Into the wolf's den

[etiainen]

<<< UNKNOWN LOCATION, PLANET LEEDS >>>

The next day…The serenity of the darkness is distorted by the first ragged star rays, slowly driving away the twilight and slowly warming up the cold morning air and giving the metallic roofs of factories a reddish hue.

*yawn* “Where are we goin’?” asks Druce, having slept only for a few hours and his senses still not fully awaken.

“You shall see soon enough…” Simon grins. They get into Simon’s compact shuttle and Set off the other way from which they came yesterday. Passing one industrial zone after another, separated only by occasional dead lands, polluted rivers and leftovers of half-dying vegetation, approximately after an hour, they arrive to what it seems as a hangar zone. From the view of Simon’s small shuttle, the hangars seem to go on for miles…

“Now where is it…583, 584, 585, just a few more…” Simon murmurs to himself “…ah! Here we are! Let’s go.” He pulls his shuttle over.

The hangar in front of which they were standing looks seriously neglected, when compared to other hangars. “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” he winks at Druce, ”and come see what the inside awaits you.”

They entered the hangar, the interior of which looked even more horrible than its exterior. Many old boxes, crates, a few rusty pieces of machinery, and in the corner, something big covered with a large sheet. Simon went next to it, and pressed a button on the wall, which triggered the sheet removal…

“You like?” Simon asked, amused by the surprised look on Druce’s face.

“Hey! That’s your old Waran! I remember this baby very well."

“It’s been here for years. I didn’t even bother to unmount its weaponry. It had a few holes in it after a few minor incidents, so I repaired it a bit, and hey, it’s in operable condition. I’ve never had the guts to fly it again, though, and I probably never will. I’m getting too old for flying, so I’ve been saving it for a rainy day…which is today.”

“Y…Ya want me to take it, Simon?” Druce looked at Simon with a half-surprised, half-grateful look.

“Yes, Druce. I’m sure you will put it to better use. Feel free to keep it in your possession once the whole jig is up, I'll be glad to hear about an arse-ugly ship striking fear into the hearts of Planetform ships.” He smiles.

“Simon, I…I don’t know what t' say…Thank you!! For this I owe you big time!”

“No thanks are necessary, lad. Just look out for yourself, and stay out of trouble, kay? It just needs a new callsign. What will it be, Druce?”

“Hmm…Samonios.” Druce says after a while

“Ah, I see you haven’t changed your ancient habits, Drucocu.” he grins. “Hopefully this seed will produce its fruit…So, to your mission, lad!” he passes Druce a jug of mead.

“An’ I see yer still a mead-lover, Simon, just like I am.” Druce chuckles. “I’ve gotta tell ya, though, it’s contagious. Nothin’ beats havin’ a jug of good ol’ Cambridge mead before a nice flight, aye?”

“Then I guess I’m a good teacher.” He shrugs his shoulders

After initiating the ship’s systems and a couple of last-minute checks to make sure the ship won’t die in mid-space, the newly christened Samonios flew off through the acidic clouds of Leeds…As it broke through the last toxic particles, a flashback of yesternight struck him. He finally saw two of his best friends. Married together! He never would've imagined he would feel so happy dor them. In a corner of his soul though, he envied them both a bit. The two of them managed to settle down, a blessing he has not even come close to. Will he ever manage to reach this point of life? Or is he destined to be a lone fighter? On one hand, a relationship would mean dividing his current commitment to Gaia. On the other hand, he feels like he can't be doing this forever.

"Still, it would be too dangerous fer any girl t'…" his thought is interrupted by a sudden influx of pain…The familiar pain which brings him fear every time he feels it…He feels as if his whole body is being torn apart from the inside…His vision is forcefully changing from colorful to blood-red…Every inch of his skin feels like on fire, as if a thousand needles were about to inject out of it from the subcutaneous layer…While he still has control over his body and his actions, he desperately tries to find…pain…increasing…no, not here…losing…*panting*…uurgh…*growling* At last, he pulls out a vial filled with silvery liquid, quickly opens it and pours its content into his mouth. After a few seconds, the pain goes away, and his senses return back to normal, revealing the sound of the ship’s alarm systems, warning the pilot about the rapidly decreasing altitude. He quickly grabs the controls of the ship and pulls it up, seconds before it would hit solid ground.

“This is why! DAMN IT!” he shouts at himself and mashes the control panel in front of him with his fist. “Why did I have t' crawl into that damn den? I cannot put anyone into danger! Not until I get rid of this…” he looks towards the clear skies, and a tear slides down one cheek “Hopefully, if I survive th’ hellhole that awaits me…Perhaps Bret and Vixen can further shed some light into this…”
Next stop, Orkney. The gate to Gallia…

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