Chapter Seven
Kagome scowled at the floor as the nurse retied her bandages, ignoring the nagging that was directed towards her.
"I understand that you seem to think you have a great many responsibilities, Miss Higurashi-"
"I do have a lot-"
"-but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! This is the third time I have had to re-bandage your shoulder. Do you even want to heal properly? I do have the authority to issue you bed rest if you can't even follow the simple instructions I have left you."
"It's just a bruise! I'm perfectly-"
"No, Miss Higurashi, it is a psychic burn. If the medication is not allowed to soak in properly it could lead to more serious problems down the line."
Kagome cringed at the somber tone the nurse used and stared down at the floor, feeling much like the chastised child she was starting to think she was. She refused to acknowledge the fact that she was clearly pouting. A small noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker reached her ears and she glared at the one responsible for her trip back into med-bay.
Shippo threw his hands up as if in surrender, but the huge grin on his face looked anything but innocent. "Don't look at me! I told you we should have had that other guy lift those planters. But, no, you had to pretend to be all macho and do it yourself!"
"I was not pretending to be macho!" Kagome sniffed, her nose going up a notch. "Those planters were just…heavier than they looked."
She ignored the incredulous stares her defensive statement was getting and looked to the newly wrapped bandage around her shoulder. The noxious smell coming from it told her the nurse had used the potent stuff this time. She could feel her arm go numb to her elbow and her fingers were tingling in an unpleasant way. She turned a baleful gaze back to the nurse.
"I wouldn't have to use that stuff if you had just taken it easy for twelve hours." The nurse scolded as she collected all her materials and stood from the chair she had been perched in from beside the cot. "Most battle links pass out for that long after the treatment." Her voice was heavily laced with reproach.
Kagome shrugged and stood as well. "I really wanted to check on my baby." She answered simply her eyes cut over to the red head by the door. "I wasn't expecting that I'd have to help shorty over there with the new shipment of plants."
Shippo scowled back and ignored the guilty flush crawling up his neck and over his ears. The nurse shook her head and let out a sigh.
"And the two other times before that?" She asked in a long-suffering kind of way and Kagome knew the guilty flush was now on her cheeks.
"Well…" She trailed of and smiled sheepishly.
"Alright, enough. Out the both of you. If you have to visit me one more time before the medication has done its' job, I'm assigning you to bed rest. Are we clear, Higurashi?"
Kagome nodded emphatically and hurried out the door to the small examination room. Shippo was snickering again and Kagome swung her uninjured arm around his shoulders, bringing his head in to drive her knuckles into his hair. His loud "Gah!" drew the attention of the others sitting in the waiting room.
"Shut it, kiddo." She growled at him as they both stumbled through the large doors of the med-bay and into the corridor. Shippo snorted and shoved his hands into his pockets, his gaze skittering from the psychic and down the hall.
"You should have told me you were hurt." He muttered and Kagome looked over at his averted face. A small smile tipped her lips and she bumped him with her hip, laughing when he stumbled into the wall.
"Eh, I didn't think it was such a big deal." She said simply and Shippo lifted a brow at her. "I just thought it was a bruise. I'd never been in actual combat before so I never really paid any attention to the lecture on psychic injuries during a link. The doctors never explained it to me when I was getting treated after the fact either." She shrugged as they turned a corner and the corridor changed in appearance.
A wave of anticipation swept over her as she realized they were coming up to her favorite part of the ship. One side of the corridor was like the rest of the ship, but the other side was made of a thick material much like glass. It was facing the inner core of the ship and at the center was the large dome that housed the Goshinboku.
Eden was the central hub of the western fleet. Its design reflected that position greatly. At the center of Eden was a large botanical garden, gathered around the 297 foot tree's base. The garden was encapsulated by the strange glass-like material, banded by thick ropes of lighting that provided enough ultraviolet energy to keep the garden flourishing. The walkways and corridors that surrounded the garden were walled with the glass so anyone would be able to see the center in all its glory. And what a sight it was, shining like a beacon, surrounded by the black of space.
Branching out from the center were the many amenities that mankind needed to survive. The many laboratories and medical centers as well as the maintenance offices were the first few rings around the garden. Residential areas, as well as four fully stocked cafeterias were the next ring and the commercial districts surrounded those. Bordering everything else was the military stations. This was where their lines of defense started. Positioned on a separate corridor that arced over the garden, was the helm of the ship. Below the garden was where the engines and the ships many power sources were located.
