4674 replies to this topic

[Mara=^.^=]

Ya, the Gorlock hair-as-status-symbol thing wouldn't have applied to a human like Aurora. Who knows - Aurora may have even offered to cut her hair at one point to show her loyalty, only to be bitched out by her Gorlock superiors for trying to act like one of them.

I get the impression Aurora was kind of an outsider in the military, remaining close friends only with April, Lee, Nav, and a few others. If Aurora had ever "gone native" and become like one of the Gorlocks, she definitely would have cut her hair. I imagine that Aurora always remained somewhat tainted by her species (for being the same species as the Dictator, I mean). The Gorlocks don't strike me as a particularly insular race otherwise.


~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Pigquet3]

Isn't long hair for Gorlocks a sign of military rank? So, wouldn't Aurora, with all she's done in battle and her expert pilot skills, have her hair grown out the longest if she went native to their culture?





Pigquet

P.S. Future Libby just never ceases to piss me off! *headdesks*

[Mara=^.^=]

Isn't long hair for Gorlocks a sign of military rank? So, wouldn't Aurora, with all she's done in battle and her expert pilot skills, have her hair grown out the longest if she went native to their culture?

Well, Aurora's rank is comparable to April's, and April is only allowed chin/shoulder-length hair. You'd have to be a General or high ranking political figure like Lady Jaya to have hair as long as Aurora's.

P.S. Future Libby just never ceases to piss me off! *headdesks*

DEAR GOD WHAT DID SHE DO THIS TIME??

CITE EVIDENCE


~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[underwater]

I love the new chapter! Boy, people sure don't write the kind of long reviews that they used to a couple of years ago in response to new installments. (for shame, people!) It's too bad; they are almost as cool to go back and read as the story itself. I don't know, I just love people's commentary on stories.

Anyway, I love how this time it was kind of Aurora who ended up helping Future Libby, rather than the reverse, like in the chapter Tears of Rain. Libby is right - even if you're friends with someone, when you're not with them, the relationship becomes very different. The distance kind of makes you drift apart, even if you still love them deep down in your heart. I wonder if future Libby will ever leave Shangri Llama for some adventuring with Aurora across the galaxy
Also, the joke about Future Libby and Sheen being responsible for the repopulating of the human race was really funny I half expected Libby to come back and say the same thing to Aurora about her and Future Jimmy, but clearly Libby is more merciful than Aurora is LOL
It's interesting thematically to look at the way the female relationships are split up by the male characters, either directly or indirectly, to form couples at the expense of friendships...but maybe that's just my English class talking haha

Speaking of English class, I should probably get back to work on my paper. we are reading "The Mayor of Casterbridge", and it is such a dumb book. I wish I could write my paper on TOSOT instead, there's more to analyze

Corinne

[Mara=^.^=]

Just an update: the next release is delayed until the mainsite is back up

Thanks for your patience, as always!


~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

If you didn't want to wait, you could always post it here on the boards. You've done it before. lol

[underwater]

I like it better when it's the on the main site myself

Corinne

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

True, it's more epic that way, but if she was in a hurry or something, she'd just post it here, like she's done in the past.

[Mara=^.^=]

I am so upset. I probably spent five hours today working on TOSOT, and then my OS crashed and now the entire FILE is corrupted. It won't open...I keep getting a "general input/output error". I can't even remember the last time I backed up TOSOT. Now not only am I going to have to rewrite ALL the stuff I just wrote, but I might have to redo parts of the subsequent chapters and the ending as well. We're talking WEEKS worth of work that I ALREADY DID.

I really do just want to bash my head against a stone wall right now. There's no way I can get it as good as it was.

Damn it all.

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Lizz]

I am so upset. I probably spent five hours today working on TOSOT, and then my OS crashed and now the entire FILE is corrupted. It won't open...I keep getting a "general input/output error". I can't even remember the last time I backed up TOSOT. Now not only am I going to have to rewrite ALL the stuff I just wrote, but I might have to redo parts of the subsequent chapters and the ending as well. We're talking WEEKS worth of work that I ALREADY DID.

I really do just want to bash my head against a stone wall right now. There's no way I can get it as good as it was.

Damn it all.

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

You sure you don't have any copies of it anywhere? Maybe a copy a beta reader might have?

I know the feeling. I once lost a flashdrive, that contained half my fics, on a plane. I was so upset as two particular fics I was working on I didn't have copied anywhere else. Luckily, my friend had a copy of one of the stories she could send me. But my other story, I had to rewrite from memory...yet it turned out better than the one I had written before. If you remember how you wrote it, Mara, it could still be good, maybe even better than the lost one.

