Session 27: Stray Cat Serenade Part A
"I think we could catch this one, Faye. We'll have top bring in something if we're gonna fix the BeBop."
Faye gave Jet a Look.
"How can we get a bounty on Earth when we can't fly?"
A flashing icon notified them of an incoming message.
"This is the ISSUB calling to notify you that your account has two million five hundred fifty-nine thousand seven hundred and sixteem woolongs in it. There was also added a ninety-second message to be delivered with this notification. It will play when this message has ended. Have a nice day."
An image of the trenchcoated stranger appeared on the monitor.
A moment of silence.
"Consider this an apology for not letting you know who sessha is. Get your ship repaired, there is exactly enough here if you go to Aaron's for the work. Sessha has taken care of the Swordfish."
Another pause.
"Tell the mechanics at Aaron's that you were sent there by the captain of the Alyce Safara."
The message ended.
Jet and Faye stared at the screen in shock. It was more than a few minutes before either of them managed to get their tongue back.
"Two-point-six million woolongs?"
"I guess we'd better find Aaron's, Faye. We just got our ships back."
Elsewhere, a star begins to glow a bit brighter. A different star fell from its place high overhead. A small flock of white doves took wing into the sky.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At the rubble of the Red Dragon headquarters, a number of Syndicate members removed the bodies of Shin and Vicious, starting the repairs to the badly wreked building, under the prders of the new Syndicate leader.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A new pair of gravestones stood above fresh-turned earth and pulverized Martian stone. The one to the left of Spike's was Shin's, the one on its right read as follows:
Here rests Julia The woman who loved her man Until the end of her life. She will wait for him Beyond Heaven's Door Until his time with us is done. She will never be forgotten.
A single red rose rested on Julia's gravestone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aaron Mulroon looked from Jet to Faye skeptically.
"I have a hard time believing you were recommended. I don't take those."
"For what it's worth, we were sent by the captain of the Alyce Safara."
Aaron's eyes bugged out. He blinked.
Faye and Jet looked at each other again.
Regaining his composure, Aaron held out a hand.
"If you can afford my fee, I'll fix your ship. Two million, five hundred fifty-nine thousand woolongs plus tax. Sight unseen, no questions asked. Deal?"
Jet shook his head and asked a question.
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
A pause.
"The captain of the alyce Safara is not someone I want to cross. I owe too much to that formidable-"
"Chief! I need a hand here!"
A voice from inside interrupted Aaron. With a nod, he went running back into the depths of his shop.
With a sigh, Jet and Faye began to walk away.
"Come on, Faye. Let's go get his fee."
She followed, looking back a few times at the small, top-notch, high-end repair shop. They had gotten a big bargain for this repair job, and she knew it. Who was this captain of the alyce Safara, anyway?
For a moment, Faye thought she saw the strange woman- girl, really, standing next to Spike's Swordfish before the hangar doors closed.
It suddenly became a clear, bright and sunny day.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He opened his eyes with a groan. A girl stood over him, mostly hidden in shadows.
"It was a good funeral. As far as they know, you're dead. You get to pick."
With that, his mysterious savior was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Have you made your choice? Either way, it will be irreversible. Should you decide to leave, and stay dead, then that is it. You will no longer be a part of or have anything to do with the Red Dragons. However, if you choose to remain, you cannot leave until you truly die. I will not sugar- coat it, you know the rules. Whatever your choice, the other option will be closed to you, possibly forever."
He looked at the shadowed stranger, thoughtfully.
"Camn I ask you a few questions first?"
A pause.
"Yes- however. I may not be able to answer."
He nodded.
"I just want to make sure I know what I am choosing."
A soft chuckle.
"That is a wise thing to do. What would you like to know about either choice? Or current events, for that matter?"
"What has happened to the Red Dragons? I mean, who is their leader?"
"The leader is currently waiting to see if the better person for the position is still alive. If not, then it will be someone with an eye towards rebuilding the Syndicate, retoring it's ways and codes. From what I know, the current leader would make it along the lines of what it was before the coup, the way Mao Yenrai was pushing it."
"What happened to Vicious?"
"He is dead. He didn't get buried with honor, either. Good riddance, if you ask me."
"And Spike?"
A pause.
"I do not know his fate for certain."
"What would happen if I choose to stay free of the syndicate?"
"You would be effectively dead to them. I would not betray you, after all, I'm the one offering you the choice."
"And if I go back to the Dragons?"
"I can say with certainty that you would find where you belong- and wouls get some sort of high rank, from the sheer fact that the current leader knows you by reputation."
Thoughtfully, "Who are you?"
A pause.
"Can you rephrase the question? I don't exactly get your meaning."
A smile.
"Then I choose to stay. It's you, I have to assume."
A quiet smile.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Shin. Yes, and you know whose fate I';m waiting for, too."
Shin nodded.
"But would he come back if he's alive?"
"So, so. Exactly so. My question exactly."
Shin blinked.
"You mean Spike's-"
A shake of her head.
"All I mean is that he is free. Nothing more, and nothing less."
"Can you tell me who you are now?"
"Unfortunately, Shin, al I can say is that I'm a ghost."
