard on the screen, despite her hands shaking. Kouga sneered. "Really, Well, That's funny little girl. I can't wait to see what I'll think of to do to you, once I get my hands on you!" The rest of his speech was cut off as missiles pounded into the hull, destroying even more of the ship and taking out the communications array. A warning light lit up, and alarms began to blare: "WARNING, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED. ALL CREW ARE ADVISED AT THIS TIME TO ENTER THE LIFE PODS!" Terrified and witless, she slapped the screen away and ran from the bridge, leaping into the turbolift, and praying for the doors to close faster. Prying the doors open, she ran faster. *I hope that all of them haven't been jettisoned! I forgot about the automatic launch program when the ship is about to be completely destroyed!* She had completely forgotten about the intruders on the ship. One loomed suddenly out of the darkness, smashing her over the head in a blow that would have killed an ordinary human. Rin's augumented nanites quickly recovered, and she staggered to her feet, surprizing the man. She managed to slip past him before stumbling into the door of the escape pod bay. Frantically slapping the door toggle open, she entered and realized that there was only one pod left. It was tiny and meant for a child of five, but she crammed herself in. A light lit up. "This pod is jammed. This pod is jammed. Please choose another." Snarling, she hit the console hard. A crunching sound was heard, then there was a giant jerk and she was floating weightless.
How long she was there, she didn't know, except when SOMETHING caught her with a solid bang and a bump, then, she was just as suddenly released and tumbled over and over. The climate controls were flickering madly–something had hit the outside of the pod. That and her earlier pounding meant that it was getting colder, and harder to breathe. Her last thoughts were a desperate prayer that someone, somewhere would find her in the darkness of space. Where was Kagome? Wouldn't someone answer their distress signal?? She didn't want to die alone...
**end flashback**
Okay, so here's the premise: It's sort of like the series about Acorna, by Anne McCaffrey, with star wars, Inheritor, and all the other sci-fi I've ever read mixed in (asimov, etc.). Kagome gets found by Inu, and all sorts of havoc ensues. Rin gets found by Fluffy. Kouga + Naraku = BAD. Aw, shit, just read it, ok? I hate summaries, they're usually mind numbing drivel that gives you no idea what the story is about. So, READ!!!
_________________________________________________________________________
The stars spiraled outward from the gigantic mass of heat, movement, life. Here, in the space between galaxies, time moved strangely, and fate stranger yet.
Inuyasha watched indifferently as the stars sped by, dancing through the viewplate of the cargo ore hauler. It had been fifty long years. Fifty years, since he had given up his place as one of the heirs to one of the richest interstellular travel companies, Western Starlands Inc. After the strange death of his mother under suspicious circumstances, and his father in a space pirate duel, he had fled into hiding, trusting his father's oldest friend to maintain the family "fortune."
He had seen and had enough of the death, violence and disorder caused by his pirate brother, Sesshoumaru, to last him to his death.
Why did his brother hate his father so much for marrying his mother and becoming a respectable intrastellular transport magnate? He wished father's second, Higurashi, the best of luck with the whole mess. Becoming an ore hauler was not his idea of a great way to hide from his psychotic brother, and from his father's rival, Naraku, but it was probably the least likely thing that anyone would think of him doing. Who would WANT to live on the outer rim, where strength was the key to survival, and people killed just for fun? Life was hard, and everyone was tough, indifferent, and detached. It was a survival mechanism, out among the farthest star systems of the galaxies rim, where individualism was the absolute creed.
Grimacing once at the memories, he quickly yanked his eyes away from the streaks of stars, and checked the navicomputer. Good, good, all systems were green. He proceeded to check all the other systems as well, the ore holders, the collector, the grappling arms. He breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going well, this last run. He had a full load of some very valuable bauxite ore, as well as some other minerals that he'd had to stake out a claim for. He'd registered the stake too.
It was a good thing that the Tetsusaiga was a good solid ship, and wouldn't need any extensive repairs this time. It was a lucky break. He'd bought, no, won the ship in a hand of poker, and had decided to make his escape with it, never guessing that it would become his home and refuge from humanity when the world went to shit. It was a good ship, an ex-claim pirate's ship, and had a truly amazing (and illegal) weapons array, as well as backup computers, and many other handy features. It could come in real handy when defending a claim, or even against another ore pirate. Strangely enough, it had been named for a rusty old sword that hung on the wall above the ships nameplate by the same name.
Predictably, life on the rim had changed him a lot. He was less social, and definitely coarse from his interactions with other miners. Most days, dealing with his partners, Sango, and the lecherous Miroku, he was best described as surly, or better yet, completely rude and blunt. He was tall for a spacer, but not as tall as his girlish brother, with a compact, well-muscled frame that often earned him unwanted attention from bar flies of the opposite gender at the spaceports where he sold his ores. Also, because of his parents, he was a half-aug, which meant that he had a longer lifespan and other heightened senses as well as greater strength. No-one knew about his nanite augumentations but Sango and Miroku, and his surly reputation ensured that no-one else would ever get close enough to find out. His full-aug brother knew, but it was extremely unlikely that he'd ever find Inuyasha, or care enough about Inu to seek him out other than to kill him as a rival for power of Sesshoumaru's pirate group.