[Mara=^.^=]

You sure you don't have any copies of it anywhere? Maybe a copy a beta reader might have?

I know the feeling. I once lost a flashdrive, that contained half my fics, on a plane. I was so upset as two particular fics I was working on I didn't have copied anywhere else. Luckily, my friend had a copy of one of the stories she could send me. But my other story, I had to rewrite from memory...yet it turned out better than the one I had written before. If you remember how you wrote it, Mara, it could still be good, maybe even better than the lost one.

I have part of a chapter I sent Katie on April 12, but all the stuff that I wrote since then, and everything that I had written from April 2 (when I sent myself an email copy) until April 12, is now gone.

That's like 10 pages of material , and I honestly can't remember most of what I wrote.

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[sonicjet]

I am so upset. I probably spent five hours today working on TOSOT, and then my OS crashed and now the entire FILE is corrupted. It won't open...I keep getting a "general input/output error". I can't even remember the last time I backed up TOSOT. Now not only am I going to have to rewrite ALL the stuff I just wrote, but I might have to redo parts of the subsequent chapters and the ending as well. We're talking WEEKS worth of work that I ALREADY DID.

I really do just want to bash my head against a stone wall right now. There's no way I can get it as good as it was.

Damn it all.

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

Send me that file, also, what office program were you using?
Word 2007+ has some recovery features.

CIS major here.

[Mara=^.^=]

Send me that file, also, what office program were you using?
Word 2007+ has some recovery features.

CIS major here.

I was using open office... I already sent the file to one of my CS friends, who did a hex dump to acquire the raw text. It worked...but strangely, the last 40 or so pages of TOSOT were just GONE, which was the part I needed to recover anyway.

Do you still want me to send the file? If you wanna give it another go, I'd be happy for any help I can get.


~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[sonicjet]

I was using open office... I already sent the file to one of my CS friends, who did a hex dump to acquire the raw text. It worked...but strangely, the last 40 or so pages of TOSOT were just GONE, which was the part I needed to recover anyway.

Do you still want me to send the file? If you wanna give it another go, I'd be happy for any help I can get.


~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

I could try but if a friend was not able to get the last 40 the numbers are not too good for me, maybe you can get lucky; if you are using vista or 7, it keeps shadow copies of everything and you might be able to recover those.

[Mara=^.^=]

I could try but if a friend was not able to get the last 40 the numbers are not too good for me, maybe you can get lucky; if you are using vista or 7, it keeps shadow copies of everything and you might be able to recover those.

I am using XP ^^'

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

Miraculously managed to finish the next chapter despite my computer calamity...I just sent it to Katie for proofreading.

EDIT: And she gave it the official Katie-Seal-of-Approval! Now we just have to wait for the mainsite to be back up

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

Awesome, Mara! Can't wait!

[Mara=^.^=]

Ah, screw it. I'm gonna post the chapter here on the forum now. Please comment...your responses are literally the only joy I'll experience all week as I pull multiple all nighters and write 50 pages of final papers lol. FML

I've included the first couple of pages that were posted on the mainsite, just incase you missed them (if you've already read that section, just skip down a bit to where the new material begins).

