I didn't get any reviews for chappie one but I don,t really care. I love this story too much to let it go and I had to start writing part two!
Disclaimer: Me no own Beyond Good & Evil. Me own chopsticks though. evil grin Mhuahahahaaha! fear chopsticks of doooooom!
SnapShot
By Ryuu no Taiyo
ChapterTwo
Jade was sitting under the tree on the far end of the island, watching the red fireflies dance together amongst the leaves. Jade smiled, her mind so calm that it had forgotten the previous day's events.
It was all over Hillys: something about aliens and DomZ and the need for a military force superior than the regular army.
She sighed.
It was too much for a girl her age. She was only nine years old.
Jade pulled back her long hair off her face. The sun had set an hour or so ago, and Selene was shining in all her splendor about the planet.
Jade knew most of the stars by heart, but was too tired to even bother counting them. Not too far in front of her she could see the lights of Mammago's and the Pedestrian District's luminous aura caused by all energy the city used.
Above her, she could see the lighthouse's rays occasional passing.
She closed her eyes.
Everything was so calm. It was almost too easy to forget the explosions, the screams and the terror of the attack…
Her eyes shot open as she heard Pey'j's usual swearing come from the dock's entrance.
He was going to fuss again.
She just knew it.
She decided to give a run for it and try to reach the lighthouse before he got outside.
Grabbing her fetish camera laying beside her on the dry cold grass, she ran as fast as her short yet slender legs could carry her, and was about to reach the lighthouse entrance when…
"Jade! What in tarnation are you doing awake? It's dangerous at night with all those beast's wanderin' around and…"
"I was just relaxing…" she looked down, looking at her bare feet.
She suddenly realized that she had forgotten her shoes by the tree.
"Com'on! Go inside! Are you hungry? We should have some Starkos left from this morning…"
"No thanks Uncle." She sighed. Walking behind him as they entered the cozy warm lighthouse.
"Well, then maybe ye' should go to bed. I'm gonna be listenin' to the radio fer' a while and then maybe work on the…on the radio transmitter."
Jade looked at her uncle for a moment as he lied down on the mattress by the window facing the fire.
"Can I stay up with you?"
"Jade, it's getting' late and yer' should be in bed so…"
Jade looked sideways.
"I left my shoes outside…"
"Ye' can get them in the morning. Right now you're goin' to bed!"
"Alright. Goodnight Uncle Pey'j."
"Goodnight Jade."
She walked up the ramp to the second floor and gulped as she realized how dark it was. Feeling her way to the door to her room, she entered and put down her camera on her desk filled with papers and old photographs (she practiced her picture-taking often) and head to an old chest where she pulled out a large T-shirt that reached below her knees and that said 'Propaganda' on it. It was one of Pey'j's old shirts, with no doubt, but it was clean and didn't smell too bad so she wore it, taking off her other clothes and throwing them over near the laundry basket. Pey'j never fussed over cleanliness, so she basically didn't bother and didn't care.
She climbed up to her bed and sat on it, looking out her window on the bay.
She liked the view, and she could see the fireflies from here. She suddenly froze, however when a seagull rushed by right in front of the window.
Catching her breath and laughing at her stupidity, she was about to curl up under the covers when the forgot her camera was on the desk.
She never separated herself from that camera, not for even five minutes.
She hurriedly jumped off the bed and ran towards her desk, picked it up before running back to the bed.
As she was climbing up on the bed, she noticed something flash in the sky.
Pressing the red button, she held the camera up to her face and looked out the window, peering at the red, fiery light in the sky.
Was it a star?
Click.
She looked at the digital reconstruction of the picture on the back of her camera.
"I should go tell Pey'j…" she whispered to herself, and jumped off the bed (again!) nearly losing her balance as both her hands grasped the heavy camera. She dashed downstairs.
"Uncle Pey'j! Uncle Pey'j!"
But he wasn't downstairs. The radio was off and the fire was dying down, the embers still radiating some heat.
She decided to go take a look in his workshop.
Going outside, she noticed the red star thing had gotten bigger.
"Uncle Pey'j!" she yelled, heading downstairs. She heard a great grinding noise and it was as if a large boulder had fallen in the water.
Pey'j met her halfway down the corridor to the dock, annoyed and out of breath.
"Jade! Ye should be in bed!"
