Evangeline Anastasia McDowell

[Bazza]

Entry#: 005
Date: 29 - 06 - 817 AS @ 07:35 SUT
Title: I have a new pilot. And she's a real cutie too!

The Golden Chrysanthemums allowed me to stay on their base for as long as I wished. I had gotten most of the money I lost on the cardamine back from the half a dozen or so smash-and-grab operations I've been in. It's rather nice here, but some of the customs these woman have are unnerving. Their addiction to cardamine was starting to worry me, I've seen what an overdose can do and the way they use it is simply irresponsible.

I had been sitting in the bar on Ainu enjoying a dinner with real food (something of a rarity amongst pirate clans), when one of the girls sat beside me. We had the 'cordial stranger talk', about the usual unimportant things. The bar room was now completely devoid of any person, even the bartenders had left. The girl explained it was for a ritual of some description, I didn't ask the details.

After some more meaningless conversation, I decided I would do a bit of probing. I didn't know very much about this girl, beyond her name - and I figured getting some friends here couldn't hurt.

I asked her why she was with the GC, and I was completely taken back by her response. Apparently she'd been abandoned by her conservative parents after she'd told them she was only interested in girls - something I wasn't expecting to hear such a sweet girl say.

Misaka, as her name was, had fled to the much publicised Golden Chrysanthemums after being kicked out and left with nothing. The GC had given her a home and were now the closest thing she had to a family.

She was about to continue her story when the room was suddenly filled with people - it seems whatever ritual had occupied them had finished. Unexpectedly, Misaka grabbed me by the arm and towed me back to her room in the living quarters of the station. The room, on inspection, was barely big enough for one person, much less two to fit in. We ended up sitting on her bed, leaning against the wall, a total lack of space left us no choice.

Behind the privacy of closed doors she confessed to me her hatred of the GC's way of doing things - theft and murder simply weren't her style. I had wondered how such a small girl became a terrorist long before we ever talked. She was breaking down as she told her story - I knew then I wanted to help her.

It was decided. I would take this girl as my co-pilot.

I told her, abruptly, I'm leaving in 12 hours and I want to take you with me."

Perhaps not the best choice of words, but at the time it was all I could think of. She looked at me, stunned, for several seconds before jumping across the bed and applying the biggest bear hug her small frame could muster.

I explained to her what I did for a living, (with notable exceptions of what I had done in Kusari), and how I needed a pilot to assist me. Misaka was all too happy to become my new partner, she agreed to the terms I laid down with tears in her eyes and a big smile across her face. After further discussing our plans we retired to bed, myself borrowing space on the floor of the cramped cabin.

Despite her disdain for the GC she insisted on getting the station Matriarch's blessing, as opposed to just running away as I had planned. We approached her after our sleep, and I suspect she got the reasons for my taking Misaka totally wrong - the way she spoke was like a mother giving approval for her daughter to be wed as opposed to employed.

I'm writing this up as the ship flies through more gas clouds en-route for the Independent Sigma systems on autopilot. Misaka is exploring and, I think, lost in the ship somewhere now. I just hope we don't get discovered by any more Kusari forces - I've had enough of them for a long while.

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