Tombstone Estate

[Doc Holliday]

Location: Planet New Tokyo, Kusari Space

He hadn't been home in weeks and the constant work was beginning to show. He had been shuttling between the Rheinland and Kusari, sitting in on the trial of Christian Nagger and preparing for a meeting with the Emperor of Kusari himself.

Once again, it was a trying time for the Zoners. Zoner ships opening fire upon Samura and Kishiro ships in Omega 49, the struggle for the Zoner people to re-unite continued and the big bomb, Aurelia Silvan, the Council Chairwomen, had revealed her true backround as a member of the Gallic Royals. It angered John Holliday and greatly so that someone he had once trusted wronged him and the Zoners. There was little doubt in his mind that she purposely left the Zoners in a complete state of dissarray and to make it worse, returned to Gallia with some of the secrets the Zoners kept locked away.

On this morning in New Tokyo, he was just waking up from a good night's sleep. He and his wife were given an Ambassador's suite in the Emperor's Palace. Per usual, he ventured out to the veranda into the morning air in his bathrobe to enjoy his morning coffee in the veranda's garden. Already out there was Midori, who had been accompanying him on his travels. If it was tough on him it was harder on her as she was in her third month of pregnancy. Still, she didn't show too through the many kimono gowns she commonly wore.

She was standing with her face in the morning breeze, still in her kibuki gown when he came up behind her. He placed his hands around her, resting them on her stomach.
"Mornin', Dahlin'," he said, kissing her from behind, "Mornin' to too," he added as he rubbed her belly.
She just smiled and leaned her head back onto his shoulder, "ygu-tenmorugenou, John Henry," she replied.
Even if he didn't understand it, he loved it when she spoke Kusari to him. He began kissing the side of her neck.
"John Henry," she said with a giggle, "you misbehaving."
"So?" was his answer. After a few more kisses, he just stood upright and let her body nestle against his as they returned to their morning coffee.

"What do I do, Dahlin'," he asked of her.
"About what?" she asked.
He just sighed, "I have nothing to offer your Emperor," he explained, "Yet, I came to, well, keep peace with him."
She thought about what he had said, knowing he sort of asked her for advice. She thought for a moment as she sipped her coffee.
"If I know Emperor Jogen," she explained, "he not want something from you as much as he want your friendship, your honor and your understanding."
He was still confused. "He will want some resolve from me, for me to settle the matter, for me to do something against Zoners I have no authority over and over a planet I have no power on."

She turned to him and explained, "Emperor Kogen wise man. He know what you do not have. What he want is, if nothing else, a pledge from you to at least try. He not call you here if he not want to work with you."
She then turned back around, nestling her back against his body, "Trust me, John Henry, you will do fine." She then turned her head around and smiled up at him, "I promise."

They stood in silence, just enjoying their company as much as they enjoyed their coffee. He thought about what she had said and finally said, ''Dahlin' I do hope you are right....for all of our sakes."

*more to come*

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