Part 1: You Cannot Escape Your Past
"'What if we've lost her?' Diana asked in a small voice. 'What if Lani's gone for good?'
'She isn't,' Brandon returned fiercely. It wasn't so mush that he believed she wasn't lost. It was just that when it came to his precious Lani, believing anything else was unthinkable."
---------Kiss of the Bees by J.A. Jance
Present Day
Chapter 1
Mars
Raven Sector
20 April
Earth Year 223
"Trai!WAKE UP!!!" yelled Nell through the door of Trai Lear's apartment. Since pounding on the door repeatedly didn't accomplish anything but a bruised hand, she decided to yell. She did so for the passed five minutes. Louder and louder.
"All right! I'm up!" said a muffled voice from within the apartment. Nell stepped back, waited and listened at the scrambles of Trai Lear. Nell heard a loud thump and a string of muttered curses from the other side of the door. She couldn't help herself but laugh at Trai's misfortune.
"It's been a long while since there was something good like this to laugh at," she said to herself. When the stumbling footsteps of Trai began to get louder, Nell decided it was time to compose herself. Time to act professional.
BANG!
"Ow! Dammit!!Oh . . . my head!" Trai yelped in pain. Soon enough, though, he finally unlocked the door to see a worried Nell greet him.
"Trai! Are you all right?" She asked, trying to hold in her amusement. Trai was a sad sight to say the least. His raven hair was pushed up to the right side of his head. His white shirt, which had the slogan "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever" in bold red words with an unknown unit insignia underneath, was half on.
The insignia was a centered, black, wolf like creature with eery crimson eyes, a menacing visage and a barred set of sharp teeth. On the creature's forehead was a golden "L" with the words "Hell Hounds" written across it. To the lower right of the insignia was "The 13th Assault Battalion." Behind this was a purple triangle with the flat side up. Behind that was a giant orange sunburst with three swords; one sword straight up in the middle, with the other two crossing it.
Nell couldn't keep her smile hidden from Trai any longer. She chuckled lightly as she pressed Trai back into his room. When both of them were in, she closed the door. She was shocked. Trai's room looked like it was a nuclear testing zone. Shirts were scattered all over the floor. The bed covers were splayed helplessly at the foot of the bed. Socks littered the ground like garbage on the street. Ironically, the only thing that seemed to be in a somewhat clean, working order was the drawer on the right of the bed.
"Nell," Trai stammered, still half asleep," what are you doing here?" Scratching his head, he also added, "What time is it anyway?"
"Well," Nell began as she glanced at her chronometer," to answer your second question, it's 1:42 p.m.."
Trai rubbed his forehead.
"So?" he said groggily. "I don't have anything important planned for today anyway." Glancing at his calender, he added, "Right?"
"Well . . . " Nell started reluctantly. Trai's head spun to face her.
"'Well?'" Trai ran to the calender. As expected, there was nothing listed for the 20th. "Talk to me, Nell!" he said sternly as he began plucking clothes from his drawers. On his way to the washroom, he stooped over and grabbed a pair of socks, then he turned, closing and locking the door.
"Okay, so do you want me to start from the beginning?"
"What?!" yelled Trai. Nell could hear the hissing of the shower as it sprayed steaming hot water. By now, Nell was used to Trai being late for appointments like this. Technically, it wasn't really an appointment. It was more like a "casual" walk around the Neutral Mars Sector Mall.
Taking a seat on the corner of Trai's bed, Nell began to recite the days "planned" activities.
"Well, you were supposed to go shopping with Rose and Pyro to get a present for Trona."
"Why, exactly are we getting a present for Trona, Nell?" Trai returned, the spray of water muffling his words.
Nell sighed. "It's his first full year on Mars. We're also having a birthday party for him at MaKell's Tavern."
"Right . . . " The steam from the shower began to seep out the bottom of the washroom door.
Nell looked down at the floor and spotted some of the water. She shrieked in delight. "What's wrong now?" Trai yelled from the shower. Nell barely had a chance to explain before she heard Trai holler in dismay.
After she finally got hold of herself, Nell continued. "You've got to check out those new boosters you wanted. You also need to see how the new sensor amplification system handles.
"Okay," Nell heard. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Just make yourself at home. If you want, you can clean up a bit."
Nell scoffed. She could just see the grin on Trai's face when he said that. Either way, it was a running joke between them.
When she first met him, Nell was a bit skeptical about his record. His kill count was 47 ACs. There never was a background on him. For all intents and purposes, Trai Lear appeared on Mars from Earth, Earth Year 221. After seeing him actually fight, she believed his record. Trai was good, almost better than many of the other Ravens she had seen. I guess this Raven can fly, she had said after she reviewed his first mission aftermath statistics.