_________________________

CHAPTER: Under the Same Sky

**Aurora and Future Libby sit together on one of the sick bay beds, surrounded by Future Libby’s three suitcases, newly fetched from storage on board the Shahada. The latter digs through one of them, pushing aside silk dresses, embroidered gloves, tangled jewelry, and little bottles of paint**
FUTURE LIBBY: I know it’s in here somewhere…
**Aurora studies the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought, before dropping her head and rolling her eyes**
AURORA: How hard can it be to find a brush and some scissors? Lord knows you packed enough toiletries to open your own salon.
**Aurora pauses**
AURORA: Then again, when you have that much crap, I guess it’s easy to lose track of things.
FUTURE LIBBY: (digging furiously) Ugh, I could’ve sworn I put the hairbrush in with my makeup bag. Just a second more – Aha! Found you!
**Future Libby whips out a pair of white-handled scissors along with an engraved fuchsia brush. Holding them aloft in victory, she taps the suitcase with her hip, and the top falls shut with a resounding whump**
FUTURE LIBBY: So, uh…what did you want me to do again?
**Aurora pulls off her ponytail holder, and her long blonde locks tumble down over her shoulders**
AURORA: I want you to give me a haircut. I think the back got singed during my fight with Neutron.
**Future Libby walks around the bed and stands behind Aurora, taking a section of hair and inspecting it**
FUTURE LIBBY: Hmm, I’d be happy to fix it up for you, but I don’t have a spray bottle to mist your hair, and you’re not supposed to cut it when it’s dry…
AURORA: Just do the best you can with what you have. I’m not looking for a flawless coiffure here. Usually I just get April to chop it off with a paring knife.
**Future Libby glances down hesitantly at the pair of scissors in her right hand**
FUTURE LIBBY: How much do you want me take off the bottom?
AURORA: I want to feel different. Cut it all off.
FUTURE LIBBY: But Aurora! Your hair is so beautiful; I don’t want to just hack it to pieces. Besides, you’re too tall for a pixie cut. I can give you a trim around the edges, but I…
AURORA: (firmly) No. You can leave the front the way it is, if you’d like, but I want the back gone.
**Future Libby slides her brush through the tangled strands**
FUTURE LIBBY: Well you can forget about that. I’m not cuttin’ it short, but I can at least even it out. The bottom’s all different lengths.
AURORA: Who died and made you queen of my hair?
FUTURE LIBBY: End of discussion!
**Aurora sighs, defeated, and Future Libby silently finishes combing out the snarls. She sets the brush down on the bed, then rests a hand on Aurora’s shoulder **
FUTURE LIBBY: You were awful hard on everyone just now, Aurora. Especially April. I know you’re always kind of, um…blunt, but to me it seemed like you were tryin’ to push her away. Is there somethin’ you wanna talk about?
AURORA: No.
**Future Libby snips off a few golden inches without comment. She cannot let the matter drop, however, and it’s not long before she interjects again**
FUTURE LIBBY: Look, I know you’re not a fan of spilling your guts, but I can tell that something's bothering you, and I…
AURORA: (snapping) Oh really, is that so? And what makes you the leading authority on me all of the sudden? Over the past ten years I’ve spent more time with my local arms dealer than I have with you. What gives you such unique insight into my state of mind?
FUTURE LIBBY: Well, comments like that, for one. People don't change, Aurora – not fundamentally. And ever since we were kids, you've dealt with being upset by takin' it out on other people.
**Aurora has no rebuttal for this statement, so she shuts her mouth. Future Libby continues snipping**
FUTURE LIBBY: (after a pause) How long will it be?
AURORA: Hmm?
FUTURE LIBBY: Before we see each other again, I mean.
AURORA: Oh. Right.
**Aurora considers**
AURORA: At the earliest – four or five years.
**Future Libby’s grip tightens around the scissor handles**
FUTURE LIBBY: It’s not fair.
AURORA: (quietly) I know.
FUTURE LIBBY: You’re a hero. They should be giving you a medal, not chasin’ you halfway across the galaxy, calling you a traitor, tryin’ to kill you…
**Her voice breaks, and she trails off**
AURORA: Libby, I brought this on myself.
FUTURE LIBBY: (angrily) No, no you didn’t!
AURORA: Libby. Enough.
**Future Libby snips off another section of split ends, her mouth sealed into a tight, angry line. After a minute or two of silent fuming, she redirects the conversation**
FUTURE LIBBY: Are you really OK with this, Aurora? With saying goodbye to me for five years, after we just found each other again a few days ago? An’ what about Jimmy? He deleted your family, tortured Sheen, took decades off your life…and now you’ll be livin’ with him? Watching out for him? Doesn’t that make you feel…I dunno, something?
AURORA: It’ll be all right. I can handle myself.
FUTURE LIBBY: I didn’t ask if you could handle yourself. I asked you to tell me what’s goin’ on in your head!
**Aurora sighs**
AURORA: You really want to know? The truth is, I don’t know what I should be feeling. I don’t know if I want to feel anything. My life has changed so much in the past few days… In my wildest dreams I never pictured the future that I’m now facing. I haven't really had a chance to process any of this yet, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't have a ready-made speech prepped for you.