Those last two areas were restricted, so Kagome had no idea exactly what was below the garden, nor did she have any real need to find out either. The ship also had multiple docking bays interspaced throughout the outer ring, more than any other ship in the western fleet. Because Eden was the center of the west, many relied upon it to keep the fleet fully stocked in any resource needed. So saying, four large reservoirs of water sat at the base of the garden. How large, Kagome couldn't say, the figures kept changing.
Whenever sources of water were discovered, whatever could be salvaged or converted safely was brought to Eden on large ships that stayed docked at Eden, ready to be deployed at the first word of a sighting. There weren't many discoveries, Kagome could name only one time in her life where a water source had been discovered, so they relied heavily upon the recycling system each ship had.
Each fleet had its own hub, and Kagome assumed they were all much like Eden. What made Eden different from the other cardinal hubs was the advancement in terraforming, which was what had attracted her to begin with.
"Hey! Space cadet!" Shippo jostled her uninjured shoulder and Kagome jolted out of her daze. "I swear you freaking biologists are all the same! Swoon over the garden some other time, alright? We gotta hurry back to finish putting those planters in."
Rolling her eyes Kagome followed after her short companion. "Yes sir, Mr. Engineer, sir!" She saluted even as she switched to a light jog to catch up. For someone with shorter legs, he sure was fast.
Miroku woke with a start and groaned as he tried to lift his head in the direction of the awful chime sounding from somewhere to his right. He briefly noted it was 13:30 before his eyes landed on the softly glowing screen on his nightstand. With another groan he reached over and brought the screen to rest on his pillow beside his head and swiped the answer icon.
"Soryu? Where are you? I can't see you."
Miroku groaned for the third time and buried his face into his pillow. "Mushin." He grumbled and ignored all the indignant comments coming from his screen. The volume and tone steadily got louder before he finally had enough and sat up, bringing the screen to his face. "Old man, I am trying to sleep."
His growl only succeeded in producing chortles as the elderly bald man on the other side lifted a small glass and down the contents in one gulp. Miroku raised an eyebrow and swung his feet over the side of his bed. "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?" He grumbled and rubbed a hand over the stubble that was starting to grow on his jaw. His fingers encountered the large gauze pad covering his bruises and he grimaced.
"Bah. Never too early." The old man mumbled as he poured himself another glass and stared into the tired visage of the younger man. "So you finally managed to get the Higurashi girl back on track, I hear."
Miroku let out a harsh sigh and glared down into his screen. "Do you have any idea how hard it's been trying to manipulate things so that they'd go the way you wanted them too?!"
Mushin raised an eyebrow and brought his glass to his lips, taking another swig before setting it down and lacing his fingers together before him. "I told you that this was the best outcome. Besides, you make it seem as if befriending the girl was a hardship!"
Miroku let out another growl and stood, heading toward the small bathroom, leaving the screen on the bed. "Of course it wasn't hard being friends with Kagome! Lying to her wasn't that hard either. That girl is so damn gullible!" He paced back to the bed and stared into the hard eyes of his long time mentor. "And dammit if I don't feel incredibly guilty for it too! Especially after…" He trailed off and looked down at the greyish blue carpeting that came standard in all single units.
"After that botched mission." Mushin finished and picked up his glass again. He allowed himself to savor the burn of the alcohol before he looked back to the anguished eyes of his young pupil. "It is for the best, Miroku. The alternative paths for the future of mankind are far too bleak. This was the best hope for all of us. She is the best hope-"
"I know! Kami, I know!" Miroku exploded as he paced back to the bathroom and thrust his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I just don't want to see her get hurt." He allowed in a small voice and ignored the exasperated sigh that came through his screen.
"She's stronger than you give her credit for." Mushin grumbled as he stared down at his empty glass. "And she'll only get stronger. Which is what we needed to happen. Which is way you were put on Eden in the first place. Dark energy follows the light, though, boy. Your job is now to protect that light, don't forget that."
Miroku snorted in disdain even as his screen went dark, allowing his room to again become pitch. "Like I could do anything but protect her now." He muttered a curse and swung back towards his bathroom. Might as well shower, it wasn't like he could get anymore sleep now.
