The Voyages of the Penelope and the Yydryl

................................................~All Those In Favour?~........................................

The sound of Pip singing softly to himself as he fished the small chalk stream yearned
for Silo to excuse herself from standing infront of the video-screen that a lanky-looking
Droid held and hunker down beside the lad with a homemade rod-and-line and do some
serious fishing.
Taking a deep breath, she waited for Tibbs' announcement on where The Yydryl may be
going next.

"We, that is I and Mucklebones -received information during the time at Hobbs End that
may have an impact on this time and possibly our existence" Tibbs said across the table
and the old-Gray beside him nodded once in agreement.

"The Spirit known as Nun'Yunu'Wi...(Tibbs pronounced it slowly and correctly this time)...
told of a place at the end of the Universe where The Tree Of Knowledge existed" he
continued and waited for any questions.

Adam snorted and ran his fingers through his short hair "A tree of knowledge...? You really
love your 'mysterious' ways, don't you?" he sneered and looked to the girl at his side for
support, Dag remained stone-faced and said nothing.

Tibbs turned from the Doctor's doubtful-looks and wondered if the bowed-Nenothtu would
partake in the discussion, the broad-rimmed hat hid his features and the Vithian pondered if
the GunMan was actually awake.
"What's there?" Neno growled and lifting his head, he pinned the small old man with a
piercing stare.

"The Wolves that guard someone from the end of time and I feel that this Tree is in danger"
Tibbs said warily and his eyes gladly left the death-face of Neno and jumped to the other
visages around the table.

Boy In A Dress tentatively raised a hand and then lowered it at Tibbs' frown of disapproval
"there's no need for that" Tibbs said.
"I thought time was a concept that wouldn't end, I'm sure you've spoken about how it is a
force and doesn't have an actual lifespan" BIAD said with an unsure tone, he ran his fingers
through his strange-hair at being the focus of the group.

Tibbs smiled sagely and held a hand forward to indicate 'see...? a good question" and sat back
in the comfortable chair. "Yes, this is true... but I'm curious of who this so-called 'Stranger' is"
he said.

Nenothtu cricked his spine straight and stood up from the chair, he wasn't one for sitting
down and now with his latest hobby of 'Slaying Through The Ages' in the Holo-Theatre, the
tall Vandalian found that sitting made his body ache even more.

"Ah'll be in me-room iffin' you decide to go on another one of yur' quests, but just 'cos some
old-Boogie Man tells yer' that a 'Stranger'..." Neno warbled the word and held his hands in
a 'oh-my-Jenovah' manner "...has arrived from the End of Time, it ain't no reason to race
across the cosmos in a panic"

The GunMan moved off towards the door rubbing the back of his thigh, the damned Zulu
that had speared him would be visited later today -Neno thought and grimaced at the pain.

"Very well, the journey is unwarranted and we will just focus on getting our friend to his
new empire" Tibbs snapped with contained anger, Neno had seemed to have lost interest in
anything that may lay ahead.

It was Mucklebones who saved the day when she suddenly rose from her seat and faced the
retreating back of the Neo.

(Continued Below)

(Continued From Above)

"Yer' cannot hide in yer' lair forever.... ye'll not kill enough mirages to stave off the rage of
not havin' yer son about yer'" the Witch hissed and pushed the seat away in her movement.

Nenothtu whirled and fought the compulsion to pull the pistol, the hag was way-out of line
with her slur and yet her words held no simple taunt. The two Beings stared across at each
other.

"Take heed Neo, the Wolves of The Four Ways know you are here... they seek to keep the
Tree Of Life close and slow the Universe to a treacle" Muckles said evenly. The U-man with
the black clothes gave off a glow of stifled anger, yet she pressed on.

"This stranger, I have dreamed about him for two-nights running... I think I know who it
is" she said and ignored the sudden look from her lover.
Nenothtu eased his wrath away with a steady breathing pattern and stepped back towards
the Witch at the table.

"Who do you think it is?" he hissed and scanned the heavily-lined face of Mucklebones, his
nearness made the alien take a step backwards -but Neno saw strength in her watchful-eyes.

"The mists of my dreams are strong without my stones to consult..." she said in a voice that
was only meant for the GunMan infront of her "...but the figure waiting under the Tree Of
Life could be you, you or your son" and gulped in expectation of a crashing fist from the taller
figure.

Nenothtu looked around the table and accepted the shocked-looks from every face, they all
waited for his next move. The familiar smile appeared from the shadow beneath the hat as
he said softly "Then you better get this tub across the void a.s.a.p... I need to speak to this
guy"

The door swished closed behind Nenothtu before he let out a great rush of air, the corridor
hummed with it's swirling wall-colours. "I need you Margot" he said to the moving hues.

...............................................~Now Girl-Talk?~................................................

Tibbs scratched beneath his beard in thought as the Meeting broke up, the giant -image of
Silo clicked off after a "I'll see you soon" comment from the smiling woman in the wilds of
Ship's interior.

Boy In A Dress rose from the table and returned Neno's half-empty coffee mug to the
wall-inset, narrowly avoiding Carpet racing after Chumley to the door. "It's my turn to
use the trolley" the Mili-Being snapped at the back of his friend and as the door swished
closed, BIAD smiled at the Regalian's answer of "you drove it twice earlier"

Adam and Dag were huddled close with the Doctor talking calmy to the stoic blonde, yet she
turned from his pleading words when Mucklebones spoke up.
"It might be that yer' need to pow-wow wim' me, sometime?" the crone said and lifted her
chin to seek an answer from Dag, Adam stopped in mid-sentence and turned to the Alien too.

Tibbs busied himself with his handset and ignored his girlfriend's words, a search on what
Muckles had recently said -had caused his mind to race as fast as Carpet's hurried departure.

"There's things that only women can talk about" Muckles stated and drew a nod from the
woman across the table.
BIAD realised what was happening and reached for Adam's hand "can you help me?" the
grinning creature asked and stood close to him.

The Doctor tore his eyes from Muckles' steady gaze at Dag and showed a puzzled-brow
towards the Man/Girl "What?" he said impatiently.
Boy In A Dress placed an arm around Adam's shoulders and urged him towards the exit
"it's to do with Neno's injuries" BIAD added and stopped in his high-heels as Adam went
stone-like.

It was the Witch Of The Canyon who got him moving again and it was her words that would
echo in his mind later in the day.

"If yer' as canny as ah' think yer' are, yer'll understand when I say 'Physician... heal thyself"
this said with a glance at the waiting Dag.

BIAD chattered about Neno's dealings with the many weapons in the Holo-Theatre as he
led the 'O'-shaped-mouth Doctor from the Conference Room.

~*~ Fix It ~*~

‘Thanks for covering for me buddy.’ Carpet didn’t rise from where he slumped in an overstuffed chair at the back of the Swamp a half full bottle of Carbiox whiskey on the table.

Chumley smiled and dumped the multi colored rug, that was just that, only a rug onto the opposite chair of the three and joined Carpet at the table.

‘You think any of the others caught on that thing wasn’t me?’ Carpet sneered eyeballing the remnant scrap.

‘No man. But you knows Silo was only on da screen.’ Chumley reached for the bottle a whiskey but Carpet snatched it away.

‘What do you mean? She’s still in the Center with the kid?’ Carpet drank deeply.

‘Yeah and you be lucky. If Silo was in da room, where you was not, she’d a known you wasn’t in da room. Or da rug.’ Chumley’s convolution made sense.

‘Whatever.’ Carpet snarled and sipped again.

‘But Carpet I still don’t understand. Why you hiding? Whaz da big deal?’ Chumley’s huge beetle brows narrowed in real concern.

‘You really don’t get it?’ Carpet sighed and eyeballing Chumley from under the brim of his hat passed the bottle to his patient friend who shook his head miserably in answer to the question.

‘Ok, I’ll help you.‘ Carpet tried a smile but within the U-Man suit fashioned as Neno it came out as a grimace. ’Do you know where Milli is?’ Carpet’s asked about the Milli-Being ‘Milli’ the creature who’d inhabited CindyMar’s cabin but had recently taken over Carpet’s job as Ship’s steward.

