Love is hard to catch

[Laura C.]

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Encryption: High, specific decryption key required
Sender: Laura (special authorization verified)
Sent: 12:58 local time, 1st April 820; Honshu system trade lane network, Kusari
To: Trueno Benitez

*Laura appears on the screen with smile, the room behind her looks like hotel room*

Hola, Trueno! Sorry for waiting so long! But I don´t have much time now, I´m packing my things to go to rest on holiday. I met here a nice man, his name is Santiago. He offered me a cheap holiday in upper Sigmas, he works for some travel agency called C.A.S.T.S. Holidays. It was really cheap, because he told me they have special discount for friends of Corsairs.

So I told him I have one and told him about you and he seemed to be very pleased by this so it was almost for free. Santiago said I will live in some nice camp. He is nice guy despite he has to wear that breathing mask which Outcasts have to. But he swore to me that he is not working for them anymore because he is now working in holiday industry. And he seemed to be honest. Also he said he takes maximum care about guests, so I can travel in sleeping pod to relax even during the journey. He will give me some special relaxing pills or something like that. Anyway, I´m leaving now, ship is waiting. I will send another message to you later, once Santiago will return me my PDA. He said that for safety reasons I can´t have it during the journey. See you!

*she waves and then turns the camera off*

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Encryption: High, specific decryption key required
Sender: Laura (special authorization verified)
Sent: 13:29 local time, 1st April 820; Honshu system trade lane network, Kusari
To: Trueno Benitez

*Laura appears on the screen with smile again in the same hotel room*

Did I get you? I hope so... Well, you know, it´s 1st April, day of jokes, at least in houses. Okay, at this moment isn´t yet but will be when I will send it. I hope you like mine and it wasn´t stupid much. Just my quick idea about stupid Laura taking holiday offer and sleeping pills from good guy ex-Outcast who has discount for friends of Corsairs...

*she smiles more*

But now back to serious Laura, sí? You probably want to know what was going on here in Rheinland. First, I´m finally heading back to Kusari tomorrow morning, so I´m prerecording this message in advance same as previous one because I will be with other people in shuttle cabin where is no privacy. And this one will be probably longer. So I will just send it while we will be travelling through Honshu system.

So where to start? Well, with my injury probably. How to sum it up. Saying it shortly, I spent six days in hospital and got few stitches because...I´m stupid. And clumsy. It´s crazy - I´m flying ship in dangerous space full of pirates and other threats on almost daily basis, but one of the worst injuries that I suffered in my life happened in hotel bathroom. Can you believe it? Even worse is that I knew about that slippery floor in bathroom from first time I went there, I noticed it! After three days there, I took a bath and took also a glass and bottle of wine there, to relax and think about information and possible offers that I got from director. More about this later. So I drank some wine...okay, it was good wine, the Gallic one, it´s nothing bad when you like it and drink little more of it, sí? After some time I started to be little sleepy so I stood up and want to step out from bathtub. But when I put my foot on the floor, I somehow lost balance and slipped and fell. But very, very ugly. I hit the edge of the bathtub with my head very heavily and what was bad too, I fell on the glass I had in the hand, shattered with my body and shards cut me on the hand, side and back.

I don´t remember what happened then, doctors said I very likely lost consciousness for some time as I suffered medium heavy or even very heavy concussion. But they also said I was really lucky that I didn´t hit temple as I could die in this case. But I was lucky and it seems I´m really stubborn, now it is proved medically... *she grins* Anyway, I don´t remember how I called emergency, probably I somehow later crawled to the living room for phone. They told me there was blood all around on the floor and carpet so they in first moment thought somebody attacked me there. And I wasn´t able to talk to them about details, I was talking confusedly about lot of things they said...well, I really don´t remember this part except I know I was talking with somebody about something and then they put me on the stretcher and transported to the hospital.

But what I remember very well are the next three days. I thought my head will explode and also had a nausea all the time. It was really ugly. And they were checking me every hour if I´m allright. I even couldn´t walk straight first day. Really awful time! But I´m glad that it didn´t happen in Kusari. Even here, where nobody in fact cares about dragon tattoos, doctors were curious about that two I have. Oh, and also police came to interrogate me as it was reported at first moment as possible attack. Anyway, I spent another five days in hospital before they released me. Then I was just resting in hotel room and doing nothing. So in fact I had a holiday here. Meh, the holiday that I never dreamed of...

*she grimaces*

So that´s all about my injury and hospital and so on. Now...Catalina! Well, I don´t know what to think about it. I know that this thing is part of Corsairs tradition...but to be honest, I don´t like it. It´s really cruel in fact. Sending kids to possible horrible death just to separate strong from weak... *her smile faded away* But if you think this is the best choice for her... I believe you will give Catalina the best advices she can get and she will succeed and return safely. But I'm worried about her anyway. Let me know when this day will come...and how is she doing in training. I hope she will take this seriously and will listen to you.

*she sighs*

Okay, another issue...my work and possible holiday. Well, I had a talk with our executive director. It was some kind of evaluation of my work. I don´t want to waste your time with much details, so just shortly... He told me that I should really work on paperwork because I´m bad at this. Nothing new, heh. That I should take less flying and stay more in office to run business properly. On the other hand, he also said that there will be soon two positions which could be offered to me. First is director of all company issues in Okinawa what means be in charge for the things on base and also the construction of the new settlement on the surface of Miura. In result, full time sitting in base office and later in office in Miura base. Almost no flying. And the second one is deputy transport director. What means organizing transports for whole company and big contracts. And sitting in office on New Berlin almost all the time. Good news generally...but...nah, it doesn´t matter now.

*she sighs again*

More important issue for us - my holiday. Director told me I can take that so long holiday if I can arrange things on the base to let them run without me. What is possible I believe, but it needs lot of planning in advance what means I have to know the date of my visit in enough advance. So it will be a lot up to you as well. Oh and soon there will be also some company training where I have to be, they should say me the date of it in next week or two. Anyway, let me know when I should go to visit Crete to be with you...well, preferably all the time of course.

*she takes a breath*

And this reminds me...our talk about the visit. Well, I understand your explanation of the situation...as usual, the difference between house habits and Corsairs habits showed again. If the things are set as you described...and I can´t harm your name with any common mistake that foreigners do here...then I will prepare to meet your familia. But if it´s possible, I would prefer to stay on Myrtos...Myrhos Villa? How is it? Perdon, I don´t get the right pronunciation...

*smiles a little, but then returned to serious face*

But the reason really isn´t anything related to luxury or anything like that, hell no! In fact it is because...your own familia is more important to me than your...uhm...familia you "work for". So I prefer to leave this introduction for later...maybe another visit for example, hm? I think this is acceptable compromise for both of us, sí? Let me know...

I hope I didn´t forgot anything important. Now I should go pack my things and get some sleep, I have to get up early. I will be waiting for your message. Take care! And take care about Catalina as well! Kiss you!

*she waves and makes "sending kiss" gesture, then turns the camera off*

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On a ragebreak. Or ragequit. Time will tell.