Glancing again at the board, he frowned. What the hell? When had that subspace distress beacon started? Why the hell hadn't he noticed it? "Stupid, shit. Shoulda been watching." He muttered. Growling to himself, his hand moved to tell the computer to ignore the signal and keep flying. It was, after all, none of his business, and probably hazardous to his health to do so. He growled again, remembering the last time he stopped, getting involved with that stupid manipulative bitch, Kikyo. Her ship had been blown to bits, and she'd been floating oh-so-innocently in an escape pod, "waiting" to be rescued, with a blaster pistol and a knife. She'd rigged the convincing trap, hoping to snare some other person, and when she got him, she'd tried every way she could to seduce, cheat, trick and lie to him... just so she could get his ship and use it to get her revenge against Naraku.
Luckily for him she hadn't counted on the backup systems that had kept him from being shoved out of the airlock into space and dying. Because of his augs, he would have been frozen in hibernation until someone picked him up or he fell into the gravity well of a sun. The ship, instead, had snagged him with a grappling arm, preventing him from floating away, and later enabled him to regain control. *KEH* he thought.*I still was able to boot that bitch off my ship...lucky break again!* Not realizing, of course that the ship's recognition system would only allow others on the ship if they shared his DNA pattern or he was with them. The stardrive had shut itself down, and so had the engines, until he had gotten back inside.
Shut off, the beacon indicator ceased to flash on his viewscreen.
He stared at where it had been. *Stupid idiots, don't they know better than to get stuck out here? No one will help them, it's too likely they're a pirate. 'Sides, if you're out here, you take care of yourself, and nobody else.*
He hesitated then. *What if it's one of my drinking buddies, who got in trouble and set of the alarm by accident. Ha! If it's Miroku, I'm gonna rescue him and then hold it over his ass every time I see the bozou! I mean, shit, it can't hurt to check, right? Maybe I'll get a reward. That's sure help me pay for any future overhauls I need...*
Before he could suppress the impulse, he pressed the button quickly, almost too late, overshooting the beacon a bit, just in case. He'd learned his lesson from last time. Grimacing, he sighed. *Well, since I've stopped now, I've gotta at least check, even if it's nothing.*
*****
Kagome grimaced. This had to be the worst situation ever. As the eldest daugher of Karatsu Higurashi, she was obligated to concede to her father's wishes and marry whoever he decreed, even if the man was as black hearted a bastard on the inside and as charming on the outside as any space pirate. "Naraku!" She spat the word like an epithet. That bastard had betrayed them. They were going to get killed or worse– raped. She wasn't a complete idiot. She knew how hard life was on the outer rim. She'd lived here for five years with a miko named kaede, learning martial arts and training her mind and body. In those five years, she'd seen quite a bit of the darker side of humanity, and its better side too; courage, compassion, hope.
She gripped her gun tighter. One thing was for sure, her shooting skills were a definite help. She'd encountered three of Kouga's thugs and shot them (this was amazing to her, that she could actually shoot someone!) in order to draw them away from her sister Rin, in the auxiliary bridge. She hoped her distraction was working, since everyone else seemed to be dead or unable to help at all. Her job was to clear a way to the escape pod deck and grab one for herself, saving another for her sister. Wiping sweat from her brow, she peeked around the corner, and seeing it all clear, sprinted to the next junction, using the recessed pressure doorways for cover. *Almost there, almost there...wait! Shit, there's one of them in the escape room. Now what do I do?*
Shoving her gun into the back of her belt, she walked into the doorway, in a sudden impulse, holding her hands up. "Who the hell are you people? What do you think you're doing?" The man, startled, and called out, "Ginta-kun, lookit what we got here!" "What, Haku-kun?" asked another voice as another man came into view. *Shit! I thought there was only one! Now what do I do? How do I get rid of them!* Her brain was not cooperating with her feet, because she was flying forward, dealing a stunning blow to one thug's head, and snap kicking the other into the wall. They crumpled unconscious. Kagome blinked. "That was way to easy." Or maybe she was just too used to fighting. Oh well.
Quckily, she opened one of the pods and stored her small sack of gear inside, checking to make sure that all was intact. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. *Oh no!* Quickly swinging the pod door shut, she prayed that no-one would notice the pod was occupied. Peeping through the hole, she watched as another man came in, checking on the other two men, and then talking into a radio. "Boss, Haku and Ginta are out. I'm gonna go search for the other one. One of them's shut herself into an escape pod." Kagome's blood ran cold. He knew she was there! Sinking down, she managed to set the door lock on the pod and then smash the controls, preventing him from entering. He tried the door lock, banging several times before giving up and dragging the other two unconscious men with him. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.