‘Dat’s easy. Milli’s in Ship, just like you be in Ship before,’ Chumley emphasized before, ‘Milli be in da halls and some a da rooms and in da armory and beside da flight deck and on the bridge and...everywhere you go before.’ Chumley cocked his head and finished the bottle of whiskey in one long pull.

‘So you do understand!’ Carpet raised his hand in a high five and got a flipper flap against the U-Man suit’s in return. Chumley had shed his own U-man suit as soon as they got back to Ship.

‘But I still done understand.‘ Chumley regressed, ‘Why you make me shoulder dis rug aroune so eberyone else dinks you be back in Ship?’ Chumley’s Regalian accent modified directly in relation to the amount of whiskey he consumed but he asked a good question.

‘Because no one gets it Chum. I can’t go back into Ship. Ever.‘ Carpet didn’t regret his decision to remove his core from Ship to inhabit a biped form only that he was stuck in this particular U-man appearance. ‘And I’m not Neno. Its’ all good for him but I don’t like looking like Neno.’ He finished glumly.

‘So you bare’assed?’ Chumley asked his eyes waving on the end of their stalks drunkenly.

Carpet bust out in a bitter laugh. ‘Yeah Chum, I’m a little embarrassed.’ Letting his head fall back on his neck Carpet stared vacantly at the ceiling.

‘You can’d hide forebber Carpet. You knows dat righbt? Chumley propped his head up with his two long tentacles the tips sticking out in a ‘V’ under his chin.

‘You’re right, I can’t hide forever mate. I just need to figure out how to get out of this thing.’ Carpet pointed to himself in his Neno facade.

‘Dat be so easy. Just change da suit.’ Chumley smiled simply his eyes glazed and bobbing.

‘What do you mean change da suit?’ Carpet shouted and jumped to his feet the bar chair falling over behind him.

‘Change da Neno suit. In da armory where Deson an me make de ‘riginals.’ Chumley started to droop towards the table.

‘You and Deson made these suits?’ Carpet bellowed to keep his friend from passing out.

‘Yeb. In armory. You go der, change der.’ Chumley’s chin hit the table cradled by his tentacles.

‘Why didn’t you tell me before!’ Carpet bellowed over his shoulder as he took off for the armory.

‘Silly Carpet. Why you no ask me before?’ Chumley chuckled to himself just before passing out.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Nenothtu wasn't as familiar with the Yydryl as he perhaps ought to have been when striking out alone. His intent was to get to the hangar bay, in order to quiz Gert as to what she knew of this "Tree of Life" and it's environs and situation. Somewhere along the line he took a wrong turn and arrived at the hangar bay - but the starboard hangar bay, rather than the port hangar bay where they had parked after reentering the Yydryl.

When the door whooshed open, neno was awestruck. There, sitting parked just where he had parked her before the big fight with the Ophiuchi Buzzards, sat the Starwolf. Walking around her and taking in her lines, neno muttered "this can't be. I was IN this crate when she got all blowed up. How'n the hell can she be sitting right here all shiny and everything?"

A voice piped up from over his shoulder, making neno jump and reach for a gun as he turned to see... Margot. Ghost Margot, rather than the more recently familiar cyborg Margo. "It never happened" she said simply.

"Wha...? How can I see you, here, and not in that... other place with all the fog and stuff?"

"You've got a foot in both worlds now with your 'promotion' and all. Meetings aren't restricted to Otherwhere any more" she replied as if it ought to be self-evident.

Nenothtu blinked and then wiped his eyes, then looked back at Margot. "Hmmph. Still there. It's finally happened. I've lost all my marbles AND their pretty velvet bag!"

"No, I'm here. Always have been - it's just that you can see me now without the altered states."

Neno thought about that, and it just made his head hurt the tiniest bit. Instead of addressing that comment, he said "Whaddaya mean, 'it never happened'? How inna hell is Starwolf here when I know damned well she got all blowed up?"

"It never happened. that was on a different timeline. You know, the one where the Earth - the one you've recently walked on - was 'all blowed up' too, as you so eloquently put it? It never happened. The Earth never got destroyed, the Buzzards never atacked, and your boat never got blown up. That's why it's still here - it never left." she finished up, as if he were an idiot for not knowing that.

Neno squinted at her, raised the back of his hat with one hand and scratched his head, and then huffing out a breath said "Well, if the battle never happened, then that means Silo and Swarg never... it means I'm not really here!"

"Oh no, you're here alright" Margo replied with a giggle at his dicomforture in his inability to grasp the concept. "You were born earlier - before the events that caused the events that never happened got un-happened."

Feeling exasperation creeping up on him, neno said "Iffen I was never conceived, I can't have been born, and If I was never born, I can't be here. You're talking nonsense, Margot."

"You were conceived, then Silo went back in time before the events, and you were born back there, in a time before your conception was unconceived. Because of that, you are here now. You already existed before you began."

"Bullsh..."

"LANGUAGE, neno! It's just the way things are, because of what you did. If you can't grasp it, just accept it. here you are, here your ship is. These things are real, concrete, they exist - in spite of what you remember, or what you can't understand. What is, IS, and all you have to do is accept that. There's no reason to overthink it. You don't understand how stars work, either, but there they are."

" 'Course I understand how stars work they burn and..."

Margot cut him off again. That was annoying. She said "They don't 'burn', they have a complex..." but then it was her turn to be cut off by a voice coming from the corridor on the other side of the Starwolf.

It was Margo - cyborg Margo. "Nenooo! Where are you? NENOTHTU! Ship said you were in here, so I know you are. You can't hide!"

Nenothtu cursed and muttered under his breath "THOR'S HAMMER HANDLE! Pap always said not to ever let 'em git together in the same room. This oughtta get interesting - in a dangerous sort of way."

"Margot giggled. "Coward! She can't see me, so don't worry your grizzled little head over it."

"Yeah. Why is that NOT comforting to me?" Neno set his thumb on the hatch release to open Starwolf up just as Margo popped around the corner and said "Well THERE you are!" He glanced over and made sure she wasn't carrying a towel.

~*~ Playing Jenovah ~*~

It was easier and harder than he expected at once sitting there at the modulating console redesigning himself.

The interface? Overall quite simple. Size, shape of the features, coloring, skin tone and density all at the touch of a button and slide of a color rule.

The choices? Nigh impossible but he’d keep it simple. Basic U-Man...with a twist.

Chuckling Carpet chose two arms, two legs smiling at the number of extremity possibilities. That there were more than four left him in no doubt Chumley had helped Deson with the prototype input, no doubt at all.

Eager to be complete Carpet locked in the parameters he’d chosen for his new ‘suit’, copied it to file with his name and entered ‘commit’.

Then he waited.

Once the fabricating unit’s lights turned from active to complete, the burn of synthetic hair and rubber cleared from the chamber, the washing of the suit finished by a warm blast of air to perform the drying - all that was left for Carpet was to don his new suit.

And when he did? He smiled.

..............~~A Universal Truth~~............

Dag watched as BIAD and Adam vanished from view beyond the swishing pocket doors. Her face showed no emotion whatsoever. Even so, Mucklebones grinned sympathetically and fluffed her poncho out as she seated herself across from the lovely girl.

"You'z growin' up," she said. "Puppy-love, some calls it. But ye ain't that special, Dag. Every female has ... uh, horny-moans they callz 'em."

"Hormones, dear. Not horny-moans." It was Tibbs' voice from across the room. One of the chairs swiveled around, and then Dag and Muckles saw him, peering over his glasses at them as he sat cross-legged, elbows on his knees, with the handset a few inches from his face.

Muckles nodded and waved in the direction of Tibbs' voice. "Yeah, them, too. They goez together."

Tibbs flicked his handset closed and jumped down from his chair. "I believe there are some matters I may be able to assist with elsewhere on this vessel. Will you be meeting me in the port bay? Or have you forsaken your -- erm -- plan to ... what was the term? ... Wag Gert's fixin's?"

