the buttons the metal things immediately came to where she was, and she was running for her life yet again.
She began to believe that she would never leave the ship. At least not alive.
Chapter Three
"Have you gone completely ape shit!" Levits screamed at RJ. "We have everything we need right here. We are living in a free land. The country is just now getting on its feet. Things have just started to calm down, to be normal, relaxing. Now you want to go gallivanting across the universe on some freaking suicide mission!"
"It's not a suicide mission, and I'm not asking any of you to go with me," RJ said as she calmly looked at her immaculately groomed finger nails for any sign of dirt. She was apparently indifferent to Levits' screaming, of course Levites talked in a scream most of the time so it made a certain sense that she had become anesthetized to it. "In fact, it's an in-and-out sort of thing. After all, we have a common enemy."
"Going to the Argys and asking for their help in over-throwing the Reliance is complete and utter lunacy. These aliens hate humans. They kill humans with wanton abandon. You can't trust the Argy." Levits punctuated his words by pounding his fist into his palm.
RJ coughed loudly.
Levits gave her a curious look and then blushed. "I wasn't talking about you, RJ. You're not one of them."
"Technically, I'm as much one of them as I am one of you ," RJ said.
"Damn it, RJ, you know what I mean," Levits said hotly.
"Say whatever you like about the Argy, but they hate the Reliance as much if not more than we do. That makes us logical allies," RJ said.
"What if they don't see it that way?" Mickey asked.
"Then I'll persuade them," RJ said with a crooked grin.
"Wait a minute!" Something she had just said dawned on Levits. "You're planning to do this alone? Without us?"
"Well duh! I thought I made that clear. However I won't be entirely alone; I'm taking Poley," RJ said.
"No!" Levits jumped to his feet and glared down at her. "Absolutely freaking NOT." He threw his arms around in wide arcs as if warding off her inconceivably stupid idea. "Your plan has just gone from stupid to bat-shit crazy."
RJ looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Strange, I don't remember asking your permission," she said coolly.
"Because you're a bitch!" Levits exclaimed.
"That's so mature. Isn't that mature?" RJ asked Topaz.
Topaz just shrugged. He certainly wasn't going to argue with her, but he for one had no intention of staying here if RJ and Poley were leaving.
Topaz knew it wasn't easy to be RJ. He also knew that at least part of her reason for wanting to take this particular course of action had very little to do with strategy and everything to do with getting away from the place which harbored so many painful memories for her. RJ didn't do anything small. A normal person might have moved to the next town; RJ wanted to go to another galaxy.
Levits was the most vocal of the group, not that RJ listened to him any better. Because Levits knew RJ was mostly ignoring him, he had reverted to screaming at the top of his lungs, as was his habit.
"Damn it, RJ! Would you listen to reason? You can't leave the planet right now; it's too soon. You can't do this with just tin pants, and none of the rest of us want to go."
"I want to go," Topaz said. "I think it'd be great fun."
Levits glared at him. "Shut the fuck up, old man!" he snarled out. Then he turned back to RJ. "This is just freaking insane! Ever since Whitey died and you damn near did, you don't seem to give a shit whether you live or die. This is just freaking bullshit! God damn it, RJ! Are you listening to me?" His face was now as red as the shirt he was wearing.
For answer RJ looked with great interest at the carving Poley had just handed her. Poley had taken to finding pieces of driftwood along the shore and carving them into geometric shapes. It
She began to believe that she would never leave the ship. At least not alive.
Chapter Three
"Have you gone completely ape shit!" Levits screamed at RJ. "We have everything we need right here. We are living in a free land. The country is just now getting on its feet. Things have just started to calm down, to be normal, relaxing. Now you want to go gallivanting across the universe on some freaking suicide mission!"
"It's not a suicide mission, and I'm not asking any of you to go with me," RJ said as she calmly looked at her immaculately groomed finger nails for any sign of dirt. She was apparently indifferent to Levits' screaming, of course Levites talked in a scream most of the time so it made a certain sense that she had become anesthetized to it. "In fact, it's an in-and-out sort of thing. After all, we have a common enemy."
"Going to the Argys and asking for their help in over-throwing the Reliance is complete and utter lunacy. These aliens hate humans. They kill humans with wanton abandon. You can't trust the Argy." Levits punctuated his words by pounding his fist into his palm.
RJ coughed loudly.
Levits gave her a curious look and then blushed. "I wasn't talking about you, RJ. You're not one of them."
"Technically, I'm as much one of them as I am one of you ," RJ said.
"Damn it, RJ, you know what I mean," Levits said hotly.
"Say whatever you like about the Argy, but they hate the Reliance as much if not more than we do. That makes us logical allies," RJ said.
"What if they don't see it that way?" Mickey asked.
"Then I'll persuade them," RJ said with a crooked grin.
"Wait a minute!" Something she had just said dawned on Levits. "You're planning to do this alone? Without us?"
"Well duh! I thought I made that clear. However I won't be entirely alone; I'm taking Poley," RJ said.
"No!" Levits jumped to his feet and glared down at her. "Absolutely freaking NOT." He threw his arms around in wide arcs as if warding off her inconceivably stupid idea. "Your plan has just gone from stupid to bat-shit crazy."
RJ looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Strange, I don't remember asking your permission," she said coolly.
"Because you're a bitch!" Levits exclaimed.
"That's so mature. Isn't that mature?" RJ asked Topaz.
Topaz just shrugged. He certainly wasn't going to argue with her, but he for one had no intention of staying here if RJ and Poley were leaving.
Topaz knew it wasn't easy to be RJ. He also knew that at least part of her reason for wanting to take this particular course of action had very little to do with strategy and everything to do with getting away from the place which harbored so many painful memories for her. RJ didn't do anything small. A normal person might have moved to the next town; RJ wanted to go to another galaxy.
Levits was the most vocal of the group, not that RJ listened to him any better. Because Levits knew RJ was mostly ignoring him, he had reverted to screaming at the top of his lungs, as was his habit.
"Damn it, RJ! Would you listen to reason? You can't leave the planet right now; it's too soon. You can't do this with just tin pants, and none of the rest of us want to go."
"I want to go," Topaz said. "I think it'd be great fun."
Levits glared at him. "Shut the fuck up, old man!" he snarled out. Then he turned back to RJ. "This is just freaking insane! Ever since Whitey died and you damn near did, you don't seem to give a shit whether you live or die. This is just freaking bullshit! God damn it, RJ! Are you listening to me?" His face was now as red as the shirt he was wearing.
For answer RJ looked with great interest at the carving Poley had just handed her. Poley had taken to finding pieces of driftwood along the shore and carving them into geometric shapes. It
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