Board Thread:Archive/@comment-24866242-20140529212525

Lianna Ragone posted June 15, 1998 03:34 PM

Deep within the Sartila Canyon on Tarswana, a technologically advanced government building sat. Guarded with the latest protection systems, it was a fortress that no one could penetrate without the required equipment needed to enter. It was simple equipment: a registered entry card, eyes, voice and finger tips. With these four things, one could enter the building if all four tests were passed. It took days to obtain permission to become a registered guest with the building. No one had ever been able to break in...no one had ever tried.

Hiding it in the canyon was one of the smarter moves. With the tall rugged walls of rock surrounding it, it couldn't be detected by any type of radar or locating device. Surrounding it on the canyon's floor were fields of wheat. If anything had flown directly over the building from above the canyon, it was too far away to determine it to be anything other than a huge up-to-date farm house. But what was held inside the building was far from being farm equipment.

The building held every file related to the governments of surrounding planets as well as its own. Not only were these files important documents and records kept in a database, but they were government secrets...deals that had been made under the table and agreements to unite with enemies. If anyone was to let the information go beyond the walls of the building, an entire solar system and much of the universe would crumble at the hands of angry citizens. It was by far the greatest kept secret of all time...but now, for the first time since it had been built one-hundred years ago, it was in danger.

Lianna Ragone posted June 15, 1998 03:57 PM

Sixty yards from the building's main entrance, a body hid lying in the wheat field, a long-range pulser rifle gripped tightly in the body's hands. A clenched jaw accompanied a pair of dark brown eyes as she watched her victim in action...the gun aimed at his body. A bead of sweat slipped its way off her forehead and down the temple, her entire body tense as she waited for the right opportunity to shoot. There was no guarantee that the first shot to be fired would be successful. The victim had cleverly pushed his body against a side wall while entering the required information into the security system. If the shot missed, her cover would be blown and the victim would enter the building with an advantage. She would have to wait until he started to enter for a better aim.

The building's door slid open and as the man started to move, her finger tensed upon the trigger. "Wait...wait...N--.." Her thoughts were cut short as a hand pulled her body from the ground. The gun fell from her hands, no shot was fired. Setting her to her feet, the huge man's hand curled tight around her tank top, staring at her with cold, dark eyes. He yelled at the man entering the building to hold the door. She had been caught.

Lianna Ragone posted June 15, 1998 04:17 PM

A beam of light the size of a pin point stretched its way across the dark room, finally allowing some part of her vision to become somewhat useful again. As small as it was, this tiny beam brought hope to the bound woman across the room. For ten minutes, she had been tied to a support pole listening to the incessant ticking of a timer. Each tick marked a second closer to her death. But now, a loud click interrupted the rhythmic count-down, indicating the electronic bolt on the door had been successfully unlocked as it slowly slid open.

Standing before the woman was Jack Harding. A special intelligence agent by proper name, Jack was a genius. He could have used his intelligence to become or do anything he wanted. When questioned why he chose this career over all the others, he simply replied with "I love the thrill." Jack Harding was also a typical male.

Quickly untying his partner, he frowned at her wounds including the gash on her forehead. This blow to the head had knocked her out for an undetermined amount of time. When the man had forced her into the building, she had been "roughed up", so to speak. While they extracted main files from the computers, she had been unconcious, but was forced awake and tied just in time to watch them escape. That had been ten minutes ago.

Jack's brief smile caught her off guard.

"Where is he?" she demanded, her eyes darting around the room in search of a weapon.

"Don't worry, Chick. Crew 3 has him surrounded on the loading deck. We finally caught him." Chick--her nickname he used only when things were calm...He had no idea how wrong he was..

"Good God..." She turned to him and pointed at the explosive device mounted on the ceiling. "See that? We've got twenty minutes to get our crew off that deck and out of this canyon!" Normally, Jack would have liked the sound of her British-like accent rolling off each word..now was not the time to enjoy it.

Jack leveled his widened eyes back to hers. "Oh shit." Turning quickly, he darted out the door. "Let's go!"

Racing down the hall side by side, Jack loaded his pulser rifle. Lia reached into his holster without hesitation and pulled a gun. She frowned a bit. "A 9mm? That's all you have? God Jack, I thought you were over your obsession with ancient history.."

He ignored her somewhat misguided joke. "What happened to yours??"

Hesitating with her answer, they turned up a narrow staircase, taking them two at a time. "Smith has them."

"Damn it, Lia..." He had no breath to continue his thought. Finally reaching the top floor of the building, they stood on either side of the loading deck door, listening carefully. Lia nodded to Jack, giving her official approval on the attack. He nodded in return, slipped his hand to the door handle and pushed it open.