FUTURE LIBBY: I'm sorry, Aurora. I didn't mean it like that.
**Aurora fishes for Libby's hand**
AURORA: No, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. It's just...
**Future Libby squeezes her friend's hand**
FUTURE LIBBY: I know.
**Future Libby trims off a few more strands, and Aurora looks down at her lap, toying with a severed yellow curl**
AURORA: Next time I visit, you’ll probably have a whole mess of kids running around.
FUTURE LIBBY: Very funny.
AURORA: No, I’m serious. I’m counting on you to reproduce. The future of humanity is in your very capable hands…
**Future Libby swats her chuckling friend on the shoulder**
FUTURE LIBBY: Aurora!
AURORA: (laughing) Wh-ha-hat?
FUTURE LIBBY: I’d like to remind you that I’m the one holding the pointy metal object right now...
**Aurora purses her lips in a restrained smile**
AURORA: Sorry. I shouldn’t be teasing you about something so serious.
**They both break out giggling, and Future Libby sets down the scissors**
FUTURE LIBBY: Oh, Aurora. This is so hard. I know I shouldn’t be grilling you when you don’t want to talk about it, but…well, I guess I wanted you to feel the same way that I do, you know? Maybe I’m really the one who’s got somethin’ bothering her right now.
AURORA: Oh?
FUTURE LIBBY: It's just...it’s funny. When I was a little girl, my Mom told me something I've never forgotten. She said, “Libs, whenever you're missin' me, just look up at the night sky. Then, wherever I am, I'll do the same thing, and you won't have to feel alone, 'cause we'll both be lookin' up at those same stars.”
AURORA: Smooth parenting.
FUTURE LIBBY: Aurora, I'm tryin’ to make a point here!
AURORA: Then make it.
FUTURE LIBBY: (quieting) Well, if you think about it, people on earth were always connected no matter where they went or how long they stayed there. But when you and I are apart, Aurora, it's different. We're not under the same sky. I can't gaze up at night and feel a connection to you. When you're gone, you're really gone – you're billions and billions of miles away, on some alien planet, looking up at alien stars, and in a thousand lifetimes I could never reach you...
AURORA: (sympathetically) Libby...
FUTURE LIBBY: Sometimes I wonder if that is what life's about, you know? When you're born, you separate from your mother, and as you grow up, you separate from your childhood friends, and then from your family. The years go by, and all the while you become more and more of you and less and less of them, until you reach old age and everyone who made your life meaningful dies and leaves you alone. And then you die, and that's when you're the most separate of all...
AURORA: Jeez Libby, stop being so depressing. Gloomy philosophy doesn't suit you.
FUTURE LIBBY: It's just...it's so unfair. I feel like I'm being made to choose between you and Sheen. Tuyen told me that I'd regain someone that I'd lost; she didn't mention that I'd have to give up someone else in exchange. It's not that I'm unhappy with the way things are turning out. It just seems like, no matter what we do or how we feel, something always comes up to keep you and me apart. Even if we visit each other, we'll still be livin' our lives separately. All the day-to-day adventures, the silly jokes, and the ups-and-downs we could've shared...we'll miss out on all of them. How we can overcome somethin' like that, Aurora?
AURORA: Remember what you said to me, Libby? That you'd always be my friend, no matter what? Well I say, screw time, and screw distance. “Always” is good enough for me. Life is what it is, so quit moping. After all, it's not like you're getting a bad deal. You get to go back to fancy buildings and gorgeous scenery and a whole butt-load of people who want to cater to your every whim. You'll have holidays and pretty clothes and tasty food and an even tastier crazy-ass mutant boyfriend to provide the perfect dessert for your sumptuous three-course dinner, if you know what I mean.
FUTURE LIBBY: (admonishing) Hey! I'll have you know, Sheen's not even gettin' a KISS till he learns to control himself a bit better. So just keep your insinuations to yourself, thank you very much.
**They snicker, and Future Libby raises her chin with renewed optimism**
FUTURE LIBBY: You're right. No use dwellin' on what can't be changed. I should be grateful that you didn't both die, since that easily could have happened.
**Aurora pats Future Libby's hand twice**
AURORA: That's the spirit. Now, if you're done trimming that nanometer off my hair, what do you say we go check on Neutron's progress?
FUTURE LIBBY: Do you really think they've finished already?
AURORA: Of course not. But that won't stop us from going to harass them.
FUTURE LIBBY: Actually…would it be OK if I went to check on Sheen? I left him sleeping there without explaining anything, and who knows what the kids have been up to this whole time…
AURORA: (chuckling) OK, mother hen, you do what you need to do. I can take it from here.
**Aurora’s stands and brushes hair clippings from her back and shoulders. Future Libby waits for her to finish, fiddling with her bracelets**
FUTURE LIBBY: You sure…you sure there’s nothing else you want to talk about? I'm a real good confidante. If there's anything botherin' you, anything at all...
**Aurora favors her friend with a sad but tender smile**
AURORA: Thanks Libby, really. I love you and appreciate your support, but what’s bothering me right now isn’t something you can help me with. I'm afraid I'm on my own this time.




