Disclaimer: Please see Prologue
Part Thirteen: Redemption
They walked out of the warehouse a different set of people. Space Cases they were, but adults too. Leading were Radu, Harlan, and Rosie, the executors of the strike. Regret and guilt would plague them from that point on, but along with them would be triumph and the knowledge that in taking life, they had saved the lives of their friends, themselves, and every victim that the lifestealers would ever have had from then on.
Behind them trailed the 'hostages.' Catalina, holding her daughter, silent. Seth and TJ, holding on to each other like there was no one else in the world. Bova, who would always think of Radu in a different light from that day, and not because he had killed Bova's captor, but because Radu had risked his life for him and called him a brother in the process.
They walked into the nearest police headquarters and gave the address of the warehouse to the man with the vendetta. They left just as quickly.
[pic]
In the end, it took two more weeks of working to pay for the damage to the motel room, the guns and armor, and the initial debt from the crash.
[pic]
The crew of the Christa watched from the Command Post as the face of Derez shrank to a point in the rear view.
"Aside from the hostile species, it was a nice planet," said Rosie. "There were so many different people."
"Yeah... Rosie, do you feel bad about what happened?" asked Bova. "Or you, Radu? Harlan?"
"I feel different," said Radu. "But saving you guys was worth it all. You are my family, the only one I ever had. Killing someone was worth keeping you alive."
"Amen," said Harlan. "Besides, we've got another two and a half years of this trip. "We've got one thing to count on, and that's loyalty to each other."
"You sound like me."
Harlan smiled. "Yeah, I know."
Epilogue
Anyway... I really feel that in the five years we've been on this ship we've all gotten to be as close to each other as any real family.
...
Sure, there have been changes, I mean like Catalina having a *baby*... But I think that was a good choice on her part. Cat needs to have someone to take care of, someone that wants her exclusively, and I think someone who is in this dimension. And Elmira...
...
Well...she was right all along... Radu told me about her predictions. He's saved our collective ass more times than I can count.
This trip's been hard on us, but we're working things out. I think someday soon one of us is going to have to make a decision for the sake of the group, and I'm not going to blue-sky this one: the longer our trip gets, the higher our chances are of running into something we can't handle. We all thought Catalina was dead when the Christa's sister ship went four years ago, but we were wrong. We might not be as lucky the next time around. We've faced a lot of danger and near-death situations in the past, but we've always managed to get away and then deal with the consequences and memories with some degree of flippancy... Some day we might not be that lucky.
...
Well, I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news! I think, that when the day comes that this group gets into a situation we think we can't handle... we will.
...
Well, until next time, this is me, Seth, turning off the recorder.
Part Thirteen: Redemption
They walked out of the warehouse a different set of people. Space Cases they were, but adults too. Leading were Radu, Harlan, and Rosie, the executors of the strike. Regret and guilt would plague them from that point on, but along with them would be triumph and the knowledge that in taking life, they had saved the lives of their friends, themselves, and every victim that the lifestealers would ever have had from then on.
Behind them trailed the 'hostages.' Catalina, holding her daughter, silent. Seth and TJ, holding on to each other like there was no one else in the world. Bova, who would always think of Radu in a different light from that day, and not because he had killed Bova's captor, but because Radu had risked his life for him and called him a brother in the process.
They walked into the nearest police headquarters and gave the address of the warehouse to the man with the vendetta. They left just as quickly.
[pic]
In the end, it took two more weeks of working to pay for the damage to the motel room, the guns and armor, and the initial debt from the crash.
[pic]
The crew of the Christa watched from the Command Post as the face of Derez shrank to a point in the rear view.
"Aside from the hostile species, it was a nice planet," said Rosie. "There were so many different people."
"Yeah... Rosie, do you feel bad about what happened?" asked Bova. "Or you, Radu? Harlan?"
"I feel different," said Radu. "But saving you guys was worth it all. You are my family, the only one I ever had. Killing someone was worth keeping you alive."
"Amen," said Harlan. "Besides, we've got another two and a half years of this trip. "We've got one thing to count on, and that's loyalty to each other."
"You sound like me."
Harlan smiled. "Yeah, I know."
Epilogue
Anyway... I really feel that in the five years we've been on this ship we've all gotten to be as close to each other as any real family.
...
Sure, there have been changes, I mean like Catalina having a *baby*... But I think that was a good choice on her part. Cat needs to have someone to take care of, someone that wants her exclusively, and I think someone who is in this dimension. And Elmira...
...
Well...she was right all along... Radu told me about her predictions. He's saved our collective ass more times than I can count.
This trip's been hard on us, but we're working things out. I think someday soon one of us is going to have to make a decision for the sake of the group, and I'm not going to blue-sky this one: the longer our trip gets, the higher our chances are of running into something we can't handle. We all thought Catalina was dead when the Christa's sister ship went four years ago, but we were wrong. We might not be as lucky the next time around. We've faced a lot of danger and near-death situations in the past, but we've always managed to get away and then deal with the consequences and memories with some degree of flippancy... Some day we might not be that lucky.
...
Well, I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news! I think, that when the day comes that this group gets into a situation we think we can't handle... we will.
...
Well, until next time, this is me, Seth, turning off the recorder.