Muckles looked around at her miniature lover. "She'll keep, the old bat. Now, do ye mind?" She tipped her head slightly, then lifted her brow, deepening the creases.

He bowed gallantly, one hand at his waist, and blew her a kiss before exiting the room.

Dag sighed. "You two make it look easy," she said. "I don't know what happened, I just can't get the feeling out of my head that.....something's wrong.....or...gone. It's....different now. Different than it was."

"So'z yer Doc. Different than afore."

"Yes! He is. Or, I am!" said Dag. "But he keeps saying everything will be fine, and it already isn't. I can't sleep next to him anymore, and I can't even hardly be nice. What has happened to me?"

"Ye'z not a girl now. Ye'z a woman. Ah could feel it in the cave, yer change o' heart. But not to worry, I kin help yuz. You want a potion? But just don't ask me to...." she broke off and shuddered, remembering what her last 'spell' had entailed, and how she had not cast it so much as splashed it.

"To what?" Dag asked. Muckles was glad Dag had no idea of what had gone on above ground while she and Adam were in the Cave of Enchantments with the Pantheon of Doom and the corrupted Lady of the Lake.

"Never you mind, it were jest sumpin I had ta do...for that little feller, and for y'allz. I'z glad you weren't there ta see it. But that's the rub; when yer truly lovin' someone, ye'll do all o' whats needed, and yer own shame and pride don't matter one whit when it's fer yer love."

"That's what Adam says. That he'd do anything for me, but he doesn't see it in my eyes anymore, that...that...infection. And I don't feel it anymore. I can't pretend just to please him. I don't want to!" Dag's voice rose a bit, and Muckles could see the hurt in her eyes; the look of loss of innonence.

"When ye went to that Canyon, on that horse, and seen them apple blossoms, and them horses, that was your Return to Innonence."

Dag looked at the old hag. "How did you know about that?"

Muckles grinned at her and reached to touch her porcelain cheek. "Ahh, yer sech a lovely lil thing..ye've just no ideer what the rest 'us allz kin see and do. 'Specially my man, with that little thing-a-ding. It kin show him all manner o' whatz goin' on with his friends. Yer one of 'em, Dag. So's the Doc, and that lil guy and I'z been watchin' the tension, and the changes. We wants to help ya both, and -- I'z thinkin, and he'z agreein' -- well, we'z been tossin' ideerz around."

"You've been spying on us?" Dag said, and her face flushed. "Plotting something?"

Mucklebones chuckled. "It weren't zactly 'spyin'," she said, "jest...payin' attention. Ye've outgrowed him. There'll come along another sooner or later. Well....." She stopped and looked at her gnarly fingernails. "..Well...sooner."

"What do you mean? How could I ever feel that way about 'another'? It was Adam who brought me out of androgeny, it was all for him!"

The Canyon Witch shook her head, smiling. "Naw. It wuz fer yerself, missy. He wuz jest the cattle-list."

"The 'cattle list'?" Dag asked.

"The..." Muckles snapped her fingers, searching the air for the answer with her enormous obsidian eyes. "Trigger. Yup. Thatz it. He'z jest the trigger. It wuz yer time, and he jest happened to be there for it. Now, ye've gotta be brave, and be true ta yerself. He'll git over it."

Dag lowered her elbows to her knees and her face to her hands. "Can I go back? To being androgenous?"

"Nope," said Mucklebones. "But you kin keep a-growin'...ye've just not learnt yer powerz yet. And now its time ye did. C'mon, let's git outa this dreary box and have us some whiskey, eh?" She put her hand on Dag's slender shoulder. "We'll sip us up a plan."

As they left Dag wondered what a potion was...and Muckles wondered which of the two, Dag or Adam, should be dosed with one.

........................................~If Dreams Were Horses~...........................................

BIAD shivered with an unwanted excitement as steam billowed out in his exertions. The
night was cold, but at least the rain had stopped. All about him, the jungle watched and
listened for the death of Boy In A Dress.

Background Music...

Calves aching with running in high-heels and shoulder's reddened by sharp-barbed creepers
that whipped at the Man/Girl in his passing, he loved every moment of it.
Creedence blasted out across the tree-tops between burst of machine-gun fire and with a
huge grin, BIAD ran and ran.

Distant flashes of orange told of chemical-fire and the screams that accompanied the rolling
explosions made the hermaphrodite tingle in a place it shouldn't, a small voice in BIAD's head
tried and failed to attract his attention.

The camouflaged soldier appeared from the copse of Robusta and Banana trees, the young
man with the familar Black-Star insignia -sucked in air, aimed and fired at the onrushing
laughing Devil.

The bullets found their mark and somewhere deep inside, BIAD felt a pang of sorrow for the
millions of humans who would have known this final moment of their time, but alas, the
speeding hot-metal slugs would not stop the Reaper's brother.

As the side-shooting flames of the weapon flashed across the wet leaves around him, the
painted-soldier with eyes that looked on the Devil -himself, felt a strange warmth bloom
under his fatigue-jacket and vest.

The blood was everywhere and as this Daemon in women's garb stood over him, the trooper
-on-his-knees clutched his torn throat and wondered what had gone wrong.
That wee-small voice was silent during the lad's death.

The night-sounds struck up again as the gunfire behind BIAD faded, the soil sucked at his feet
as he kept the pace up and then in an instant, the jungle was gone and the vast stretch of dark
water appeared before him.

The distant sound of rotor-blades rivalled BIAD's panting, the noise told him that a rescue-
team would be here soon and lifting his hands up to the moonlight, BIAD looked at the gore
that hung from his fingernails.

The reflection on the still waters showed a beast with swept-back horns nestled in a mass of
writhing hair, a feral-grin waited under that midnight hair.
"You will all pay" the Beelzebub growled and as the Huey carefully landed on the rich shrub-
cowering lakeside, Boy In A Dress retracted the ribbed-horns on his head and made his way
to helicopter's open side-door.

The G.I's back at Base averted their gazes from the strange creature that walked towards the
lone-building at the end of the main-track. The rain-puddles showed the brooding monster
that the Military had wanted in this war and their reflections also told of the cruelty that
these men needed to win it.

The bathwater eased the pains of the Man/Girl's body away as he lay in the metal tub, the
lone light-fitting above dimmed and brightened as the generator struggled with the required
output.

"Takin' care of business" BIAD chuckled to himself and tapped his red-painted nails against
the bath's rim. Tomorrow was another day -he thought to himself and his manic laugh rang
out across the moonlit compound.


"Oh Jenovah" BIAD gasped and sat up in bed, his mouth tasted of copper and his body was
covered in a sweat-sheen.
"Is everything okay?" Ship asked the heavy-breathing hermaphrodite sitting on the side of
the bed, the peaceful tones of light in the room became slightly brighter.

"Yeah, just a dream.... just a dream" BIAD whispered and touched his head tentatively.

~*~ Fish or Cut Bait ~*~

Squealing in pure joy and not more than a little fear Silo danced at the edge of the lapping water, a long fishing cane in one hand, a twang of line wrapped around the other while Pip splashed waves through the river chasing something that refused to be caught.

‘You gotta back up!’ Pip roared at her in excitement his hands clasped around the twine following it down into the churning water. White froths of foam exploded in whirlpools every time Pip’s hands dipped below the surface. Whatever was at the end of the line it was big, stubborn and not about to get easily caught.

‘BACK UP!’ Pip’s voice cracked his excitement doubled sending Silo into a confused retreat. She dared not leave the boy to tackle whatever was lunching on her bait but on the other hand if she didn’t pull it closer to shore her boy would go out farther into the water and for heaven’s sake...Her thoughts froze when Pip slipped on a mossy rock, his arms wind-milled wildly, disappeared beneath eat surface only to bob up a moment later spitting water and curses. But he hadn’t let go of the line.