However, that was in the past. Currently, Nell was utterly disgusted. She had been picking up after Trai a bit more than she has with other Ravens. She spent a great amount of her free time with Trai and Trona Ken, III. But of course, she was told by her mother to never become intimately involved with a Raven. It was always better off that way, she had said.
She slowly walked toward the kitchen, which was a good sized area. There was an abnormally large fridge, a poker table to the left and a dining table beside the wall. The kitchen actually looked good. Nothing was out of place. It looked perfect. Too perfect. Nell thought to herself. What is he up to? Nell opened up the fridge, and was immediately dumbfounded; row upon row of the fridge was jammed with food! "Damn! No wonder he spends so much!" Carefully working her way around the towering monuments of Jell-O molds and cake, Nell grabbed for a packet of cheese. Cheddar cheese, at that. Boy's got taste, she thought with a smile.
Nell then turned toward Trai's drawer, opening up the cheese packet as she walked. As she approached, she noticed a picture frame peeking out the side of the top drawer. Carefully as to not make too much noise, Nell pulled it out. The picture was of a younger Trai Lear in a dark blue jumpsuit. Beside him to his right was a beautiful woman. She had blonde hair cut short enough to barely graze her shoulders. Her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle. Why hasn't Trai ever told me about this person? On her right shoulder was a unit insignia. It looked like a flagship like AC with the double grenade launching arms. Nell frowned. She knew, in the back of her mind, what that symbol was of. But the information seemed to elude her.
Nell placed the picture back into the drawer just in time before Trai barged out of the washroom. She shrieked in surprise, dropping the cheese in the process.
"Whoa, Nell! It's okay, it's only me."
"Well, that's good," she said as she stood. "We wouldn't want to keep the techs waiting any longer than they actually have to, should we?" She gestured toward the door.
"No, I don't think we should." Trai was now wearing his favorite red shirt and contrasted that with a pair of jet black jeans.
"Any more red and black and people might start thinking that you were Vengeance!" Nell returned, making reference to Trai's prized AC. It had gotten him out of plenty of tough situations, like his first day on Mars . . . Two years ago. Has it been that long?
"Well, Trai? Quit wasting time. Let's move!"
"Okay," Trai said. "I'll meet you at the Hangar. I've just got to talk to MaKell first."
"'What if we've lost her?' Diana asked in a small voice. 'What if Lani's gone for good?'
'She isn't,' Brandon returned fiercely. It wasn't so mush that he believed she wasn't lost. It was just that when it came to his precious Lani, believing anything else was unthinkable."
---------Kiss of the Bees by J.A. Jance
Present Day
Chapter 1
Mars
Raven Sector
20 April
Earth Year 223
"Trai!WAKE UP!!!" yelled Nell through the door of Trai Lear's apartment. Since pounding on the door repeatedly didn't accomplish anything but a bruised hand, she decided to yell. She did so for the passed five minutes. Louder and louder.
"All right! I'm up!" said a muffled voice from within the apartment. Nell stepped back, waited and listened at the scrambles of Trai Lear. Nell heard a loud thump and a string of muttered curses from the other side of the door. She couldn't help herself but laugh at Trai's misfortune.
"It's been a long while since there was something good like this to laugh at," she said to herself. When the stumbling footsteps of Trai began to get louder, Nell decided it was time to compose herself. Time to act professional.
BANG!
"Ow! Dammit!!Oh . . . my head!" Trai yelped in pain. Soon enough, though, he finally unlocked the door to see a worried Nell greet him.
"Trai! Are you all right?" She asked, trying to hold in her amusement. Trai was a sad sight to say the least. His raven hair was pushed up to the right side of his head. His white shirt, which had the slogan "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever" in bold red words with an unknown unit insignia underneath, was half on.
The insignia was a centered, black, wolf like creature with eery crimson eyes, a menacing visage and a barred set of sharp teeth. On the creature's forehead was a golden "L" with the words "Hell Hounds" written across it. To the lower right of the insignia was "The 13th Assault Battalion." Behind this was a purple triangle with the flat side up. Behind that was a giant orange sunburst with three swords; one sword straight up in the middle, with the other two crossing it.
Nell couldn't keep her smile hidden from Trai any longer. She chuckled lightly as she pressed Trai back into his room. When both of them were in, she closed the door. She was shocked. Trai's room looked like it was a nuclear testing zone. Shirts were scattered all over the floor. The bed covers were splayed helplessly at the foot of the bed. Socks littered the ground like garbage on the street. Ironically, the only thing that seemed to be in a somewhat clean, working order was the drawer on the right of the bed.