**Elsewhere, Future Carl wanders the winding corridors of the Half Life, replaying Aurora's comments over and over again to himself. He paces, only dimly aware of his location, footfall after footfall echoing through the featureless halls. Veering a little too sharply, he catches himself against the wall. A pain shoots through his abdomen, and he clutches at it through his wrinkled white shirt**
FUTURE CARL: Ooowww, same old stomach ache... Can't eat, can't sleep, can't do anything but plod forward like a robot.
**He rests his head against his forearm and releases a shaky breath**
FUTURE CARL: Is this what's going to happen everywhere I go? Is this what people are going to see when they look at me? I'm so tired of this. So, so tired...
**He pushes away from the wall, pressing onward in a shuffling gait**
FUTURE CARL: I guess it serves me right. When was the last time I did anything? I can't even remember.
**Future Carl is so preoccupied with his troubled thoughts that he does not notice when a shadow stirs in an adjacent corridor. The inky figure emerges and begins to follow him, synchronizing its footsteps with his. It draws nearer and nearer as Carl approaches another bend in the hall, until at last it looms directly behind him**
FUTURE CARL: I wish I were somewhere else. I wish I was someone else.
VOICE: How strange. I hear a conversation, and yet I only see one speaker. Tell me, Carl – do you always talk to yourself like this?
**Startled, he jumps around to find April lounging against the wall, catlike and self-assured. Her eyes gleam, and Future Carl gets the impression that he has somehow been caught in an ambush**
FUTURE CARL: April! I didn't see you there...
APRIL: Of course you did not. You are oblivious to your surroundings. If you were lower on the food chain, I would have long since killed and eaten you.
FUTURE CARL: (rubbing the back of his neck) Err, well, I'm a bit distracted at the moment. I have some stuff on my mind, you see.
APRIL: I am certain you do. I, too, have some stuff on my mind. Perhaps we can help one another.
**April's posture takes on a sly, almost seductive character, and he feels a strong urge to flee**
FUTURE CARL: W-what do you mean?
**She pauses, examining her fingernails**
APRIL: Carl, do you desire my forgiveness?
**He retreats a few steps, foolishly glancing from side to side in the vain hope that someone else might happen upon them and come to his aid**
FUTURE CARL: Well, um..I....
APRIL: Yes or no. It is not really that difficult a question to answer.
FUTURE CARL: I-I'm not sure I deserve it...
**She pushes away from the wall**
APRIL: I am willing to forgive you for your part in this affair, on one condition: I need your help getting back to Planet Gorlock.
FUTURE CARL: How would I –
**She closes the gap between them, and he takes another couple of steps backward**
APRIL: I have a plan. Your job will be to not ask questions, and to simply do as I request until we go our separate ways. Now be silent as I explain.
FUTURE CARL: OK...
APRIL: Listen carefully: as soon as the Half Life drops out of Hyperspace, we will steal out of the cargo bay on board the Shahada. You will not tell anyone that we are leaving. You will not say any goodbyes. We will simply disappear.
FUTURE CARL: Disappear? But I –
APRIL: Once we have broken away, we will fly to Mejair, the planet where Nav's younger sister lives. We will spend a day or so clearing the cockpit of Nav's stolen goods, and it will be up to you to make sure Laudya receives them. You will be the one to bring the news of Nav's fate to Laudya, and the two of you will be responsible for setting his affairs in order. I cannot do it; it is too near. Do you understand thus far?
**He finds himself nodding before he even comprehends her words, and she continues**
APRIL: I will leave Mejair aboard the Shahada and return to Planet Gorlock alone, as if newly escaped, in order to lend credence to the idea that I was brought along on this venture against my will. Only then will I be allowed to have a moment's peace among my people, away from the memory of all this. As for you – stay on Mejair if you wish, or hop on board a freighter bound for somewhere far away. Do all of this for me, and you will be forgiven.
**Future Carl bites his lip, mulling it over in his mind**
FUTURE CARL: I don't know if it's a good idea for me to just leave without telling anyone. How about this: what if I helped you escape, but then stayed behind myself so that I could –
APRIL: Let me make this perfectly clear, Carl...
**She pulls out a gun from a holster at her side, and presses the barrel against his stomach**
APRIL: I do not need to play on your guilt to gain your cooperation. I presented the plan in this manner out of charity, nothing more. Make no mistake – you will cooperate, whether you want to or not. Now you can either do what I say out of your own free will, or you can accompany me as a hostage. You decide.
**Future Carl instinctively puts his hands in the air, shrinking away from the cold touch of the gun**
FUTURE CARL: Look, I know you must be really upset right now, but is this really necessary? You have friends on this ship who could help you. Don't you want to say goodbye to Aurora, or –
**She pulls back the hammer until it clicks**
APRIL: Watch yourself, my friend. You are digging your own grave. Now this is your last chance: will you help me voluntarily?
FUTURE CARL: I don't understand! Why are you doing this? There has to be a better way...
APRIL: Last chance, Carl. Yes or no?
**He looks down at the weapon, then back up at her. He nods once, and April retracts the gun**
APRIL: Good. Now turn around slowly. Keep your hands where I can see them.
**He does as she says, beads of nervous sweat clinging to his face and neck**
APRIL: Walk in the direction of the cargo bay. Keep your eyes facing forward, and do not stop moving. I will follow behind at a short distance. Do not get any light ideas about running off.
FUTURE CARL: (walking forward) Uh...do you mean, any “bright” ideas?
APRIL: That is correct. Bright ideas will not help you. I memorized the layout of the ship from the schematics Jimmy downloaded for us after we boarded. I will find you if you attempt to escape.