‘I’m backing! I’m backing!’ Silo screamed frantically retreating blindly across the sand until she fell butt first into the hump of the embankment. Spewing a curse of her own she scuttled to her feet to continue her reluctant retreat but her eyes never left Pip. She watched the boys arm dive into the water only to reappear empty before spearing right back into the water again. At one point a sleek blue gray shape sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow flipped from Pip’s grasp, arched and flashed through the air only to disappear back under the surface of the churning water once again.

Silo’d had enough. Whatever that thing was it was nearly twice the size of her boy and she was backing up! Furious with herself Silo wrapped the heavy cane and line around a thick willow tree bent over the stream and ran head long back down the bank ready to dive in after Pip.

The dark shape that came at her from the right didn’t shout, didn’t slow, didn’t stop, it flew. From the top of the bank the thing soared, it’s shadow passing over her, a light precursor to the landing and the landing knocked Silo flat. With a thud.

‘I got it!’ Pip hallowed in triumph spinning towards her with glowing eyes brandishing the huge trout like a sword. Then he saw it. A large dark object wrestling atop Silo forcing her to the ground.

‘Get off her!’’ Pip exploded from the water advancing like a hurricane in the direction of Silo and the ‘thing’ thrashing over her on the bank.

The wet ‘thwack’ of Pip’s fish-turned-club beat with the precision of a metronome against his assailant. A resounding head shot ‘THWACK!‘ A rebound shot to the back ‘THWACK’. Double time off the butt ‘THWACK-a-THWACK’! Whatever it was attacking Silo curled into a ball of complete submission hands raised, head lowered, feet tucked up to protect it’s tender parts.

Out of breath and staggering with exertion, the now quite dead fish clutched to his chest like a prize Pip waited to see who would move next.

Silo grumbled, climbed to her feet, brushed herself off without raising her head and advanced on Adam her arm outstretched.

Adam, covered in sand, fish scales and more than a little fish gore sighed in resolve, took her proffered hand, waited for it, then obligingly rolled his eyes back deep into his head and collapsed when her balled up fist connected with his crooked chin a soft sigh escaping his lips on teh way down.

Out of breath and shivering Pip held the fish out to Silo like an offering as fat drips of water fell from it’s tail-fin onto Adam’s cheek already sporting a dark bruise.

‘I got him...’ Pip croaked before Silo and he broke into gales of laughter and tears fueled by fear, relief and joy.

~*~ Reckoning ~*~

Pip slept curled in a nest of bows Adam dragged into the small cave Silo had once made her home. The fire in the center of the sandy floor was bright, the air fragrant with pine, the shadows low. Blinking against at a drift of smoke stinging her eyes Silo mulled over how transformed the grotto was from the lonely days she’d spent there heavy with child and fear. Now, with Pip snoring quietly and Adam feeding twigs onto the fire offering his solid comfort of being the cave took on a deep tranquility.

‘Will you listen to me a moment before I go?’ Adam asked his voice mellow and rich with natural brogue that flourished when the two were alone.

‘Of course.’ Silo frowned and smiled at once disappointed he wasn’t staying.

‘Then let’s step outside. We wouldn’t want to wake the lad.’ Adam rose from the fire and offered his hand to her in one smooth movement.

Reaching for his hand Silo checked herself. The glint in his eye promised trouble, the tone of his voice, pleasure. This was the Adam she remembered from long ago. Disconcerted Silo made to brush the dirt from her legs avoiding his touch but Adam grabbed her hand with fingers warm and crushing pulling her outside her feet leaving heel marks over the threshold of the cave.

Wrenching from his grasp Silo backed a step away even as Adam advanced.

‘Now that it’s just you and me and the great outdoors?’ Adam crooned softly before exploding, ’Would you be telling me just what in the great blue gwark you were doing playing around open water!‘ Throwing his hands in the air Adam began pacing back and forth in quick strides. ‘Jenovah Silo! If I had’na shown up when I did wha’da’ya think would’a happened!’ Adam roared.

‘Are you done now?’ Silo asked reigning her temper, hands on hips, her eyes sparkling dangerously.

‘No lass! I’m not!’ Adam roared again his expression a mingle of rage fear and what looked like an oncoming attack of apoplexy.

‘Your blood pressure Adam.’ Silo pursed her lips trying to hide the smile. He was scared for her. It felt nice. And because it felt nice Silo’s eyes brimmed with tears as he turned away.

‘I don’t have high blood pressure!’ Adam returned hotly but with less volume, ‘But if I didn’t before I do now...’ Turning back he swallowed his words. ‘Aww nowww don’t you go and start blubbering.’ In one stride he had her in his arms awkwardly patting her hair. ‘You scared me something fierce lass.’ He murmured by way of apology against her hair.

They stayed like that, swaying together the warm night air filled with promise and the call of peepers. Her hair smelled sweet. He rubbed a strand between his fingers glad she’d returned it to it’s natural color. Her face pressed up against his front Silo couldn’t help but breath in his musky scent the hairs on his chest where his shirt parted soft and springy against her cheek.

‘Silo?’ Pip moaned for inside the cave and like they’d caught on fire Silo and Adam broke apart smoothing their shirts and hair mumbling silly words without meeting each others eyes.

‘Be right back.’ Silo called ducking into the cave. Adam tried not to watch her small firm backside as she bent over and failed. Running his hands through his hair then over his face he sighed and swore softly.

‘How’s Pip?’ Adam asked later when Silo reappeared to stand by him leaning against the cave wall.

‘He’s fine. He still has nightmares is all.’ She added as explanation.

‘Give him time. He’ll grow out of it.’ Adam replied all doctor now.

‘So you going to tell me what you’re doing here? Did you come all the way out here to see us or did you want a swim?’ Humor crept into her voice allowing Adam a chuckle.

‘I just needed to clear my head. Get perspective on things.’ Striking a match against the side of the cave Adam lit one of the many cigars Neno had gifted him over time.

‘Dag?’ Silo questioned simply.

‘We’re through.’ He replied baldly. Coughing on the harsh sweet smoke Adam stubbed out the tip on the cave and dropped the remains of the stogy into his pocket. ‘Remind me next time I don’t smoke.’ Adam gave her a small wink and stepped out of the light spilling from the cave. ‘And stay away from the water next time.’ His voice carried to her from where he’d disappeared into the night.

Adam heard the voice out of the darkness, and it startled him, unexpected as it was. "You better slow up right there, hoss. me an' you need to have our own little conference." Nenothtu melted out of the woods and into the night as he spoke.

"An' what would that conversation be about, my boy?"

A dangerous glint escaped neno's eye. "Let that be the last time the word 'boy' erupts from yer pie hole when you're addressing me. You may have set yer cap for Silo, but I'm a bit old for you to play 'dad and lad' with now."

Adam's gorge started to rise at being addressed so, and he replied "I canna see as how 'tis any o' yer business who I 'set mah cap' fer."

Neno stepped in immediately, until he was nearly nose to nose with Adam and uttered in a low growl "I can't help what you can and can't see, nor will I. Fact is, it's some times the crap ye DON'T see that'll kill ye dead. You'd best open them eyes and take a look around, afore you blunder right off the edge of a cliff, mister. The ONLY reason you are still drawing breath right now is because both Silo and Dag would have it remain so. That won't hold me down for ever under the right mix, though. Yer triflin' with them. BOTH of them, and I'll not have it. Who'n the hell do you think you are to jump out of the bed of one an' try to jump into the bed of the next in the SAME GORRAM DAY?" Neno's voice was rising, and he cleared his throat and dropped it again.

"Now here's what you need to do at this point. A lot is going to ride on whether you decide to do it or not, but that choice is your'n. Best thang fer you to do is take a nice long walk in the cool night air and clear yer head. Get it all straight and calm - quit thinkin' with yer balls, or you're gonna lose 'em sure as yer born. Man up, hitch yer 'nads to the right, an' go settle up with Dag afore you come back to trifle with muh ma. Sure as God made little green apples, if you keep playin' them two I'll cheerfully pound you into bug dust and smile at you on your way out the air lock. But YOU decide how ye want this ter go. I've told you my mind in the matter."

