Mistakes and Misfortunes

[KitsuneHime]

"Oh. I don't know very much magic, I'm considered quite young for my age. I hope to learn more someday."
Suzumi lay on the roof, gazing up the starscape.
The constellations had changed dramatically. She attempted to find a familiar pattern in the stars, but in vain.
She sighed deeply. She didn't regret arriving here from Feudal Japan, but nearly everything had changed beyond belief. She probably wouldn't recognize Japan if she traveled there now.

[Lunar]

Lunar gazes at the stars for a while then sits up. He smiles and takes a slow breath. And begins to sing.

The words have long last their meanings but they flow perfectly, the rhyms and flow of the song is perfect.

He rasies a hand and slowly swirls his finger towards the sky. Above them the stars begin to move, flowing, spinning, reforming in new places.

Lunar is weaving his own image in the skies.

[Chastity]

I pack up a small bag of things and head off from my little soup kitchen. The food has all been spent for the evening, and people have gone home, or to wherever it is that they go. The dishes have been washed, and are drying, and now I hang a sign on the door that says I will be back after a few days. I feel a slight pang of guilt for leaving. The people need food. But people everywhere are starving, and I need to take a chance to see if I can get others to join my crusade. I will be back in a couple of days, and then I will bring food to the people here again.

I walk to the train station and buy a ticket for Moscow. Into the lions den. I wait for awhile until the train comes, and then board it. It has been so long since I have left Paris. I feel excited and a little trepidatious. There are not many on the train as the wheels screech into motion. I am on my way.

[Kaieka]

This chair is uncomfortable. That Pink Tart! Vaporizing all of our furniture. I move around a bit, trying to find a better position. I wonder if Bassarov is still writing, or if he has fallen asleep at his desk or on the floor. Who knows? I won't go and check on him, I will just stay here, uncomfortable.

[Geshtal]

Geshtal stands on a street corner. The night is dark and there is no living thing active in the area.

Odd. Normally cities have at least something moving.

He turns to look behind him, a quirk of his AI. He knows there's nothing there but he feels compelled t check anyway.

He has a 'feeling'. His AI is perfectly matched with a human so although his systems read clean and scans show nothing his 'mind' is still on edge.

[Peter "The Owl"]

Peter sights his shot and fires. The round catches Geshtal between his shoulder blades. The round itself is smashed to pieces on the Andriod's frame but not before it release it's pulse.

Geshtal freezes, his systems locking up as the EMP wave shuts him down.

Peter, sliding his rifle to his should, slides from his hiding place and walks over to the frozen android.

"So, this is the last of the old Empire? Impressive."

[Geshtal]

Darkness takes Geshtal, all his systems shutting down. His AI's self supporting systems however, operate on a bio-energy systems and stay on-line.

He is aware of time but he can't see or even truly think. It's like having a soul without a brain to do the thinking.

He feels bored.

[Peter "The Owl"]

The room is brilliant white as Peter steps back, laying the probe down on a tray. He stands and looks down at the still form of Geshtal before him. They had to reenforce the table before they could put him down for the operation.

But now it was done. Peter personally didn't see why they were doing this but orders were orders. At 000 hours that morning LIF Centeral Command had come back on-line with orders.

And those orders were clear: locate and reprogram the Android Geshtal. The reprogrammin had been simple really, Geshtal was advanced American hardware but his software was an outdated Japanese system. LIF had it's fingers into everything.

A quick download to his ROM and Peter had been able to do the job in a few hours. With the changes Geshtal would operate in basically the same manner as before but with one key difference: his records now showed that the Operational Head of LIF was the genetic desendant of the Empire.

Putting his coat back on Peter turns the lights to normal levels and switches off the EMP field. Geshtals systems begin rebooting instantly. Only a minute or two before he wakes up.

[Geshtal]

Geshtal's world snaps on again. He sits up, scans coming on-line instantly. His gaze settles on the man standing before him.

"Who are you? And where am I?"

[Peter "The Owl"]

"I am The Owl. You are in a ops room for LIF. Your home."

Peter takes out a crystal, LIF has long since stopped working with disks and CDs and hands to the Geshtal.

"This is all the information you need. As you can see, the Empire is not as dead as you thought."

[Geshtal]

Geshtal takes the crystals, reading the information via infrared scans in his optics. What the man says is true.

"Confermed. Genetic match at 85% and key genes matching. Very well then. I suppose that makes you my commander. Orders?"

[Peter "The Owl"]

"Operating orders are for you to work with me. Command has just handed down new orders: we're going to find ourselves some Vampires."

[KitsuneHime]

Suzumi sat up suddenly, and gave a little gasp in admiring awe. The sight was so incredible that it left her breathless for words.

The stars were rearranging before her eyes!
She was doubtful as to whether it was an illusion or not, but it was astounding either way.
"Wow..."

[Hope98]

I look at the purple cat.
"No cat, I am sorry, this is hopeless. I will not have his love through magic or tricks."
I walk away, through town...alone. Very alone.

[Kaieka]

I sit up in the chair. This is horrid. I am not getting a wink of sleep. I stand up and stretch my aching body. We need some new furniture. This can't wait until tomorrow. I need a bed now! Oh, I am sure that there will be a furniture store open this late... there has to be something open. I will just buzz into the room and borrow Bassarov's RI credit card.

I walk over and open the door. Bassarov is snoozing on his desk, papers ruffling in his expulsions of air. I reach into his back pocket and pull out his wallet. I withdraw the credit card and set the wallet on the desk. I will have this back in a jiffy.

Out the door I go, and off to Lucern. I will purchase a very nice bed, if I can find a store open at this hour...