"I think we could catch this one, Faye. We'll have top bring in something if we're gonna fix the BeBop."
Faye gave Jet a Look.
"How can we get a bounty on Earth when we can't fly?"
A flashing icon notified them of an incoming message.
"This is the ISSUB calling to notify you that your account has two million five hundred fifty-nine thousand seven hundred and sixteem woolongs in it. There was also added a ninety-second message to be delivered with this notification. It will play when this message has ended. Have a nice day."
An image of the trenchcoated stranger appeared on the monitor.
A moment of silence.
"Consider this an apology for not letting you know who sessha is. Get your ship repaired, there is exactly enough here if you go to Aaron's for the work. Sessha has taken care of the Swordfish."
Another pause.
"Tell the mechanics at Aaron's that you were sent there by the captain of the Alyce Safara."
The message ended.
Jet and Faye stared at the screen in shock. It was more than a few minutes before either of them managed to get their tongue back.
"Two-point-six million woolongs?"
"I guess we'd better find Aaron's, Faye. We just got our ships back."
Elsewhere, a star begins to glow a bit brighter. A different star fell from its place high overhead. A small flock of white doves took wing into the sky.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At the rubble of the Red Dragon headquarters, a number of Syndicate members removed the bodies of Shin and Vicious, starting the repairs to the badly wreked building, under the prders of the new Syndicate leader.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A new pair of gravestones stood above fresh-turned earth and pulverized Martian stone. The one to the left of Spike's was Shin's, the one on its right read as follows:
Here rests Julia The woman who loved her man Until the end of her life. She will wait for him Beyond Heaven's Door Until his time with us is done. She will never be forgotten.
A single red rose rested on Julia's gravestone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aaron Mulroon looked from Jet to Faye skeptically.
"I have a hard time believing you were recommended. I don't take those."
"For what it's worth, we were sent by the captain of the Alyce Safara."
Aaron's eyes bugged out. He blinked.
Faye and Jet looked at each other again.
Regaining his composure, Aaron held out a hand.
"If you can afford my fee, I'll fix your ship. Two million, five hundred fifty-nine thousand woolongs plus tax. Sight unseen, no questions asked. Deal?"
Jet shook his head and asked a question.
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
A pause.
"The captain of the alyce Safara is not someone I want to cross. I owe too much to that formidable-"
"Chief! I need a hand here!"
A voice from inside interrupted Aaron. With a nod, he went running back into the depths of his shop.
With a sigh, Jet and Faye began to walk away.
"Come on, Faye. Let's go get his fee."
She followed, looking back a few times at the small, top-notch, high-end repair shop. They had gotten a big bargain for this repair job, and she knew it. Who was this captain of the alyce Safara, anyway?
For a moment, Faye thought she saw the strange woman- girl, really, standing next to Spike's Swordfish before the hangar doors closed.
It suddenly became a clear, bright and sunny day.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He opened his eyes with a groan. A girl stood over him, mostly hidden in shadows.
"It was a good funeral. As far as they know, you're dead. You get to pick."
With that, his mysterious savior was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Have you made your choice? Either way, it will be irreversible. Should you decide to leave, and stay dead, then that is it. You will no longer be a part of or have anything to do with the Red Dragons. However, if you choose to remain, you cannot leave until you truly die. I will not sugar- coat it, you know the rules. Whatever your choice, the other option will be closed to you, possibly forever."
He looked at the shadowed stranger, thoughtfully.
"Camn I ask you a few questions first?"
A pause.
"Yes- however. I may not be able to answer."
He nodded.
"I just want to make sure I know what I am choosing."
A soft chuckle.
"That is a wise thing to do. What would you like to know about either choice? Or current events, for that matter?"
"What has happened to the Red Dragons? I mean, who is their leader?"
"The leader is currently waiting to see if the better person for the position is still alive. If not, then it will be someone with an eye towards rebuilding the Syndicate, retoring it's ways and codes. From what I know, the current leader would make it along the lines of what it was before the coup, the way Mao Yenrai was pushing it."
"What happened to Vicious?"
"He is dead. He didn't get buried with honor, either. Good riddance, if you ask me."
"And Spike?"
A pause.
"I do not know his fate for certain."
"What would happen if I choose to stay free of the syndicate?"
"You would be effectively dead to them. I would not betray you, after all, I'm the one offering you the choice."
"And if I go back to the Dragons?"
"I can say with certainty that you would find where you belong- and wouls get some sort of high rank, from the sheer fact that the current leader knows you by reputation."
Thoughtfully, "Who are you?"
A pause.
"Can you rephrase the question? I don't exactly get your meaning."
A smile.
"Then I choose to stay. It's you, I have to assume."
A quiet smile.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Shin. Yes, and you know whose fate I';m waiting for, too."
Shin nodded.
"But would he come back if he's alive?"
"So, so. Exactly so. My question exactly."
Shin blinked.
"You mean Spike's-"
A shake of her head.
"All I mean is that he is free. Nothing more, and nothing less."
"Can you tell me who you are now?"
"Unfortunately, Shin, al I can say is that I'm a ghost."