"But it's over with Dag!" Adam exploded.

"You might want to make sure that Dag sees it thataway afore you just up and make that decision on yer own and ferget to inform her. Otherwise, yer disturbin' the peace and harmony of this little group, and sure as hell I'll settle that matter out fer ye."

"we had our conver..."

Nenothtu cut him off with a near roar. "Like HELL you did! You bailed outta the meeting same time as I did, and it weren't settled at that point! SETTLE IT before you try movin' on! I'll be checkin' with Dag in the matter, an' if you lie to me, our next conversation won't be all that conversational."

Finally, seeing that he wasn't going to sway neno, Adam asked him how he knew Adam was even in the center with Silo. "Sslar's out here. She likes the wild. She seen ye jump on Silo but she was too far away to act on it, an' sent me an alarm. She said you'd gone rogue an' got dangerous, and I was all set to disassemble you When I smelled the smoke from the cave an' follered muh nose, an' seen whut I seen."

"She said?" Adam queried, but neno didn't reply, thinking it was an attempt to sidetrack the conversation rather than genuine wonderment that he could somehow communicate with the big Xang Cat.

Looking around and realizing nenothtu was alone, Adam asked "What about Margo?"

Misunderstanding the question, neno shrugged and answered "that's between you an' her. I ain't got no brand on 'er, I don't own 'er, and I ain't fool enough to think I kin keep a woman bound to me iffen she don' wanna be. I highly recommend you discuss the matter with her first, ruther than employin' yer flyin' tackle method. That gal is dangerous as a cocked cannon, she is, and she might not take that kindly. FIRST, though, you'd better settle accounts with Dag, and make sure Margo has settled accounts with me - and settle them horney-moans of your'n in one place afore they get you into a world of hurt."

No, that's not what I meant, nen..." but he was talking to air. nenothtu had vanished as quickly as he had come.

.................................................~Just A Reminder~..................................

Left damp with urine in the desert dirt, used in some-sort of 'Hooey' sort of magic, the grey
crescent-device began to shape-shift into a humanoid shape. The surroundings were quiet
and with only a distant yap from a coyote, The Splitter looked around and smiled.

"I know you've been here" the smooth-skinned Time-Mechanic whispered into the rays of
the setting sun, the odd-forgotten bullet around his feet glinted in those same rays.

The Yydryl had left, the underground firefight had happened and The Splitter hoped that
any dabbling with Dieties, Spirits or Gods had been put to bed... he could move on.
The rustic tree-stump that the one known as Brittle had sat on -still gave off the odd lick from
a masking veil that the Being had used, The Splitter smiled at the faint tell-tale spirals.

"There were many at this particular party" he said lightly and moved his gaze along.
But it was the set of average-sized footprints near the cabin door that called to his attention,
a larger-Vithian than that arrogant Tibbs had been here and that meant the Committee were
checking up on him.

The familiar glowing-green lines began to appear as The Splitter phased out of the reality and
back to the place where his beloved time-lines thrummed and sang. The secret information
that the speeding streams told him was welcoming from the mundane chatter of the silly
humanoids.

Colossal galaxies churned in slow motion above his head and on the horizon, the Time Centre
awaited. The stone monolith soaked in St. Elmo's Fire... for that was the most convenient
image, sat where the eldritch lines met and slightly offset of the Rock, The Tree Of Life
swayed as if a cold wind passed.

The Splitter smiled and whispered "It's been a while since the last time..." the memory of
hopping from branch-to-twig as a blue bird -emerged and the smile widened.
The wolf-ghosts faded in and out around the twisted roots, smoky phantoms with razor
teeth. The snarling whisps meant nothing to the small creature that governed the Time-Lines,
he accepted it as a mere reminder.

"...So, it seems you need all of our Alleinna and it gauls you" The Splitter hissed at the vague
humanoid-shape that waited beside the Tree.
All around the scene, the Universes waited, places that we can only imagine and thoughts
we can never conjour... the One From The End Of Time stepped forth.

"Don't test me on this matter, Yeneth... I am the true Neo and I will have my prize" the
silhouette said evenly and within the blink of an eye, the vision was gone.

The Splitter showed a pained-expression at his true name being used and wished Jenovah
would show up to explain all of this.
With a click of his fingers, the music thundered across the diamond-studded heavens and
The Splitter kneeled down at the point where all the Time-Lines touched and caressed the
Halloween-glow.

(Pease excuse the images of BIAD's so-called 'Friends' on the link!)
Soothing Splitter Music...

..........~~Time Waits for No One~~............

Dag and Mucklebones sat in a booth in the corner furthest from the Swamp entrance. The droid tending bar had been instructed to watch for their hand signals rather than listen for spoken requests. For now, they had a pint of the rich brown Carbiox whiskey and a lemon, which lay on a cutting board with a very sharp paring knife.

Dag was holding the knife, gazing at the blade, and was about to run the tip of her finger over it to check just how sharp it was. Or, how fragile she was, depending on how she decided to look at it.

"I don't even know if I bleed, Mucklebones," she said, her voice indicating disheartening. "I don't know much at all about myself, except that I appear to have had some luck from time to time with helping Adam. And I can assert my independence pretty well and step up when needed. … but all this stuff in Vandalia was bewildering. I mean, all the shooting, and the blood, and the tearing of flesh, and the sweat. Reminds me of the zombie massacre here before we went off-ship. "

"Ah'm sure," said Muckles. She looked at the knife in Dag's hand as it flickered in the dim light. "Go ahead, touch the blade, and let's find out."

Dag looked at her suspiciously, but the ancient Gray Witch just smiled. "Even if ye do, it won't kill ye," she nodded. "Who knows, mebbe won't even hurt! Ah'm told if the blade's sharp enough ain't much pain at all. Do ye recall bein' in pain afore?"

Dag's brow furrowed. "Well, when I thought Adam had died, my heart ached...and my tears---" She broke off. "So, at least I can hurt within, and cry."

"'At don't mean ye kin bleed, though," said Mucklebones. "Depends on what yer creator chose to include. And Ah'm thinkin' ye weren't in privy chambers when that decision was made."

Dag looked at her, still hesitant. "Then how do you know it won't hurt, or won't kill me?"

"Ah don't," said the Alien. "But Ah been 'round for a while...and seen lots o' stuff that surprised me. Not much does anymore. Speakin' of which....most women...U-manoids anyway, have a .... well there's this...ye've never noticed, erm, blood, then?"

"Well yes, of course, this -- erm -- line of work seems to provide plenty of exposure to blood, guts, all that," she shuddered.

Muckles shook her head at the misunderstaning. "No, Ah mean, ye ain't seen yer own blood, comin' from... well..in yer drawers? From time to time?"

"No," said Dag.

"And ye ain't been harmed, with bullets a-flyin', swords a-swingin', deities a-cursin'," the witch pointed out.

Dag's face slowly broke into a grin. "No," she said. "No, I haven't!"

Muckles grinned and motioned for her to make the cut with a flutter of her fingers, leaning foward to watch. "Go ahead then, go ahead...at least we know ye ain't a breeder," she said but ignored Dag's puzzled look at the use of the term.

Dag took a deep breath and lowered the blade of the knife to her finger and drew it towards her. The porcelain skin parted to reveal more porcelain tissue. She looked up at Mucklebones and shrugged, the corners of her mouth drawing drown with a 'well-whadda-ya-know?" expression as her eyebrows raised. She held the sliced fingertip up.

Muckles moved her head closer and inspected it, squinting her enormous obsidian eyes..."Hmmm," she muttered. "Well, try squeezin' it, then."

Dag grasped the knife tighter. "Nono, squeeze the cut," Muckles said and reached across to take Dag's hand. She squeezed, peering at the spot. Nothing happened. Dag again shrugged. "Try pourin' some lemon juice on it," said Muckles. She lifted the fruit and squeezed out one drop...two...three drops onto the cut carefully, then looked up at Dag expectantly, who simply shook her head 'no.'

