Tombstone Estate

[Doc Holliday]

Location: Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System

With the Sirius wide ion storms grinding all space traffic to a halt, the Hollidays found themselves grounded at home which for them, wasn't a bad thing. While the storms caused odd weather patterns for all planets, Gran Canaria seemed to do rather well. It's inhabitants had little to worry about as food and water were plentiful. If there was one concern, it was the supply of pharmaceuticals. While some were locally produced, most were imported. With Port Jackson, the Corsair colony, the Klingon colony of Gr'Chuk and the local Zoner population, it was a slow but growing problem. As a countermeasure, prevention and healthy living was stressed and it had some good results.

John Holliday himself found plenty of time to focus on his lab work. The device that was given to him by Alvin Katz continued to baffle him. It worked but he couldn't duplicate it. With the ion storms disabling all communications, he couldn't even send a transmission for some technical assistance. While he knew medicine, he didn't have the technical know how to duplicate the device on his own. Still, he worked at it, finding stimulants that had similar but short term effects on the mind. He recorded his findings and thoughts.

There is little more that I can do with this device without technical and science help. I have duplicated some of the protections it offers using stimulants but they are short term fixes, say, between four to six hours. Without research of long term exposure, I don't dare push them as a long term fix. What I wouldn't want is for long term exposure to end up having the same end results as cardamine. Addiction and genetic alteration are not something I want to see happen.
I have found that a strong will is something Nomads, Wilde and Keepers are warded off by. I would encourage anyone in their area not to show mental weakness as they exploit it.

Catching up on research and having down time, he spent much of it with Midori. Even in the worst of weather conditions, the lakeside cabin was a great escape and no weather inhibited him from getting to it using a military vehicle he purchased for Estate use.
On one particular day, it was Midori who found out of a hidden talent of her husband. He had retired to his West room, needing some rest time. After cleaning some of the pictures on display to include the one of him standing with his old friends, the Earps, and of course, the large wedding picture with him and Midori. He then sat at the baby grand piano that sat in the back corner of the room. Always wanting to try new songs of the past, a past that existed between the Earth year 1887 and the time he was re-born, he found many he liked.

One song he had practiced the words to many times over in his head during those long trade routes that he would run. ".....Sitting by the river playing guitar. Wondering if were really gonna get that far..." kept going through his head. "I've got to try it," he thought out loud to himself. Everyone knew he was an accomplished pianist but few knew he could sing as well. After getting the piano licks right, he put it together.

He began the song: Vallotte

He never heard Midori slowly and quietly come into the room. With his back to her and the noise of the piano itself, it was easy. She stood quietly as he played and flawlessly sang the lyrics to the old song. She smiled, standing and listening, enjoying the work her husband had put together. After the song was complete, he continued playing piano riffs, as if he had forgotten how much he enjoyed it. While he played, she came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders at which he stopped playing, looked up and smiled.

"Dahlin'," he said.
"I did not know you could sing like that," she said, "that was very pretty."
He then stood up, "Mrs. Holliday, may I have this dance?"
She smiled and simply replied with a "hai."
He then started a recording of "Vallotte" and the two danced alone in the West Room to the old tune before retiring for the evening.

*more to come*

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