Kagome let out a happy sigh as she sat back, wiping her brow with the back of her arm, avoiding the soil stuck to her gloves. Over to her left she heard the combined curses of the two maintenance men Shippo and herself had recruited to help with the planters. While both men were considerably stocky, the planters were oddly shaped and harder to handle than you would expect. After both men and managed to maneuver the planters into place, Kagome had gotten to work with aerating the soil and making sure each plant was placed in properly.
She glanced over the section of the large garden they were planting in and smiled at the little girl walking hand-in-hand with her mother. The little girl smiled back and pointed, looking up at her mother and saying something that Kagome could not hear. The mother laughed and spoke back, possibly explaining what they were doing, before both walked farther down the pebbled path and out of sight. Kagome looked up and smiled at the far reaching branches of the Goshinboku that provided ample shade.
Though Kagome had never set foot on actual solid ground, let alone a real planet, she imagined that Earth couldn't have been much different from this. Artificially made wind brushed her hair back from her face and she closed her eyes, savoring the small peace she had found.
"Miss Higurashi?"
And the peace was gone. Turning her head, Kagome acknowledged the gawky guard lumbering toward her with a raised eyebrow as she stood.
"Yes?" She questioned as she took off her gardening gloves and wiped her clammy hands on her pants.
"A message for you. They said you weren't answering your screen and it's urgent." The young man nervously coughed as he hastily handed her a small bit-screen and then departed. Kagome watched him down the path until he was gone then looked down at the screen in her hand. She placed her thumb on the center of the pad and waited for the verification process to end. With a small chirp, a message began scrolling down the screen.
"Miss Kagome Higurashi,
You are needed in the southern meeting room right away. An urgent matter has come up and your presence has been requested.
As always please deposit the bit-screen in the recycling bin so that it can be properly processed. Thank you and have a nice day."
Kagome sighed and tried not to let the butterflies in her stomach show on her face. It was probably nothing, she told herself as she turned to face Shippo and the two laborers. Shippo was standing with his feet braced apart and his arms crossed over his chest. His nose was stuck in the air as he was directing the two older men with an air of importance. Kagome thought he looked like a spoiled brat trying to dictate to the movers where his stuff should go.
"Hey, Ship! I've got to go. I'm being summoned for some kind of meeting." She called out and stifled a laugh when he glanced in her direction before waving her off.
It was a twenty minute walk through the garden and another ten to the lift that would take her to the southern sector. The whole way she worried about what this summons could possibly mean. Maybe they wanted to discuss her report on the mission yesterday? 'Oh man, please let it just be about my report.' She thought to herself as she selected to correct button on the lifts panel.
Her dread had only increased by the time she had made it to the corridor leading to the meeting room. Her eyes widened and her heart leapt into her throat as she noticed the uniformed officers lining the halls. Uniformed officers. Ten of them, five on each side. Her mouth went dry and her hurried clip ground to a slow drag. Whoever it was in that room was important. Her eyes shot to the face of the nearest officer and she noticed the stoic expression combined with hardened jaw. Yep, really important.
When she reached the door, she glanced to the two men stationed on either side. "Ah, K-kagome Higurashi." She managed to stutter out and felt he face flare when one of the men turned his head to scrutinize her. With a sharp nod he turned his gaze to his partner and the man pressed his hand to the panel beside him. The door swooshed open and Kagome swept through as quickly as she could without seeming to be fleeing.
Her eyes swept the room and landed on a waterfall of bright silver hair pulled into a high tail atop the person whose back she faced. The person stood from the chair they had been seated in and turned to face her. Kagome was startled to realize that it was a man. His face was rather rugged and his eyes were like chips of amber caught in the light. She gulped and clutched her fingers in front of her. His eyes swept over her, his face staying in the stoic expression all hardened military men seemed to wear, before he nodded and a bright smile took her by surprise.
"Kagome Higurashi?"
His voice was deep and Kagome could well imagine very commanding. Nodding quickly with her mouth slightly agape, much to her mortification, Kagome snapped herself out of the funk she was in.
"Ah, yes! Uh, and you are…?" She questioned softly and was ashamed to admit she was relieved when he laughed. 'God girl, quit being so intimidated!' She chastised herself even as she took a step forward to accept his handshake.
"Hideaki Taisho, or Inu no Taisho, as I seem to be known." He introduced as he grasped her hand and Kagome felt herself tip back into the surrealism she had been caught in the moment she had walked into the room. Oh God. She was shaking the hand of the commander of the western fleet. The freaking COMMANDER of the whole western fleet!