FUTURE CARL: (glumly) I won't try to escape.
**They walk in silence, Future Carl's eyes listless and unfocused. April turns this way and that, scanning the passageway**
FUTURE CARL: (to himself) Always this. Why always this?
APRIL: What's that? You have something to say?
FUTURE CARL: No. Nothing.
**The pair makes their way into the cargo bay, where Nav's decrepit wreck of a ship awaits them. Future Carl strains to think of a way to turn the tables on her before it's too late, but nothing comes to mind, and April forces him up the gangplank and through the main door. The homey, musty smell of the Shahada takes him by surprise, and for a moment he almost forgets about her gun as he surveys the interior of Nav's ship. He trips over a pile of dirty laundry, and she seizes his arm and directs him forward**
FUTURE CARL: I've never seen a ship so, um...lived-in before...
APRIL: Be quiet, and keep moving. The bridge is just ahead.
**April flicks on the light as they enter, illuminating the mountains of loot scattered around the cockpit. Future Carl gazes in awe at the piles of disorganized splendor**
FUTURE CARL: He did all of this? Nav stole all of this?
APRIL: (haughtily) Nav was the greatest thief who ever lived. All the other Samarkandi were psychopaths, plain and simple. Nav was the only one who made it into their ranks on the basis of something more.
**She settles into the pilot's chair. With a sidelong glance, she takes out her weapon and makes a great show of polishing it. He merely stands there, staring at the ground while she lords it over him. After several minutes of silence, Future Carl still has not moved. He shows not even the barest hint of emotion, neither in his eyes nor in his posture, and April's expression slowly scrunches up with contempt**
APRIL: Look at you. If I should come upon you in a crowded square, I would mistake you for a statue. What purpose do you serve, looking like that? What a waste.
**One of the wheels on the chair squeaks as she shifts her weight forward**
APRIL: You know what I do not respect, Carl?
**Future Carl hesitates, unsure of whether or not to take the bait. After a pause, he replies**
FUTURE CARL: What do you not respect?
**When April meets his gaze again, she smiles crookedly and aims the gun at him**
APRIL: Weakness. Cowardice. Uselessness. I could kill you right now and not a single person in this whole universe would shed a tear. You have nothing, and you are nothing. Your existence is without value, and yet you are alive, and Nav is not. How does this strike you?
FUTURE CARL: If I could trade places with him, I would.
APRIL: You say that so flippantly, and yet you are part of the reason he is dead.
FUTURE CARL: I'm sorry.
**She sits there in the chair, spine curved forward, purple bangs hanging in her line of vision**
APRIL: What a meaningless thing to say. You are pathetic.
**His fist clenches involuntarily, and she laughs**
APRIL: Do you have something to say for yourself, Carl? Care to offer some defense? Or will you stand there idly, as you have stood by for the past ten years, doing nothing?
**When he doesn't reply, she continues her barrage**
APRIL: Pfft, I thought as much. You are worthless. Pathetic. A spineless lapdog who does whatever he is told in order to save his sorry hide.
FUTURE CARL: That's not true! That's not why I did it. Jimmy is my best friend, and I...
APRIL: Hold your tongue! This pretense to loyalty is sickening. You aided and abetted the galaxy's worst criminal because you were too frightened to stand up and refuse your orders. I can tell from the way you are acting now. You are a gutless, good-for-nothing waste of sentient life.
**Future Carl's eyes flash**
FUTURE CARL: Does it make you feel better, saying this stuff to me?
APRIL: It is nothing you do not deserve. You had ample opportunities to assert yourself while you were working for the Dictator, but you did not. You forfeited your worth as a living being. You are an outcast, wanted by no one. Utterly expendable.
FUTURE CARL: Then we're two of a kind, April. You're in the same position that I am right now.
**She scoffs**
APRIL: Ridiculous! As I recall, you are the one currently being held at gunpoint. Enlighten me, how are we in the same position?
FUTURE CARL: We're both here, aren't we? There's a reason it's the two of us alone in this cockpit, and not Aurora and Libby, or Sheen and Libby, or any of the others. We're here because they got what they wanted, and now they don't need us anymore.
APRIL: You would do better to hold your tongue, Carl. You have no idea what you are talking about.
FUTURE CARL: I've worked with the Dictator for the past ten years...you think I don't know him by now? You think I don't know how little I matter?
**She looks away**
APRIL: I fail to see how this in any way pertains to me.
FUTURE CARL: Aurora is your best friend...but are you hers? How long did it take Aurora to start ignoring you after she got Libby back?
APRIL: How did you –?
FUTURE CARL: You've been playing second fiddle for a long time. I know, because I'm in the same situation. I know what it's like to be around someone who would rather be with somebody else.
**She grips her gun tighter**
APRIL: That is enough!
FUTURE CARL: I bet Aurora wasn't the only person in your life who secretly saw you as a silver medal. Who else treated you that way, I wonder? I guess it doesn't matter. That's just the kind of people we are.
APRIL: Stop saying 'we'! This has nothing to do with me!
FUTURE CARL: Anyone with half a brain can tell that Jimmy and Aurora only care about one thing...and we're not a part of that, April. But you know what? It's OK. I stayed with the Dictator because somewhere, deep down, he was still my best friend, and I felt like I owed him something. In the name of that friendship, I did what I was told for ten years...sometimes unforgivable things. But again, that's why we're so alike, April.
APRIL: You keep saying that, and yet it continues to ring hollow! You have no basis for your claim. You and I could not be more different!