"But Uncle-"
"Jade, that's enough. It's been a long day and-"
"Please listen uncle! There's something big outside! Look!"
Pey'j rolled his eyes but nonetheless followed the excited girl outside.
The whole area was enlightened in a red and the field armadillo, usually a lazy creature who never moved, scampered by across them at full speed to hide somewhere behind them.
Jade looked around, marveled at the sight. Pey'j walked halfway towards the lighthouse and started turning around, looking everywhere.
"Uncle Pey'j! Look!"
Jade pointed to at the source of the light. It was so brilliant it made it look like it was midway, but instead of white light it was red. A bloody red.
Pey'j ran in front of Jade to protect her from the light, but Jade was already mesmerized.
She could see what it was now. It was a large, black ship, with at least ten stellar motors.
It suddenly slowed down dramatically, enough to dodge a tower rising above the pedestrian district. Pey'j visibly looked relieved when he realized the light was aimed at the lighthouse, and Jade crawled beside him, lifting the camera to her face.
"Jade!"
"What? I just want one picture!"
Pey'j rolled his eyes.
She zoomed in as far as she could, which wasn't very far, and followed the ship as it slowed down, circling the pedestrian district, probably waiting for some authorization to land.
"An intergalactic ship…" Jade heard Pey'j mutter, and she looked up at him curiously, "They shouldn't be landing here… They should be landing somewhere closer to the Capital or Stellar city…"
Jade knew that the Pedestrian district was only one of the few major cities forming major centers around the planet Hillys. The Capital was known as the most important city on Hillys, with Stellar city close behind. Most of the flights that dealt with intergalactic and interplanetary flights were from there. Yet it was rare to see a ship of that size on Hillys, let alone on the Pedestrian district.
Jade saw the ship land slowly down into the city…
"Com'on Jade!" yelled Pey'j who was already instead the lighthouse. "Let's listen to the radio. This has got te' be on the news now…!"
"Coming!"
"People of Hillys!" the broadcast reported. "We have exclusive news right from the Pedestrian District, Hillys. A mysterious ship has arrived at our gates with a bang! The governor of Hillys is on her way, and the mayor of the District is having a discussion with the captain of the ship…More news to come after the break…"
Pey'j was silent as he sat on the mattress in the main room of the lighthouse. He sighed.
Jade stared into the fire, absently listening to the commercial that played from the sponsors of Hillys News.
"Uncle Pey'j…What do you think the ship is?"
"I think…I think…"
Jade looked at her uncle who seemed to have aged ten years in a moment.
"I think that ship has somethin' to do with the attack."
Jade stayed silent, but seconds later she could feel a yawn coming.
"We're back with more revolutionary news about tonight's happening! The ship is a rebel ship, the last of an army that was almost destroyed by the DomZ as well as their home planet. On that ship are survivors as well as soldiers, with technology to rival the alien invaders and a thirst for revenge against our common enemy! More with our Governor, who has just arrived!"
A female voice resonated clearly over the air, yet her tone was even and neutral, not giving away to the joyful hope the radio host had said but nether a suspicion.
"Citizens of Hillys. We have been offered alliance and a needed protection from a new ally, the Alpha Sections soldiers, against a foe greater than we have ever seen before. I ask you to treat the Alpha Sections as friends and guests. With their help, we will rid our peaceful planet of the threat the DomZ are making forever!"
Jade smiled and looked at Pey'j.
"We have allies now! They are going to help us fight the aliens!"
"Yes. I suppose so…"
"What is it?" Jade stopped skipping around and looked at her uncle questioningly.
"Jade! Ye should be in bed!"
Jade bit her lip. She'd been hoping he'd forget.
"Young lady, you better get your rear end to bed," Jade giggled at his choice of words, "or I'll be very disappointed."
Jade shot upwards and hugged her uncle goodnight.
"'night Uncle Pey'j."
"Goodnight Jade."
Jade ran up the ramp, before stopping, thinking a second, checking her empty hands and running back to pick her camera up and rushed upstairs.
Pey'j chuckled and looked out the window, where he could see the lights of the city that had just woken up from all of the commotion. His smile faded.
'Somethin' ain't right…Tomorrow, I'm gonna call up the old crowd…These 'Alpha Sections' are a bit too convenient…A bit too convenient…'