She knew she was staring at him with a slack-jawed look on her face, but for the life of her she couldn't seem to stop. Inu no Taisho chuckled slightly and brought a hand around to her back, directing her to the two couches set up facing each other on either side of a small coffee table. Allowing her to be seated on one, he took his own seat on the other.
He had to admit she was a pretty little thing. Large blue eyes set in a small pale face, surrounded by waves of hair so black it was nearly blue. The very opposite of his own son. He caught the sharp movement of her shaking her head and allowed a small smile to settle on his lips. She wasn't the first to react this way on meeting him and he highly doubted she would be the last, but she was recovering remarkably fast.
"Uh, may I ask exactly what…um…?" Kagome trailed off and again shook her head slightly, her hand came up to her temple as she felt her anxiety levels rise. Her eyes met his and he smiled when she straightened from her slight slump.
"Would you like some tea or coffee before we begin?" He asked courteously as he motioned over to the cart by the wall loaded down with refreshments. Kagome frowned slightly and shook her head. She didn't think she'd be able to keep anything down, what with the trampoline that had grown in her stomach.
"Straight to business than." Inu no Taisho announced as he leaned forward and laced his hands together. "Miss Higurashi, I am here to discuss with you the importance of continuing your partnership with Captain Sesshomaru Taisho."
Inu no Taisho chuckled to himself as he watched the little spitfire walk down the corridor and to the lift. Although she had been apprehensive and intimidated at the start, it had quickly vanished in the midst of their negotiations. Her eyes had flashed with blue sparks as she had emphasized her dislike of being cornered by those high up on the chain of command. His own smile had sharpened as he had explained that due to the unusual circumstances, certain measures had to be taken.
After an hour or so of volleying comments and explaining the reasoning behind their own machinations, she had ended the talk with a somber, "I need to think on this." He had understood and told her as much.
"Of course. You still have three days to decide." His eyebrows had scrunched as the both of them stood and he had again taken her hand in his own. "I hope that you decide to continue this partnership. For all of our sakes."
Her eyes had searched his own for answers only she could give and then she had nodded, more to herself than in acknowledgement to his words, he supposed, before she turned and headed out the door. Now as he watched her leave, he straightened from the door frame and glanced to the corporal stationed by the door. "Get a hold of Captain Kavoc. It's time I finish the rest of this business and head back to the front lines."
Her breathy moan fluttered passed his ears as her leg hitched higher up on his thigh. His hand braced on the wall behind her as he brought his mouth down to the graceful arch of her neck, allowing his tongue to flick out and taste her skin. Her moan turned guttural as she lightly raked her nails down his back underneath his shirt. A low growl slipped passed his lips as he hooked his hand around the back of her knee, lifting her leg higher, allowing him closer.
"Se-"
"-SSHOMARU!"
Sesshomaru jack-knifed into a sitting position and glared heatedly at the door to his room where his blasted brother was banging on it and shouting his name. The little bastard was dead, he swore vehemently as he jerked his blanket off and threw his feet to the floor. Making sure that nothing could be seen and Inuyasha wouldn't know his condition, Sesshomaru opened the door and stared at the buffoon.
Apparently something in his expression got through to the idiot because he took a step back and swallowed compulsively. "Ah. We, uh, got a message from, uh, command." Inuyasha took a step back, gathering all his bluster from before, and forced his terrified expression into a sneer. "So hurry and get dressed, asshole!" He pointed in a somewhat threatening way and then turned and left. He was NOT running away from certain death.
Sesshomaru sighed as the door closed and he rested his forehead against the cold metal. This was starting to get out of control, he admitted, if only to himself. Four days and he was reduced to wishing he could stay in his dreams where she was. Where he could hear her voice and feel her touch. Ridiculous. He snorted softly and walked over to his closet.
The small dining hall that was also used as their meeting room was already packed when Sesshomaru got there. Everyone on the small cruiser was seated in the room and there was only one chair left open next to Kouga. Stifling the urge to sigh, he quickly made his way to the chair and steadfastly ignored the pointed stare at the side of his face from the afore-mentioned captain.
