Into The Blue: Beginnings

Article by Bria

... in which Eagle returns triumphant, Mezoti sings to Iain, and a small kitten is introduced.

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On a small farm in the middle of a lot of fields on a small planet at the edge of the universe lived a man. His name was Eric, and he was, conveniently, a farmer. He owned four cows and 200 acres of land, more because no one else had bothered laying claim to them than because he was particularly rich.

He lived on his own now, because he didn't really like anyone else to interfere in his life. He worked during the day and slept during the night, and occasionally he went on a holiday, usually camping out in field #37 for a few nights with Rufus the dog.

His life was very fulfilling and very boring, at least for anyone with absolutely no interest in crop rotation and cow milking, which was most of the galaxy's population. He farmed, played with Rufus, and looked forward to his few days of camping. That, really, was about it. Nothing exciting ever happened.

Just as well, then, that this story is not about him.

***
A man strode down the corridors of Outpost Ten Forward, whistling cheerfully. His name was Eagle, and while this story isn't exactly about him either, he certainly plays more of a part.

He was dressed in jeans that had seen better days and a lot of oil, and a hoodie with a pocket at the front. There was a bulge in the pocket, which moved. Occasionally, a small tail or a pair of ears peeked out. They belonged to Brin the kitten.

Eagle was also swinging a small case in one hand and carrying a datacard with the other. He gave off the air of a man on a mission, or rather, of one who had been on a mission and returned, triumphant beyond belief.

***
"I said a change, would do you good," Mezoti sang, swinging her legs.

Iain narrowly avoided being kicked as he swivelled his chair to reach onto the shelf beside his desk. "Hey! Be careful!"

"Whoops, sorry," she said, stilling her legs until he turned back to his screen. It was covered in inverted letters that ran from right to left. She still didn't know how Iain managed to read them, even though he didn't really read in the same way that others did. Something about absorbing code and being One with the Server.

She turned her attention back to the vidscreen on the wall, where her favourite Firefly episode was playing. Iain had asked her to mute it, and she had, because she knew all the words anyway.

"Hey, Mezzy?" Iain asked after a while.

"Hmm?"

"Did Hobbie really deal with the box like he said he would?"

"No," she said. "He stuck a thermal into it and blew it into a million pieces. That doesn't really count as "retiring" it, does it."

Iain laughed. "It's effective, anyway. Maybe we should implement that policy with retiring OTF members, stop them coming back and kicking up a fuss."

Mezoti rolled her eyes, but decided to leave that one well alone. "Why d'you want to know about the box, anyway?"

"Because," Iain said. "Someone complained that it's gone."

"Of course it's gone," Mezoti said reasonably. "When Hobbie blows something up, it stays blown up!"

Iain grinned. "Thank you, Mezzy, that's exactly what I'll tell them."

Mezoti laughed. "She'll like that."

"How do you know it's "she"?" Iain asked.

"Because I seriously doubt that any one of the guys would want the box back."

"Fair point." Iain turned back to his mortal-confusing screen and typed away at breakneck speed – if, indeed, the term "breakneck" could be applied to typing. Really, he figured, it shouldn't be, because there was no way that typing at any speed could ever break anyone's neck. He frowned, paused, and resumed typing at a very fast pace. To hell with the fancy language, anyway.

There was a knock on the door, or rather, the doorframe. The door was already open. Mezoti looked up. Eagle stood there, expectant, with raised eyebrows. His hoodie moved.

"Brin!!" Mezoti exclaimed, hopping off the desk to retrieve the kitten.

"Hello, Mezoti," Eagle said loudly. "Nice to see you too."

She only looked slightly chastened. "Hi."

"Hey Eagle," Iain said from behind her.

Eagle waved at him. "'lo Iain! Hey, have you guys seen Hobbie around?"

"Cantina," Mezoti said automatically.

"I checked," Eagle said. "He's not there."

"Docking bay," Iain said.

Eagle shook his head. "I just came from there."

"Oh," Iain said. "So, is that your –"

"Yes," Eagle said. "I need to find Hobbie."

Mezoti looked from Eagle to Iain and back again. "Your what?"

"Kitten," Eagle said quickly.

She didn't look like she quite believed him, but decided to concentrate on said kitten instead of pursuing the issue.

"I haven't seen Hobbie," Iain said. "Just ask around."

"Right." Eagle tried to take Brin back off Mezoti, but she evaded him. He took a few steps away, and Brin struggled free by herself and ran after him. He bent his knees slightly and she climbed back into the front pocket. Giving Mezoti an almost-full-hearted triumphant look, which she returned with a glare that was almost convincing, he wandered off to find Hobbie.

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