Muckles smiled then, let go her hand, and flounced back in her seat. She opened her mouth and laughed. "Well Ah'll be a jiggered ol' hag!" she exclaimed. "See that? Ye don't!"

Dag was studying her fingertip and then her eyes grew wide. "Look!" she said, "The cut's gone!"

Muckles squealed; a peculiar sound that only Tibbs had heard before..but in her delight at their new discovery she didn't think to suppress it and forgot the grating effect -- like fingernails on slate. Dag flinched in distaste.

"Ah, sorry," said the witch. "Ah fergit U-manoid ears are bothered by that..."

Just then they heard a voice muttering, "Oh dear, oh bother, oh my my, oh bother," and Tibbs came across the room waving his handset agitatedly.

"Sorry, love, did ye think I was callin' ya?" asked Muckles when she saw him. "Guess what we---"

"No, no," he said, nervous, "no guessing, and not about your 'squeech,' but you both need to come with me right now." He waved his arms as though trying to sweep them from the room. When they stood he returned his attention to the handset. "Oh my, come along, no lolligagging, don't dawdle...come on!" He said. Muckles and Dag exchanged a look that spoke volumes about 'men'...just between the two of them.

As they hurried down the hallway toward their quarters, with Dag walking briskly behind them Tibbs kept muttering "Oh no, oh dear, oh my, oh bother," while peering into his handset. "Oh boy, where's Neno? Do we know?" He glanced up frantically at Muckles, who shook her head no, then at Dag, who also shook her head.

"Oh boy, we gotta find him...and do it now," said Tibbs. "The Splitter....well, the Splitter.....just....and the Vithian inspectors...oh no! Not the center-spot!!"

As they moved through the swishing doorway into their chamber, Dag looked at her fingertip and squeezed once again.
And again. The surface was smooth, the cut now gone, and she smiled, having no idea yet what other changes had just taken place in her physical self.

Soon enough, she would discover they had been several, but at the moment having failed to do the Splitter's bidding for him back on Carbiox completely slipped her mind.

..................................~Nothing Is Skin Deep Anymore~.............................

"Well it's not Karvium and it doesn't react like any metal I've ever come across" Drake
reported to Ship and switched the laser off, the sword that sat in the cradle seemed
impenetrable.

The Head Repair-Droid trundled over to the readings hanging in mid-air and used a No.5 lens
to scrutinise the weird information, it didn't make sense.
Drake thought long and hard before requesting access to Ship's databanks, the identification
of one element hinted a possible answer.

"It's pyrognomic and so close to the atomic number of Scandium, one would want to say it
originates from a Sun's interior" Drake muttered to himself. He wished Corky Bunion
was here to bounce his theories off, he was the only Driod that understood discipline around
here.

The Yydryl's main-workshop doors opened and the big golden-robot from the Maintenance
Bays stepped in, Drake whispered a 'thank-you' to the ever-knowing Ship.
"I was called and I answered" Corky said pompously and the heavy-treaded feet clumped
across the Repair-Bay metal-grid floor "what's up?" he asked.

The Excalibur/Caliburn sword did not fit into any catagory known. It had qualities that would
rival Ship's bio-surfaces, it couldn't be burnt and there's every indication that it's electrons
replace themselves every thiry-eight Earth minutes. Drake looked at Corky as he soaked in
the facts from the scanning.

"Is it alive?" the Maintenance-Droid asked as he carefully followed the line where it stated
'... A structure similar to Phellogen holds protein cells for no obvious reasons..." with his
huge metal-finger.
Drake moved slowly back to where the strange weapon lay under the machine that clicked
and whirred "Unknown" he said softly.

A small screen nearby, scrolled the results of the surface scans. Residues of blood and feline
saliva were to be expected by the thin Repair-Droid and his massive companion, the orange
-coloured text churned on.

"What is that?" Corky Bunion said loudly and then with glancing around to await Ship's
voice to tell him to 'keep it down' he repeated the question quietly.
Drake's extendable-neck craned closer to the words.

'.... filamentous biomaterial is identified as animal hair. Further testing is needed, but the
Keratin signature indicates Canine. A follicle can be...'

As Corky peered at the ornate-handled sword that promised so-much to the humanoids
aboard The Yydryl, his metal friend hissed the words 'Wolf fur'

~*~ Too Much Info. ~*~

‘Don’t you want to go exploring today? Check out a site for the cabin?’ Silo interrupted Pip who’d been soaking up her memory discs like a dry sponge did water.

‘Can I finish this one first?’ Pip held up a jacket cover labeled ‘Yydryl’. He’d unplugged one cranial sensor but the other was still firmly implanted in his ear.

‘Sure, what not...’ Silo sighed as watched him replace the ear plug and go back to staring off into space. But he wasn’t really. The memory discs recounted the history of the Yydryl in his head, behind his eyes, even his nose. She couldn’t help but laugh remembering when he’d tried the unit the first time remarking this mode of learning was ‘just like being there’.

The Yydryl. Interesting he chose that particular disc first when she had a collection of material from across the galaxy. When she’d gone into hiding here in the cave she’d brought the discs to pass the time. Plant the sensors in the ear canal and like magic i was like taking a walk back through history.

‘So where’s All-Ena?’ Pip asked much later after returning the disc reader into his pocket.

‘Who?‘ Silo’s eyebrows knit as long past memories stirred when once Ship’s Center was nothing but a mammoth empty hull before it blossomed with life from the specimen’s she and Cindymar’s had collected from Earth.

‘The Torus Tree, All-Ena.’ Pip blinked and waited.

‘Oh! Allena, ok gotcha. Well. Actually...’ Silo ran her hands through her hair, ‘I don’t remember.’ She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

‘You don’t remember?’ He echoed in disbelief.

‘No Pip, I’m sorry. I don’t.’ Frustrated Silo snatched up the horses bridles hanging from a rock outcrop. ’Now come on huh, get your boots and let’s go find a place to start building. We can’t live in this cave forever.’ Stomping into her boots Silo dipped and crouched through the cave entrance leaving Pip trailing behind her.

‘But how can you not remember?’ Pip snorted in disbelief once they’d saddles the horses and had begun exploring for a cabin sight.

Kneeing Gep’s big gelding next to Pip’s mount Silo started to answer when a piercing howl rose from the dense forest ringing the valley.

‘That’s Toby!’ Pip’s eyes went wide and frightened hearing the cries from his beloved pet digging in his heels sprinting his horse in the direction of the sound.

Silo swore and did all she could do. Leaning over the gelding’s neck she gave him his head and followed.

~*~ Alarm ~*~

They’d let Toby run free with the other animals once they’d all been released from the Tumblers into the Center. The horses stayed close, the pigs foraged by day and returned to a make shift pen from dust til dawn, the cow never went far at all. It was only Toby who hadn’t returned the first night and when Pip fretted Silo assured him Toby was only exploring and would find his way back to the cave soon enough. There was nothing in the Center that could or would hurt his dog. Now following after Pip who’d set a breakneck speed Silo wished reverently she’d never promised the boy something she wasn’t completely sure of.

‘Pip! Stop!’ Silo screamed as the boy and his horse plunged into the dense tree line and out of sight. Then everything went blurry. Red crumpled under her sending her flying over his head the horse itself nearly toppling head over tail. He’d stepped in a rut and now lurched forward on three legs.

‘Red wait...’ Silo hissed out in a squeak wondering where all her wind had gone. Flat on her back her lungs ached for air but seized by the fall. Millions of stars danced before her eyes and just before they’d all gone out one by one blackness clouding her vision her chest heaved and filled with air.

Sitting up the stars returned but there was no time to clear her head. Lurching to her feet Silo grabbed the reigns dangling from the injured horse who even injured waited patiently for his rider.

‘Whoa boy...whoaaa Red’ She cupped her hand over the horses muzzle while he stood in place chest heaving his right foreleg held painfully off the ground.

‘Hey fella. It’s gonna be ok big guy...’ She crooned while removing the saddle and pad tossing them to the ground. Shielding her eyes she tried to see where Pip had disappeared into the woods but from ground level it was hopeless. Leaning over at the waist she ran her hand down the horses foreleg not really knowing what to expect but what she didn’t feel was any obvious fracture only a raging heat radiating from the injured area.