Before Kouga could open his mouth and ruin his morning more than it had already been, a chime sounded throughout the room. All eyes swung to the flashing message hovering above the center table, waiting for the communications line to fully sync. With another small chime the small window expanded and they all found themselves looking into the face of their fleet commander. All stood and saluted, as protocol demanded and retook their seats at the appropriate time.
"Good morning." Inu no Taisho's voice was stoically cool, "Thanks to the hard work and perseverance of your teams last mission, I am pleased to announce that you have finally earned a promotion."
The stunned silence after the announcement was short before pandemonium erupted throughout the room. Beside him, Kouga was shouting something along the lines of "About damn time!" and he could pick out Inuyasha from somewhere behind him whooping wordlessly. Inu no Taisho waited patiently for the chaos to quiet, his expression not shifting at all.
When the ruckus had calmed somewhat, he continued. "It is with all seriousness that I tell you there will be no time for rest, however. Your ships' captain has already been sent docking orders for ship modification and resupply. That does not mean that the rest of you can take this time off. Your own itinerary has been decided and will be sent momentarily." He straightened from the slight lean he had been in. "Congratulations and may you continue to work hard as a team."
The communication line dropped and his image blinked out. As if on cue, several chirps sounded through the room and everyone's screens lit up with messages.
"So, what does this make us now?" Sesshomaru heard Taijya whisper and turned his head slightly to look behind him. Kouga frowned lightly and crossed his arms.
"Normally this would put us in the front of the battalion, but…" He trailed off as he read over the message on his screen.
"We've been made into a scout team?!"
Inuyasha's loud screech made Sesshomaru's ears ring, even as he read over the mission parameters he was given. This was, indeed, a very big promotion. To jump so far ahead made Sesshomaru's eyes narrow in suspicion. It was unusual for a clean-up crew to go from trailing the fleet right up to the front, staking out points of interest and infiltrating enemy lines before the battleships. The fact that they weren't going to be transferred to already modified ships could be contributed to the fact that the whole team had been promoted…but it was still unusual. This smelled of higher up machinations.
"Well, whatever the case may be, we sure are going to be busy for the next week. Look at all the training we got going on." Kagura murmured quietly as she read over her schedule while their ship was being outfitted. "It looks like we're going to be docking on Ragnarok."
"Yeah, they've got specialized rooms for training in. It's supposed to give us dangerous scenarios that we have to fight in." Ayame whispered excitedly to Sango and both grinned. While on the meteor base, both had quickly discovered they rather liked the adrenaline rush that built up when in combat with the enemy. It certainly beat sparring with the rest of the team, anyway.
Sesshomaru ignored the others around him as he finished reading over his own schedule. Just as he was about to close out of the message, a small bracket at the bottom caught his eye. Scrolling down even further he read over a personal note directed at himself.
"Convincing your psychic linking partner to remain is your job alone."
With a small jolt Sesshomaru felt his eyes widen slightly. He had forgotten. Higurashi wasn't his permanent linking partner. She was only supposed to stand in for Hojo for the week. His mind blanked momentarily before kicking into overdrive. The first thought to cross his mind was whether or not she was worth the effort of convincing. That was quickly decided when memories of the power the both of them could harness crossed his mind. Leaving the strange way she made him feel off to the side, he admitted that they probably wouldn't be getting this promotion if it hadn't been for her, anyway.
With a small frown and a narrowing of his eyes, he stood from his chair and headed back towards his room. So he was keeping her, but now how to convince her she wanted to stay with him? As his partner. His frown deepened at the strange turn his thoughts were taking. Figuring out how to make the girl stay his partner was going to take some planning, and according to his schedule he had sixteen hours to do it.
Kagome wiped her damp palms on her pants and took a deep breath. Seated at the last booth in the telecommunications room, she stared into the blank screen that she was about to use. Letting out her breath in a rush she leaned forward and pressed the call button for the number she had already entered. The waiting symbol flashed repeatedly and then stopped as the screen colored and she found herself looking into a well missed face.
"Hey mom."
"Kagome?" The elder Higurashi blinked in astonishment before a large smile split her face. "Kagome! Oh, dear, I wasn't expecting you to call today!" Her exclamation was loud and Kagome felt an answering smile spread over her own face. In the background she heard a loud crash followed by her Ji-chan's howl. Raising an eyebrow at her mom in question, Ms. Higurashi waved it off and adjusted herself in her chair.
"Oh, don't worry about him, he's fine. What happened?"