FUTURE CARL: I've read Jimmy's data books on the Gorlock military and on the rebel movement. I know how you people do things. When have YOU ever disobeyed your orders, April? When have you ever thought for yourself?
APRIL: You presume to judge me using information HE gathered while he was out committing mass murder?! How dare you compare your self-imposed slavery to my struggle! I am a warrior and a weapons specialist, and I fight bravely. When I slaughter my enemies, I know that the righteous cause is mine.
FUTURE CARL: You've been a soldier since you were a kid. Did you ever stop to think about whether that's what you really want? You bow your head to your superiors and do what's expected of you. How many people have you killed to rise through the ranks? Have you been keeping track?
APRIL: That is immaterial!
FUTURE CARL: Immaterial? Do you really feel nothing for all the lives you've taken? At least when I was helping Jimmy, I knew what I was doing was wrong. Now, the guilt and self-loathing are eating me alive. But you? I've read your file, and from what I can tell, you have no regret, no second thoughts, no sympathy at all for the people you murdered, war or no. Have you ever once reflected on your own life? Have you ever sat down and asked yourself, “why am I doing this?” When it comes down to it, April, you and I have a lot in common. We do what we're told, and we don't matter. Like it or not, that's the truth. We're both just pawns in our own different ways. At least I realize what I am.
**She jumps to her feet, and the pilot's chair lurches backward**
APRIL: You think you are better than me because you feel REGRET? Because you suddenly had a change of heart? Pardon me if I cannot do the same! I do not believe in ideals, Carl, I believe in people; sadly, the people I believed in are now lost to me forever, all because of your master. How easy it must be for you to pass judgment, when you have lost nothing and have nothing to lose!
**Future Carl's voice trembles slightly, as if he is having trouble restraining himself**
FUTURE CARL: I'm not judging you, I'm just trying to make a point. If there's one thing I learned from my years of watching Jimmy work, it's how to push people's buttons. I'm sorry if I'm doing it in a mean way, but I've had enough of you telling me that I'm worthless.
APRIL: Ha! You certainly pick a convenient time to grow a backbone. You lecture me on the way I have lived my life, and yet you are the greatest hypocrite I have ever laid eyes on. You are disgusting!
FUTURE CARL: I know, and I hate myself. How do you feel about yourself? Or haven't you thought about it lately?
APRIL: Enough!!
**She strikes him on the jaw with the handle of her gun, and he topples to the floor, losing his eyeglasses and tearing his shirtsleeve on one of the scrap heaps**
APRIL: (leering down at him) I need to keep you alive so that you can bring news of Nav's death to Laudya, but as I recall, that job does not require the use of arms or legs. Shall I break them for you?
**He wipes blood off his lower lip, shivering**
FUTURE CARL: Do you...do you feel any better yet?
**April grabs him by the hair**
APRIL: No, but I will in a moment.
**She slams his forehead against the floor, then flings him onto his back. He writhes in pain, but she pins him fast with her knee and touches the barrel of her gun to his neck. Wrenching his arm around, she grabs his fingers and bends them nearly to their breaking point**
APRIL: Snap snap, Carl. First your fingers, then your arms.
FUTURE CARL: (laughing weakly) Is that really all you know how to do? Just fight and threaten and kill? How sad...
**She pushes his index finger back further, and the cartilage makes a crunching noise**
FUTURE CARL: AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! STOP!!
APRIL: (with bloodthirsty satisfaction) That's right, cry out in pain! Show your true colors, coward. Beg me to stop!
FUTURE CARL: AHHHH!!
**She cracks the next finger, and then the next, but to her utter bafflement, his cries of agony spiral into bouts of hysterical laughter**
FUTURE CARL: AAAAAAAH! AAAHAHAHAAA!! Hahahahaha! AhaHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!
**Completely unprepared for this reaction, she jerks away, dropping his hand**
APRIL: My God, what is WRONG with you?
FUTURE CARL: (wildly) You think this hurts? You think this HURTS? Ahahahahaha!! I've lived with a noose around my neck for a decade now, and I've HAD it, April! I'm done being treated like a pushover. From this moment on, I'm done being this person. So either put a bullet in my head, or get off me. Threats won't work anymore.
APRIL: I will not be deterred!
FUTURE CARL: GET OFF ME!!
**He shoves her away with all his might, and she stumbles back and plunks down onto the chair. He gets to his feet, breathing heavily**
FUTURE CARL: I'm tired of everyone walking all over me. I'm tired of the nightmares and the weakness and the running away. So let me make something very clear: I'm not coming with you because you threatened my life. I'm going to Mejair because I think it's the right thing to do. I admired Nav, and I will do whatever I can to make his passing less painful for his sister. I'll do it because I WANT to, not because someone stuck a gun in my face. Those days are over. Understand? Is that something you can respect?
APRIL: (seething) I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being.
FUTURE CARL: (brushing off his shirt) That makes two of us.
**She bares her teeth in a snarl**
APRIL: I hope you die a gruesome, excruciating death, Carl. I hope your wounds grow gangrenous, poisoning you and driving you to madness.
FUTURE CARL: And I wish you all the best. I hope you lead a long and happy life, and die surrounded by people who care about you.
APRIL: Tch. Go to hell.
**April turns to face the control panel, and Future Carl's legs begin to wobble. Now that the moment has passed, he slumps to his knees. Sniffling a little, he slides his hands over the floor, searching for his glasses**
APRIL: (back still toward him) I am warming up the engines. I want to be ready to leave the second we drop out of hyperspace.
**He replaces his glasses, and his features settle into their usual bland, expressionless state**
FUTURE CARL: Sounds good to me.
________________