"Nell," Trai stammered, still half asleep," what are you doing here?" Scratching his head, he also added, "What time is it anyway?"
"Well," Nell began as she glanced at her chronometer," to answer your second question, it's 1:42 p.m.."
Trai rubbed his forehead.
"So?" he said groggily. "I don't have anything important planned for today anyway." Glancing at his calender, he added, "Right?"
"Well . . . " Nell started reluctantly. Trai's head spun to face her.
"'Well?'" Trai ran to the calender. As expected, there was nothing listed for the 20th. "Talk to me, Nell!" he said sternly as he began plucking clothes from his drawers. On his way to the washroom, he stooped over and grabbed a pair of socks, then he turned, closing and locking the door.
"Okay, so do you want me to start from the beginning?"
"What?!" yelled Trai. Nell could hear the hissing of the shower as it sprayed steaming hot water. By now, Nell was used to Trai being late for appointments like this. Technically, it wasn't really an appointment. It was more like a "casual" walk around the Neutral Mars Sector Mall.
Taking a seat on the corner of Trai's bed, Nell began to recite the days "planned" activities.
"Well, you were supposed to go shopping with Rose and Pyro to get a present for Trona."
"Why, exactly are we getting a present for Trona, Nell?" Trai returned, the spray of water muffling his words.
Nell sighed. "It's his first full year on Mars. We're also having a birthday party for him at MaKell's Tavern."
"Right . . . " The steam from the shower began to seep out the bottom of the washroom door.
Nell looked down at the floor and spotted some of the water. She shrieked in delight. "What's wrong now?" Trai yelled from the shower. Nell barely had a chance to explain before she heard Trai holler in dismay.
After she finally got hold of herself, Nell continued. "You've got to check out those new boosters you wanted. You also need to see how the new sensor amplification system handles.
"Okay," Nell heard. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Just make yourself at home. If you want, you can clean up a bit."
Nell scoffed. She could just see the grin on Trai's face when he said that. Either way, it was a running joke between them.
When she first met him, Nell was a bit skeptical about his record. His kill count was 47 ACs. There never was a background on him. For all intents and purposes, Trai Lear appeared on Mars from Earth, Earth Year 221. After seeing him actually fight, she believed his record. Trai was good, almost better than many of the other Ravens she had seen. I guess this Raven can fly, she had said after she reviewed his first mission aftermath statistics.
However, that was in the past. Currently, Nell was utterly disgusted. She had been picking up after Trai a bit more than she has with other Ravens. She spent a great amount of her free time with Trai and Trona Ken, III. But of course, she was told by her mother to never become intimately involved with a Raven. It was always better off that way, she had said.
She slowly walked toward the kitchen, which was a good sized area. There was an abnormally large fridge, a poker table to the left and a dining table beside the wall. The kitchen actually looked good. Nothing was out of place. It looked perfect. Too perfect. Nell thought to herself. What is he up to? Nell opened up the fridge, and was immediately dumbfounded; row upon row of the fridge was jammed with food! "Damn! No wonder he spends so much!" Carefully working her way around the towering monuments of Jell-O molds and cake, Nell grabbed for a packet of cheese. Cheddar cheese, at that. Boy's got taste, she thought with a smile.
Nell then turned toward Trai's drawer, opening up the cheese packet as she walked. As she approached, she noticed a picture frame peeking out the side of the top drawer. Carefully as to not make too much noise, Nell pulled it out. The picture was of a younger Trai Lear in a dark blue jumpsuit. Beside him to his right was a beautiful woman. She had blonde hair cut short enough to barely graze her shoulders. Her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle. Why hasn't Trai ever told me about this person? On her right shoulder was a unit insignia. It looked like a flagship like AC with the double grenade launching arms. Nell frowned. She knew, in the back of her mind, what that symbol was of. But the information seemed to elude her.
Nell placed the picture back into the drawer just in time before Trai barged out of the washroom. She shrieked in surprise, dropping the cheese in the process.
"Whoa, Nell! It's okay, it's only me."
"Well, that's good," she said as she stood. "We wouldn't want to keep the techs waiting any longer than they actually have to, should we?" She gestured toward the door.
"No, I don't think we should." Trai was now wearing his favorite red shirt and contrasted that with a pair of jet black jeans.
"Any more red and black and people might start thinking that you were Vengeance!" Nell returned, making reference to Trai's prized AC. It had gotten him out of plenty of tough situations, like his first day on Mars . . . Two years ago. Has it been that long?
"Well, Trai? Quit wasting time. Let's move!"
"Okay," Trai said. "I'll meet you at the Hangar. I've just got to talk to MaKell first."