"Kagome blinked and tried to keep her face straight. "What do you mean 'what happened?' Nothing happened! Can't I just call home from time to time?"
Ms. Higurashi's own face blanked. "The fact that you haven't called home since you moved to Eden would make this a novelty, Kagome." Her mother's tone was dry and Kagome winced at the jab.
"I sent messages!" She tried to defend herself and her mother's eyebrow raised in challenge. At the look, Kagome sank into her chair and admitted defeat. "Sorry. I meant to call home sooner, it's just I got so busy as soon as I got here. The equipment I'm allowed to experiment with and the many plant species I-"
"Yes, dear. Your messages said as much. While it's nice that you're so involved with your work, I want to know what is troubling you enough for you to call."
Kagome paused and realized she was holding her breath again. As she took another breath and tried to relax her shoulders, she was horrified to realize that tears were building up in her eyes and her throat felt constricted. Oh, hell. She was going to cry.
Ms. Higurashi watched as her daughters face quickly crumbled and all the teasing left her. She sat towards the screen and angled it to get a better look into Kagome's eyes. "Oh, baby, what's wrong?" She asked quietly and it seemed to be the leak that broke the dam. With a sympathetic and worried eye, Ms. Higurashi tightened her lips as Kagome let out a small sob.
With shuddering breaths and small pauses interspersed with sniffles, Kagome explained the situation she currently found herself in. As she got to the part where she had linked with her partner, Ms. Higurashi was intrigued by the small flush that crawled up her neck and onto her cheeks. Listening intently through to the end, she reserved all thoughts until Kagome had gotten it all out. She was relieved to realize that the only thing really wrong with her was an over-abundance of stress and frustration.
"What am I going to do, momma?" Kagome ended, her tears already dry and only the sniffling remaining.
"Well, what do you want to do, Kagome?" Her mother asked as she folded her hands in front of her. "Did the fleet commander say you couldn't continue looking over your plants?"
"No. He said it would be fine if I kept doing what I was doing." Kagome trailed as she thought over the strange negotiations she had been in earlier.
"Do you not like linking with this Captain Taisho? Is it too scary going into enemy territory with him?"
"Well, no. I mean…linking with him is…" Kagome trailed off again and a blush heated her cheeks. She caught the knowing smile on her mothers' face and scowled back. "I mean, I don't have any problems with the linking itself." She hurried on, hoping her mother wouldn't tease her.
"Then what is the problem?" Ms. Higurashi asked, deciding to tease the younger woman at a later time.
"I just…feel like I'm backed into a corner." Kagome crossed her arms and looked out into the empty room. A soft chuckle brought her eyes back to her mother.
"Kagome, you have to stop being so stubborn. You are just like your father."
Kagome's eyes softened and she smiled wistfully. Another loud bang sounded in the background behind Ms. Higurashi. Both women watched as a dusty Ji-chan came stumbling out from the room behind Ms. Higurashi.
"Here I am, an old man, struggling with various objects and you're on a communications line?!"
Kagome giggled as the old man started his rant. He stopped mid-word at her giggle and squinted into the screen. "Who's that? Who're you talking to?" His eyes widened and then narrowed as he recognized his granddaughter. "Well, if it isn't the ungrateful granddaughter who never calls!"
Kagome winced and scratched the back of her head. "Heh, hi, Ji-chan." She said lowly and tried not to laugh when she realized he wasn't listening. Instead he was fully consumed with his lecture on the proper way to treat the elderly and how ungrateful some people where. Ms. Higurashi rolled her eyes and smiled back at her daughter.
"I had better let you go, dear. This will take a while."
"Love you, mom."
"Love you too. Call again once you've decided on what you're doing. I'll give you an update on Souta as well."
Kagome grinned and nodded even as she reached for the call-end button. "Sure thing! Bye mom! And thanks!"
Kagome sat back and rubbed at the salt trails left on her cheeks. Good thing no one else had been in the room. How embarrassing it would have been for someone to see her blubbering like an idiot. She really needed to get her screen modified with higher range. Not being able to call from the ship was really going to be an inconvenience.
xXx
So, here it is. As always, thank you for reading and please review! Thank you to all of you that have reviewed and left such lovely comments and opinions. I don't have much free time right now but I promise I will soon and I will be able to comment back to all of you. Reading your reviews makes my day and keeps me going, so thank you again and hopefully you continue to enjoy!