LOL Psycho!Carl....

Also, this chapter introduces my NEW OTP, which Word of God (AKA my word) states WILL HAPPEN: Future Carl x Laudya! Ya, betcha didn't see that one coming



~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =
I am so effing close to being finished!!

[sonicjet]

IDK Mara, that has to be your greatest work yet!
I'm sorry but is Future Carl/April Wrong? It sure looked good here.

[Lizz]

I've read the Aurora and Libby section of the chapter already, but I was waiting for you to post the rest of the chapter before I left my thoughts. So, I did like the second serious conversation Future Libby had with Aurora. I didn't find it as serious as the last one they have, but only because Aurora's "only you can save my species" line to FL had me laughing.

But the whole part of Future Carl and April I did not see coming...yet I enjoyed a whole lot! You think Future Carl went psycho, I think April was the one who went overboard. Though that might probably be something she would normally do, but the way she was acting and sounding the whole time, kinda shows that she's now lost it ever since Nav's death.

But Future Carl's role throughout the whole thing interested me the most. So far...I've hated him since he appeared (not as much as FS though). I don't know why, but he just got annoyed the heck out of me with every word he said. But with everything he said to April (especially her third-wheel role since FL appeared) and the whole laughing at her attempt to break him back down, I've now started to like him a bit and depending if he does anything else like that, I think his character development might be my favorite out of everyone.

And yes, I knew about the Future Carl x Laudya pairing. I learned about it on the TOSOT tvtropes page which is under "Pair the Spares". But yes, it did surprise me when I first saw it.

Overall, good chapter. Since it is close to the ending. I curious to know how everything else will be resolved.