Sable's Experiences

[Toaster]

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September 8, 827 A.S.

When had her life turned into such a mess? Olivia wondered as she rubbed the back of her head, her skull throbbing with pain. Glaring out of the Rhino's canopy, she could just barely make out the engine plumes of a Condor fading into the distance, eventually disappearing into the dark matter cloud that dominated Kepler's west. Hoisting herself into the pilot's chair, she slumped back, dizzy, the cockpit and stars swirling around her like an out of balance carousel.

Pedro had escaped, once again slipping through her fingers. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to put together what had happened. The man had been tied up, sitting in the freighter's cargo hold, barely able to remain conscious after a series of beatings Olivia had given him. Even though the serum Moretti had administered had long since worn off, she was more than capable of inflicting all the pain she felt Pedro deserved for what he had done to her and everyone else.

She had gone to the cockpit to check on the autopilot's plotted course. When she turned back to look in on her prisoner, he stood before her, a wrench clutched in his hands. Then all went black.

Olivia sighed. Of course. Of course. Her anger, the self-righteousness that came with it, had blinded her, distracted her. Instead of planning an elaborate punishment for the son of a bitch that had tormented her for years, she should have just put a bullet in his head when she had the chance. Now here she was, floating in empty space aboard a disabled freighter, her prey slipping away from her once more. To her surprise, she wasn't angry. Not at Pedro, nor at herself. She was just tired. Resigned.

Maybe it was time to give up. To settle down on some far away frontier planet. To live a quiet life on the solid ground instead of risking her life in space every day, fleeing the nightmares of her past that haunted her present.

Absentmindedly, she keyed the communications system and sent an automatic distress signal to Ames. It would be a few hours before the tugboat found her and towed the Rhino back to the station. Still rubbing her bruised head, Olivia leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, sleep overcoming her in an instant.

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Olivia Sable