‘We got to get that cooled off don’t we boy.’ Silo stroked Red’s neck and tried to figure out how far they were from the river where Pip loved to fish.

‘Come on, it’s gotta be close.‘ Red gave a valiant attempt to follow but soon squealed and pulled back on the bridle.

Swearing Silo checked the horizon again for Pip and turned back to the horse. ‘Ok, I’ll wrap it. You think that would work?‘ Red bobbed his head and whickered. Pulling off her over-shirt goosebumps broke out on her arms but her own discomfort was a small thing compared to the great gentle beast‘s. Ripping the shirt into thick banks she used the strips to bind Red’s injured leg. Red whickered again when she was finished.

‘Come on just a few steps more...’ Silo’d been crooning the same story half way across the prairie but a long line of clustering willows promised the stream really wasn’t far. Once she got him in the water she could leave him. He’d stay and rest his leg, have food and water at hand and only then could she go after Pip.

‘Just a few more steps buddy. Come on!’ Silo resorted to pulling the horse along by the bridle and hating it but she had no way of telling him things would be better in a moment.

Concentrating on maneuvering Red into the water Silo didn’t register her predicament until she was nearly thigh deep. Her head began to swim, her senses leach from her body. It was going to take concentration. A lot of it. Focusing on removing the bridle, focusing on the horse and Pip she prayed she didn’t succumb to the water. With a shout Silo finally freed the horse, lurched from the water and would have given a whoop of relief if she hadn’t been afraid of scaring the horse. She’d done it. She’d gotten Red into the water and herself out in one piece.

Her victory quickly forgotten and with a last pat on Red’s shoulder and a promise to return Silo left the gelding and headed in the direction of where she’d last seen Pip. Fingering her Green Man necklace she wondered if it was time to alert Ship. She knew an emergency signal would reach the bridge even if Ship couldn’t monitor the area visually but hesitated feeling she was overeating. Pip had a gun he knew how to use. He was mounted and he’d been brought up to protect himself. He’d be fine.

She’d wait. At least until she reached the tree line. Then she’d better know what to do.

What she didn’t know was the alarm bells had begun to ring throughout Ship in the instant she hit the ground from her fall.

..............................................~Tinkering As A Tailor?~.............................................

The Rune Stones lay on the table in the library and Mucklebones stood humbly beside them
looking at The Yydryl's kind gift "Thank you" she muttered at the surrounding technology.
The smooth-ivory pieces felt comfortable in the Witch's lined-palms, Timber Wolf teeth
tooled by a Yupik Shaman and blessed in the wastes of the Artic.

"Will they suffice?" the StarShip asked the grinning crone caressing the Rune-marks and the
dark-oily eyes showed that Muckles was close to tears. "Aye M'Lady... aye" she sobbed and
stepped over to where a small console resided next to the hundreds of racks of leather-
bound books.

"Gimve Del A Qayáni" the Witch of The Canyons whispered and made a diagonal-cross infront
of the monitoring system, Muckles then kissed the finger she had used and bowed slightly.
Ship waited a few moments in reverence of the ancient Gray's beliefs and then asked what
the words meant.

Gathering the last of the etched Stones up and placing them inside her worn-poncho, the
beaming Mucklebones lifted her head to look at the library's ceiling. Tibbs had asked for
small round globe lights to illuminate the room and Ship had accommodated the Vithian in
his requests, even going as far as to reproduce some of the books he asked for.

"Yer Ken Inuit...?" Muckles asked and scanned the high-beamed area above her, it was habit
to assume the soothing voice came from above her, seconds passed without reply.
"I am sorry Mucklebones, I did not understand your words" The Ydryl finally apologised and
rechecked her massive memory-banks, Ship still had another gift for the strange alien.

Muckles frowned in her concentration as she searched for the correct words and in a slow-
awkward drawl, she said " do... you know the... Inuit language?"
Ship ran her scans and recognised the Inuit race that lived in the circumpolar region of old
Earth, the runes themselves -were acquired from those cold-wastes a long time ago.

"Yes, I have detailed files on the indigenous tribes that you speak of" she reported and
monitored Muckles understanding the statement.
The old hag eased herself into one of the chairs that surrounded the big library table and
sighed in her thought-gathering.

"When ah' first came to Earth and my folks watched the U-mans began their steps towards
becomin' what they are now..." Mucklebones leaned forward, placed her large head onto her
folded arms and looked back into time.
"...The Carnivals were there, that Cursed Dark Lord and us... it was quite a sight watchin'
these shaved-monkeys come-of-age" she said ruefully.

Ship continued her tasks and without taking any attention from the Witch, she pondered on
how Silo.13 was faring with the new passenger and his dubious-smelling menagerie.
"I recall Silo's report of your incident on Carbiox" she interjected and drew a nod from the
strangely-smiling Mucklebones.

"Aye... Ah' had another man then, we'd been together for over two of Earth's centuries
and even then, ah' member seein' Tibbs' face among the watchers and thinkin' that he
was a bit-of-a-looker" A deep chortle followed her comments.

The Yydryl, the library and you -the reader, waited as the crone mulled over her thoughts.

"Then later... before the crash in New Mexico, ah' met up wiv' a U-man called 'exkimo'
or 'Ice-Man'" Muckles sniffed "...He wuz wrapped in animal furs and smelled of fish"

Ship kindly displayed a Inuit fisherman in a small hide-covered sailing vessel -on the wall
in front of the wool-gathering Gray, the dark waters told of cold and death.
Mucklebones slowly rose from her seat and walked slowly to the image before her and
gently caressed the lone-figure at sea.

"He knew of many things... he knew that other existences passed him like gulls searchin'
fur scraps" she muttered to herself.
The ceremonial costume materialised on the table behind the crone as she wandered her
past and Ship found the moment touching.

"Gimve Del A Qayáni" means 'Keep This Boat Safe' Muckles answered and turned back to
the present, the dress drew a gasp from Tibbs' lover.

Ships' smooth tones came again as she said "the attire is drawn from many beliefs and holds
charms that will you may find pleasing" Muckles was already stripping herself from her
poncho.

A few minutes later, the Witch who had found a family among the stars -stood proud and
happy in her new dress, a dress that told of magic.
"Does it have a..." Muckles was about to ask and her new friend interrupted the crone with
"Yes, it has a Rune pouch" and drew another smile.

"Yer' good un, M'Lady" Muckles said and fondled her Wolf Teeth.

Nenothtu had packed up what meager belongings he had been able to retain over his past few months - or aeons, depending on how one looked at it - journeys into a bundle. The bundle mostly made clanking noises. He looked around the sterile room and sighed, then turned and strode out the door.

He ran into Margo in the corridor. "Where are you going with that?" she asked.

"Ahm movin'." neno replied economically and not very helpfully.

"Moving? To where?" Margo asked next.

"Ahm, takin' muh berth in Starwolf. Sumpin' familiar, and a place I'd thought gone."

"Wait for me!" Margot exclaimed.

Neno's eyebrows knit together as he looked at her."Whut fer? it ain't like I'm sailin' off into the black or anything."

"Still, wherever you go, I go. I owe you, and someone has to look out for you."

"The thought that she believed someone had to look out for him amused neno. "Well, assumin' I needed lookin' after, why would that job fall to you? It don't pay much."

"But you saved my life, neno!" Margo replied. "For that I owe you."

At those words, nenothtu looked a lot like a thunder cloud. "Hell's Bells, Margo! I didn't save you from nothin'! YOU saved you! I just happened to be there at the time is all. That don't mean I saved anyone, just bein' in a place! Yer startin' to sound like one o' them oriental slaves outta the old videos! One thing I AIN'T, and ain't never GONNA be, is a slave master!"

Margot looked like she'd swallowed a bug. "But... if it weren't for you, I'd still be stuck in that godforsdaken hell hole in the Badlands. You sprang me out of that."