Lianna Ragone posted June 15, 1998 09:29 PM

As the door swung open, a terrible mess was revealed. Crew 3 had lost control of the situation, minimized by half, and the remaining crew members had been backed into a corner of the deck. Luckily, Lia and Jack were on the other side of the deck and hadn't yet been seen. Darting out the door, they easily took down five of Smith's men and created a distraction so that the crew could reposition themselves. Within a few minutes, Crew 3 had regained complete control. The only problem left was that Smith's surface ship was taking off.

Reflexively, all types of guns aimed at the ship and fired relentlessly. Unable to shield itself, the tiny Surfacer took a nosedive into the ground. At a mere three-story drop, Lia couldn't rely on the ship's damage to kill whoever was aboard. She sprinted across the deck and waited for any kind of sign of survivors. Taking Lia's lead, Jack dashed to join her, but didn't quite make it...he fell to the ground just feet behind her.

"Jack!!"

"Get Smith, Lia!"

Assuming he was alright based on his response, Lia turned her attention back to the burning ship. Just as she had predicted, the ship's door opened. Out came just the man she had been looking for. She aimed carefully and fired over and over again at the escaping figure. Landon Smith fell to the ground, dead by the third shot.

Lianna Ragone posted June 16, 1998 10:54 AM

Even as Smith's body fell to the ground, Lia knew that her battle was only half over. Ignoring the applauds of the crew behind her, she ran to Jack, helping him to his feet.

"I want everyone off this deck and out of this canyon now! We've got a Code 16 at five minutes right below our feet!"

Scrambling to undamaged shuttles and surfacers, Crew 3 found their way quickly out of the canyon...and just in time. The last shuttle pulled out of the canyon just as the building exploded.

Jack had passed out by the time Lia laid him on the floor of a shuttle. Pulling his bloodied shirt from his body, she cringed at the wounds. Apparently, a laser beam had scraped against his side and some type of hole had been made in his chest. Blood was seeping out the wounds fast...way too fast.

"I need some help down here!" She searched for some sort of cloth to apply pressure to Jack's wounds but the shuttle had apparently belonged to the government building and was completely empty of such things. Pulling her tank top from her own body and ripping it in half, she used it to stop the bleeding of Jack's wounds.

Greg Harris tried to ignore Lia's action (and her somewhat bare body), knowing that Jack was all that mattered at this point.

"Dresat, take us to the nearest hospital and call ahead. This man's going to need a lot of help."

Harris already knew that it would take a miracle for Jack to survive such wounds, but he wasn't about to tell Lia that.

"Here..." Greg took one of the cloths from Lia and freed one of her hands to concetrate on one wound at a time. "Keep applying pressure and that should help a lot. If I'm not mistaken, there was a hospital just five minutes west of here."

Lia nodded in acknowledgement. No matter how hard she was trying to fight it, her strength was giving out and fast. The harder she fought, the more it seemed like she was losing conciousness.

Lianna Ragone posted June 17, 1998 08:37 PM

John Saunders hurried to the docking runway the minute he received word that his private ship was going to land soon. He made it just in time to see the ship's door slide open. Not once had he missed such an arrival.

Lianna Ragone had been one of Saunder's favorite clients. Aside from the fact that she was the best agent of her class, he valued her friendship. Now descending the steps to the ship, he wasn't surprised to see her as he often did--wearing her trademark type attire..brown shorts, white tank top, brown boots and of course, he couldn't overlook the sunglasses. Lia wasn't one to impress anyone by dressing up and she sure wasn't going to change now that she had finished a mission. Besides, she didn't want to tempt the men on Lesdoma Base more than she did already.

It was Saunders that had stationed her on the base. Getting her away from people that could be hurt if Lia ever became a target of revenge, he found that she would be safer on the base. Of course, there were no guarantees that she was safe from the five-hundred men that were also stationed on base considering the fact that Lia was the only female stationed at Lesdoma. It worked against her even more to be naturally attractive. Saudners smiled a bit remembering her first line to the men in the cafe when they wouldn't stop staring. She simply turned around, real matter-of-fact. "I'm here to do my job. You touch me, I'll blow your blasted head off." They grew very fond of her.

"Welcome back, Lia. It's nice to see you in one piece again."

"Well, it's good to be home, John. Thanks."

Turning to keep in step with her, he continued.

"Very nice work you did with Smith. You've got quite a surprised group wanting to meet with you. They didn't think you'd catch Smith."

Lia shook her head, smiling amusedly. Her supervisors never did have any faith in her even though she had only failed two out of twenty-three missions. Both had been the result of misleading information. Even though women had a tight handle on jobs such as hers in other places, Cisliona hadn't reached that status in such things yet. Being a woman put her in a difficult spot, but she had gained the respect and rightfully so. She could understand their concern, after all, the planet was a male dominated population and most women found home elsewhere. Cisliona wasn't exactly what you'd call a great place to live. Lia was one of the braver ones, so to speak.