Too early. the ship's public address system began to bellow as the ship shook even harder than the earlier barrages. "WARNING, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED. ALL CREW ARE ADVISED AT THIS TIME TO ENTER THE LIFE PODS!" In the silence following the announcement, alarms wailed, and Kagome's pod mad an audible click, and her stomach dropped out from under her as the ship's computer spoke pleasantly. "Please prepare for escape pod automatic launch. All pods currently loaded will now be launched. Standby." Her eyes widened in horror. If all the pods launched, then Rin wouldn't have a way of getting off the ship! Kagome had the shikon plans to defeat Naraku and keep him from destroying her father's family, but doubted anyone would guess that they were stored in the jems of her necklace. But Rin! This was a complete disaster. It was too late though! With a final jerk, her stomach fell out from under her in despair in the zero gee. Her comm squawked, set open "Captain Kouga, I'm gathering the pods now..." She was jerked abruptly back into the cushions as something arrested her inertia, causing her to black out. "NO! We've lost them, sir!" The world went black again, and spun in and out of reality disturbingly. Another voice, coarser and darker "Damn you, you stupid shit ore hauler! I'll get you for that!"
*****
**flashback**
Rin stared at the screen, raising her chin. "I'm not afraid of you. You can't attack us anyway, wolfman. We're in dog territory." Desperately trying to hide her fear, she knew that her sister was probably still alive somewhere on the ship–hopefully she had gotten to one of the escape pods in her space-suit. Damn Naraku for double-crossing them like that! He had been greasily pleasant, arranging a marriage with the Higurashi family, pointing out that their businesses would mesh well, and that they could dominate the interstellar transport routes. *Damn daddy for not seeing that he was an evil lying cheat. I hope that I can bluff him until help comes. I'm the only one still alive on this thing* She'd set off the distress signal as soon as she had realized that they were not where they were supposed to be. Only treachery could be at work, if the computer were right, and they really were that far out near the rim!
Naraku had somehow reset their navicomp, so that they ended up at a totally different location from where the rendevous for the marriage was. *Did he know Kouga's reputation for raping and despoiling young women? I bet that's why...he must have tipped off Kouga that we were going to be here, and with us presumably "dead" or missing or even dishonored, he could take over as daddy's heir in the company...and smooth over our shame... But the computer says this is inutaisho's territory. Maybe If I offer him –sesshou-something?– enough money, he'll help us. Damn, DAMN, Kagome, please be alright!* Naraku had also reset the weapons systems, so they were unable to defend themselves in time. Kouga's men had boarded the ship, but she and Kagome had managed to run and elude capture. She'd gotten pretty banged up in the process though. Blinking back tears, she thought of all the others, dead within seconds of being boarded.
She clenched her jaw, willing herself to glare at the evil bastard on the screen, despite her hands shaking. Kouga sneered. "Really, Well, That's funny little girl. I can't wait to see what I'll think of to do to you, once I get my hands on you!" The rest of his speech was cut off as missiles pounded into the hull, destroying even more of the ship and taking out the communications array. A warning light lit up, and alarms began to blare: "WARNING, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED, THE SHIP HAS BEEN BREACHED. ALL CREW ARE ADVISED AT THIS TIME TO ENTER THE LIFE PODS!" Terrified and witless, she slapped the screen away and ran from the bridge, leaping into the turbolift, and praying for the doors to close faster. Prying the doors open, she ran faster. *I hope that all of them haven't been jettisoned! I forgot about the automatic launch program when the ship is about to be completely destroyed!* She had completely forgotten about the intruders on the ship. One loomed suddenly out of the darkness, smashing her over the head in a blow that would have killed an ordinary human. Rin's augumented nanites quickly recovered, and she staggered to her feet, surprizing the man. She managed to slip past him before stumbling into the door of the escape pod bay. Frantically slapping the door toggle open, she entered and realized that there was only one pod left. It was tiny and meant for a child of five, but she crammed herself in. A light lit up. "This pod is jammed. This pod is jammed. Please choose another." Snarling, she hit the console hard. A crunching sound was heard, then there was a giant jerk and she was floating weightless.
How long she was there, she didn't know, except when SOMETHING caught her with a solid bang and a bump, then, she was just as suddenly released and tumbled over and over. The climate controls were flickering madly–something had hit the outside of the pod. That and her earlier pounding meant that it was getting colder, and harder to breathe. Her last thoughts were a desperate prayer that someone, somewhere would find her in the darkness of space. Where was Kagome? Wouldn't someone answer their distress signal?? She didn't want to die alone...
**end flashback**