Chapter 4
After about a month of this campagain the higher levels of the tribe noticed the power balance in the team had shifted and having no qualms about hurting Becka's feelings they promoted Java in her place. After several months exemplary leadership of the team, in which time Becka moved teams, Java was promoted to be in charge of defense. There was only one step higher that was to be one of the three.
The Technos leader was Ram, he founded the tribe and ultimately ruled it. But it was so large and Ram in some ways so impractical that he needed several people to help him, these ranked almost equal to him but not quite. While Ram dealt with the computers and technical things Vic and Star, who were the almost equals to Ram, looked after supplies and other practical demands. About five weeks after Java was put in charge of defense Star left the tribe suddenly among rumors of sordid affairs with both Vic and Ram and fights with Opal and Kiki. The actual story was a lot less dramatic and went something like this:
When Star was promoted to work beside Vic she developed feelings for him. The tall handsome boy intrigued her and his cold ways, it was the pull of the bad boy, the one she shouldn't touch because she knew she would get burnt. Ram noticed this with some jelousy, he was the one who was interested in girls, not Vic, and she should feel for him. Plus she was one of the girls, like Java who had turned down his advances. Things remained pretty stable however, Vic did not want Star, Star did not want Ram, nothing much happened.
Then, one day Star went into Rams room and found Vic pressing Kiki against a wall kissing her. Up till then she had been able to cope with Vic and Kiki, they had been distant and shown no signs of deep affection but this was rubbing it her face.
She turned and left the room quietly, but not so quietly that Vic did not hear her. He turned away from Kiki
"What was that?" he asked
"Who cares?" Kiki giggled trying to turn his head back towards hers but Vic was not put off
"It might have been something important," he said pulling away from Kiki and straightening his clothes slightly, he was bored anyway.
He opened the door; Star was stood outside leaning against the wall seeing him she turned away clutching the files she had come to give him and walked off up the corridor.
"Have you got those files?" asked Vic catching up with her and catching hold of her arm.
Satr gave them to him and stalked off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She made her way to Rams room, her chest felt heavy, like she had finally accepted she couldn't have Vic, and even if she did he wouldn't really care.
"Star" Ram said standing up when she walked into the room, Star didn't say anything, she was afraid of what she might say if she did, instead she walked up to him and kissed him. Ram was slightly shocked but didn't ask questions, just kissed her back and walked slowly towards his bed with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning Star didn't ask questions or stop to talk, she just left Rams room quietly knowing what she had done in a moments brief pain had changed everything about her world.
When she finally emerged that morning and made her way to the control room Vic was just the sameas always, Ram hadn't told him
"Have you got those reports?" he asked her. She just shook her head mutely sliding into an empty computer; she could feel Rams eyes watching her from the other side of the room. She tried to concentrate on her work but couldn't, she could feel those eyes watching her, following her, her, one of his conquests.
"I'm gonna work in my room" she muttered to Vic and then left.
Sitting in her room she still could not work, the thoughts of what she had done, of the implications that might follow and the look on Vic's face when he found out was too much. Instead of working she paced around her room worrying. It was about half an hour after she left the control centre that a tentative knock came on her door. She opened it a crack, almost fearfully, but there stood one of the two people she didn't want to see.
She opened the door slowly to let Ram in. Once in with the door was closed he bent down to try to kiss her but she pushed him away.
"No" she told him
"No?" he said his eyes bulging "No? You sleep with me one day and then won't let me near you the next?"
"I'm not one of your pathetic conquests Ram" she snapped, "It was a mistake, I was upset"
He stepped away furry building in his eyes.
"You were never just one of my conquests" he said, "I want you to be more permanent"
"Like a girlfriend" she said laughing slightly "You could never do that Ram, you don't do faithful"
"So what was I for you then, a plaything to hurt?" Ram demanded, Star had never seen him so moved over a girl, it scared her slightly, she could say one thing and she would be the Techno leaders girl, a proper girl, not a slu! like Opal. But it would never work, he could never be faithful and she did not want him.
"I'm sorry," she said lowering her head in shame "It was a mistake"
"Bi!ch" Ram hissed suddenly slapping her face with his hand. As Star looked up at him in shock her hand held up to her face Vic opened the door.
"What the Hel!?" he said assessing the situation in a second, however you looked at it was not good. "What do you think your doing Ram?" he demanded angrily as Stars eyes filled with tears
"Ask your little lover here that" Ram said angrily before stalking out of the room. Star sank onto the bed tears falling out of her eyes
"What the hel!'s been going on?" Vic demanded mercilessly
"Get out" Star hissed not wanting him to be there "Get out"
"Did you sleep with Ram?" Vic asked continuing on his quest for answers
"Get out" Star screeched at him infuriated by his question, Vic left and Star curled up sobbing on her bed, in 12 hours she had ruined her life in this tribe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vic followed Ram down the corridor grabbing his arm when he would not stop for him.
"What the hel!'s bin going on?" he demanded angrilary
"She was upset. She slept with me. I wanted more. She didn't. End of story" Ram said turning to Vic with angry pain filled eyes. "The one girl I would have actually stayed with and she wanted you," he told Vic stabbing at him with an accusing finger.
"It's not my fault" Vic protested
"No, its never your fault, its just us mere mortals who mess up" Ram snapped at him
When Vic had gone, for once, Ram didn't go to Opal, he didn't want her, he didn't want anything, the perfect three, it was ruined, beyond repair.
Star also accepted that, she left a day later knowing she could not stay, there was too much pain and mess for them to ever work together professionally again, their three was over and she knew it was time to run from her mess before it got worse and start again somewhere else, somewhere where people acted like humans, not the uncaring world of Vic and the Technos.