"I ain't sprung a blasted thing, Margo. I might've opened a door" he conceded a little, then added "but YOU walked through it, under yer own power. I didn't 'save' you, YOU saved you if any savin' was done."

"And I'll keep on walking, wherever I want to walk. Right now, that happens to be where you're walking." It didn't sound up for debate to neno. He shrugged.

"Suit yourself, I reckon. There's room for two there, I suppose."

"I won't take up all THAT much extra room!"

"Lord save me from wayward women!" neno chuckled as he strode off, then added "Don't you DARE walk behind me. I don't much trust folks when they get behind me."

Margot replied from somewhere near his right shoulder "That's part of why I'm here - to help make sure things like that never happen."

"Don't get so involved in being all homey that you accidentally wash muh coffee cup. You'll ruin it's 'character'." neno grumbled.

"We can set 'house rules' as we go along." Margo replied.

"Good Lord what've I done!" neno responded. "Well don't fergit that's the FIRST rule, then!"

Margot merely grinned and lengthened her own stride to keep up with his..

~*~ No Alarm ~*~

‘Shut it OFF!’ Ship’s voice cut through the quiet bridge startling a consul droid into action.

‘Shutting down code one alarm from ‘Green Man,’ mam.’ The droid's dry mechanical voice grate on her nerves.

‘I know what alarm it is! Just shut it off and go back to work.’ In instant capitulation the droid returned to supervise Ship’s complicated vitals on the small monitor just in front of it’s U-manoid like face.

Captain of Security Chumley exploded onto the bridge wrapped in only a bath towel and would have been the perfect picture of ridiculous if not for the look of intense focus in his eyes.



‘Chumley, would you mind not dripping on me?’ Milli hissed from the live fibers of Ship’s deck turning dark with liquid just under the Yydryl’s Captain of Security.

‘Shud’up.’ Chumley growled without turning his eyes from the massive viewing screen that wrapped around the bridge where Ship had been monitoring the Center.

‘They’re too far out to get a view Captain.’ Ship had no choice but to address the alarm - Chumley had arrived too quickly for her to change the screens directional from internal view to external.

‘I go.’ Chumley fumbled with his towel before squaring a sharp salute.

‘No Regalian, you will NOT go.’ Ship snapped. ’You’re the Captain of Security aboard the Yydryl, you delegate, you don‘t abandon Ship.’ The Yydryl sneered, ’And this incident? It will not be approached as a rescue mission. For goodness sakes! ‘ She tried to soften the mounting tension rising from the Regalian with a laugh, ‘look Chum at the moment we have no idea what difficulty Silo has gotten herself into this time or if there’s even - any problem at all.’ Ship all but sniffed as Chumley stood stalk still and all but erupted in frustration.

’Well don’t just stand there dripping! COS. Chumley get yourself into uniform and proceed directing a recon mission. Recon.’ The emphasis left no room for negotiation.

Chumley’s eyestalks hunkered low his eyes going black with rage. Still crisp in his salute he left the bridge the heat of anger causing steam to rise from his fresh washed green skin.

‘What’s up big guy?’ Milli asked breathlessly from the floor of the halls her knap shimmering with excitement. She’d heard it all - from Chumley's roaring out of his shower at the first hint of an alarm to his exchange with Ship right down to his grunt of anger when he was ordered to hold. But Milli wanted more. She wanted Chumley to like her, to talk to her, to relate to her as she’d so often heard him interact with Carpet. But as high as her hopes were was as far as they fell. Chumley still hadn’t accepted Carpet was no longer a part of Ship having left Milli in his stead. And he didn’t like it. At all.

‘I no big guy. I Chumley. Captain Security Chumley to you. Go get Carpet.’ Leaving a trail of water back into his quarters Chumley dropped the wet bath towel in the hall and continued naked through the door and to his uniform cabinet.

~*~ Recon ~*~

‘Whoa! Chumley! Close your door next time!’ Carpet gave a mock grimace from the hall shielding the sight of his naked friend’s massive green butt with a hand capped dramatically over his eyes. ’And why’re you being so mean to Milli?’ Carpet stood clothed in a white tank top and U-Man jeans his feet bare his toes wiggling in the fibers of the hall sending Milli into paroxysms of purring.

‘You get here right quick. You hear da alarm?’ It was a statement muffled from inside Chumley's shirt before his head popped free.

‘Sure I heard an alarm but it stopped before a rotation. What’s up?’ Carpet gave Milli a last toe-squeeze and stepped over the threshold into Chumley’s quarters leaving Milli behind.

‘Green Man alarm. Deep center. Silo’s trouble.’ Chumley finished pulling on his boots and donned his utility belt the closure snapping with an electronic hiss.

‘Silo?’ A chill passed over the Milli-Being in U-Man form that had nothing to do with the temperature of his friends frigid cabin.

‘Yes. Ship stop alarm. No need she say. It be nothing she say. Recon no rescue she say.’ Chumley was bellowing before he finished pushing past his friend trotting down the halls towards the Armory Carpet following close on his heals.

‘What do you want me to do?’ Unusual for Carpet to ask of Chumley instead of the other way around they both winced at the change in their personal hierarchy, their old relationship thrown into havoc.

‘You go. I stay. I delegate. Ship’s orders’. Chumley huffed again.

‘Chum, you know Ship hasn’t spoken to me since I abandoned...since I left her halls.’ He corrected himself. ’I’m a civilian.’

‘Good. You civilian Ship no say go, no say stay, no say do.’ Chumley eyeballed the scanner at the armory door waiting for it to recognize him before the door slid open.

‘So I’ll go and take a WALDO right?’ Carpet asked again where once he would have told.

‘Yes, you go. Take WALDO and communicator, big guns and supplies.’ That he didn’t include medical supplies was intentional but wouldn’t be overlooked.

Storming through the Armory proper and back onto the flight deck and storage area the two began filling a small four passenger vehicle with supplies Chumley ordering working droids and Carpet a ferocious scowl never leaving his face.

‘I keep in contact wiff you in der.’ Chumley pointed wildly back at the armory. ’I see where you go on WALDO-cam. I get coordinates.’ Tentacles on hips Chumley stopped and examined his friend.

‘What?’ Carpet finally exploded feeling distinctly uncomfortable being scrutinized by the Regalian.

‘Come wiff me.‘ Grabbing him by the shoulder Chumley yanked him bodily across the room. ‘You need clothes. You no go like dat.’ Ransacking a another supply cabinet Carpet had to duck when boots, hat, vest, coat, belt and accouchements came flying his way. ‘Put on!’ Pointing to the pile of gear Chumley started pacing in tight strides waiting to be obeyed. ‘You go. I delegate!’ His eyes narrowed again. ‘And one more ting.’ He stopped and leaned over to stare right into Carpet’s eyes. ‘You need new name. Carpet no good. Now go.’ Eager to follow the WALDO-cam from the viewing screen in the armory Chumley left Carpet struggling into his boots.

From behind a long bank of table the Regalian's tentacles flew deftly over the control panel bringing the view from the WALDO-cam clearly to his consol. He could see Carpet pulling on a many pocketed vest and pushing a utility helmet down over his head while climbing into the open top of the WALDO. Feeling the weight change the vehicle responded instantly. Hovering only inches off the floor the Wally °1 greeted his driver and asked for a destination.

‘Deep Center’ Chumley barked out coordinates over the communications system. Until they were out of range Carpet wouldn’t be ‘driving’ at all. Waiting while the gargantuan doors to Ship’s Center opened wide enough to allow the Wally °1 to pass through Carpet took last minute instructions from Chumley.

‘I command Wally°1 now to Silo cave. I know way. From der you in control and you find dem fast.’ If any order had every held an ‘or else’ this one did.

‘Yes sir.’ Carpet saluted Chumley for the first time. The big green face staring back at him from the vehicles small console crumpled with emotion just before the screen went blank the Wally °1 slid through the massive doors into the Center and exploded forward slamming Carpet back in his seat with bone grinding force as it sped on it’s way.