After about a month of this campagain the higher levels of the tribe noticed the power balance in the team had shifted and having no qualms about hurting Becka's feelings they promoted Java in her place. After several months exemplary leadership of the team, in which time Becka moved teams, Java was promoted to be in charge of defense. There was only one step higher that was to be one of the three.
The Technos leader was Ram, he founded the tribe and ultimately ruled it. But it was so large and Ram in some ways so impractical that he needed several people to help him, these ranked almost equal to him but not quite. While Ram dealt with the computers and technical things Vic and Star, who were the almost equals to Ram, looked after supplies and other practical demands. About five weeks after Java was put in charge of defense Star left the tribe suddenly among rumors of sordid affairs with both Vic and Ram and fights with Opal and Kiki. The actual story was a lot less dramatic and went something like this:
When Star was promoted to work beside Vic she developed feelings for him. The tall handsome boy intrigued her and his cold ways, it was the pull of the bad boy, the one she shouldn't touch because she knew she would get burnt. Ram noticed this with some jelousy, he was the one who was interested in girls, not Vic, and she should feel for him. Plus she was one of the girls, like Java who had turned down his advances. Things remained pretty stable however, Vic did not want Star, Star did not want Ram, nothing much happened.
Then, one day Star went into Rams room and found Vic pressing Kiki against a wall kissing her. Up till then she had been able to cope with Vic and Kiki, they had been distant and shown no signs of deep affection but this was rubbing it her face.
She turned and left the room quietly, but not so quietly that Vic did not hear her. He turned away from Kiki
"What was that?" he asked
"Who cares?" Kiki giggled trying to turn his head back towards hers but Vic was not put off
"It might have been something important," he said pulling away from Kiki and straightening his clothes slightly, he was bored anyway.
He opened the door; Star was stood outside leaning against the wall seeing him she turned away clutching the files she had come to give him and walked off up the corridor.
"Have you got those files?" asked Vic catching up with her and catching hold of her arm.
Satr gave them to him and stalked off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She made her way to Rams room, her chest felt heavy, like she had finally accepted she couldn't have Vic, and even if she did he wouldn't really care.
"Star" Ram said standing up when she walked into the room, Star didn't say anything, she was afraid of what she might say if she did, instead she walked up to him and kissed him. Ram was slightly shocked but didn't ask questions, just kissed her back and walked slowly towards his bed with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning Star didn't ask questions or stop to talk, she just left Rams room quietly knowing what she had done in a moments brief pain had changed everything about her world.
When she finally emerged that morning and made her way to the control room Vic was just the sameas always, Ram hadn't told him
"Have you got those reports?" he asked her. She just shook her head mutely sliding into an empty computer; she could feel Rams eyes watching her from the other side of the room. She tried to concentrate on her work but couldn't, she could feel those eyes watching her, following her, her, one of his conquests.
"I'm gonna work in my room" she muttered to Vic and then left.
Sitting in her room she still could not work, the thoughts of what she had done, of the implications that might follow and the look on Vic's face when he found out was too much. Instead of working she paced around her room worrying. It was about half an hour after she left the control centre that a tentative knock came on her door. She opened it a crack, almost fearfully, but there stood one of the two people she didn't want to see.
She opened the door slowly to let Ram in. Once in with the door was closed he bent down to try to kiss her but she pushed him away.
"No" she told him
"No?" he said his eyes bulging "No? You sleep with me one day and then won't let me near you the next?"
"I'm not one of your pathetic conquests Ram" she snapped, "It was a mistake, I was upset"
He stepped away furry building in his eyes.
"You were never just one of my conquests" he said, "I want you to be more permanent"
"Like a girlfriend" she said laughing slightly "You could never do that Ram, you don't do faithful"
"So what was I for you then, a plaything to hurt?" Ram demanded, Star had never seen him so moved over a girl, it scared her slightly, she could say one thing and she would be the Techno leaders girl, a proper girl, not a slu! like Opal. But it would never work, he could never be faithful and she did not want him.
"I'm sorry," she said lowering her head in shame "It was a mistake"
"Bi!ch" Ram hissed suddenly slapping her face with his hand. As Star looked up at him in shock her hand held up to her face Vic opened the door.
"What the Hel!?" he said assessing the situation in a second, however you looked at it was not good. "What do you think your doing Ram?" he demanded angrily as Stars eyes filled with tears
"Ask your little lover here that" Ram said angrily before stalking out of the room. Star sank onto the bed tears falling out of her eyes
"What the hel!'s been going on?" Vic demanded mercilessly
"Get out" Star hissed not wanting him to be there "Get out"
"Did you sleep with Ram?" Vic asked continuing on his quest for answers
"Get out" Star screeched at him infuriated by his question, Vic left and Star curled up sobbing on her bed, in 12 hours she had ruined her life in this tribe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vic followed Ram down the corridor grabbing his arm when he would not stop for him.
"What the hel!'s bin going on?" he demanded angrilary
"She was upset. She slept with me. I wanted more. She didn't. End of story" Ram said turning to Vic with angry pain filled eyes. "The one girl I would have actually stayed with and she wanted you," he told Vic stabbing at him with an accusing finger.
"It's not my fault" Vic protested
"No, its never your fault, its just us mere mortals who mess up" Ram snapped at him
When Vic had gone, for once, Ram didn't go to Opal, he didn't want her, he didn't want anything, the perfect three, it was ruined, beyond repair.
Star also accepted that, she left a day later knowing she could not stay, there was too much pain and mess for them to ever work together professionally again, their three was over and she knew it was time to run from her mess before it got worse and start again somewhere else, somewhere where people acted like humans, not the uncaring world of Vic and the Technos.