"And of course, your boys are glad to have you back." John couldn't help but add that as many of the men had already started to greet her on the way toward the main building.

"Ah..aren't they always?"

He laughed a bit. "I tell you what Lia, I'm surprised you haven't had to kill every last one of them yet."

It was her turn to laugh. "Oh you know how I am about that..and so do they. We're a family. Every family has an oddball. I just happen to be it this time."

"Well, odd or not, we're all glad to have you home." He paused while she logged back in with the main computer, making sure he was as delicate with the next question as possible. "How's Jack?"

"Ah..you know Jack. Strong one, he is. They're leaving him in the coma for safety measures. They say the pain would be too much for him to take if they brought him out of it."

"I see. And they think he's.."

She cut him short, not needing the sugar coated words. "I don't know, John. It looked pretty bad. They said it's a miracle that he's still alive now."

"Lia?" Coming toward the two was Mike Spence. Lia grinned, taking her sunglasses off. Sweeping her into a hug, he spun her around. "It's good to see you, finally! We all heard about Smith. Again, Lianna Ragone kicked ass!"

"Just doing my job, Mike. How've you been?"

"Well, in all honesty, a lot richer since you left." The tall blonde grinned at her. "I mean, since you've not been at our poker games, no one has been able to cheat me out of my money."

Lia laughed a bit. "Don't worry about it, Mike. Soon enough I'll be back at the table and you won't be so happy about my return."

"Nah..I doubt that. Hey..I was just about to grab a bite to eat. You want to come?"

"Oh I don't know..I just got back and--"

"Oh, come on! You have to be starving. Look at you! You're like a stick. Come on..I'll buy you dinner."

"Well, that would make sense. I haven't been here to beat you out of your money so I might as well make up for it and make you pay for my dinner, no? I've got to take my stuff to my quarters, but sure. I'd love to join you."

"Oh Lia," John interupted. "We're having a meeting with the entire SIA at ten in the morning. Do you feel up to it?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"Good. Conference room 4. I'll see you then. Oh and Mike, don't keep her out too late. She needs the rest."

"I leave for months at a time sometimes and each time I return, the man never changes," Lia remarked as Saunders hurried off.

"Ah well, who'd expect him to?"

"You're right. And now..let's see about this dinner, shall we?"

It was good to be home once again.

Lianna Ragone posted June 21, 1998 03:30 PM

Somewhere after ten, Lia and Mike were still going strong. They hadn't skipped a beat since they walked in the cafe's door and by their endless energy, it didn't seem as though that would change any time soon. Whenever the two got together it was like a fire in the cockpit. All hell would break loose.

Like two popular school students at a lunch table, Lia and Mike hovered over the counter top cutting up and laughing louder than anyone in the cafe. Time was obviously not a factor that night and as the hours passed, the less likely it seemed that they'd be leaving.

"So, there Derrick was standing in the middle of the hallway right in front of the SIA

supervising committee wearing nothing but one sock. The boy has no common sense, Lia. None. He just stood there." Mike laughed, recalling that night. "Finally, the committee just kinda walked around him. But then it got worse. His girl decided to come check on the situation. She walks out of his quarters with a sheet wrapped around her body. Caulier would've killed him right then and there if he hadn't been with the SIA. It was hilarious, Lia. You would've loved it."

Lia laughed, shaking her head at the thought. "Will that boy ever learn? Didn't they catch him with another girl just about three months ago?"

"Yeah..they sure did. Caulier cussed him from one end of the base to the other. I don't understand how stupid he is. If he had more common sense, he would know not to answer the door while the woman is still there."

"Both you and I know that he knows that they'd never force him to resign. He's too

valuable. That's why he does it and doesn't try to be careful about it."

Mike nodded in silent agreement, sipping his drink. "You've missed quite a bit."

"I know. I don't believe it's fair that you guys have all this fun while I'm gone."

He smiled a bit. "Ah come on. You know that the most fun occurs when you're around." She merely smiled at his comment. "So Lia, tell me about all these battle scars of yours," pointing to the mark on her forehead.

She shook her head. "You call them battle scars. I call them humiliating reminders." Even so, she raised her right leg, putting her foot on the crossbars of his stool. "When I was caught in the wheat field, they lit'rally threw me into this main file room. These scars are from the man and his happy blade. I swear, I thought he was trying to cut me into pieces." She showed him the long, dark scars that ran across her thigh and down her calf muscle. "I've got another one here on my neck. They told me that if he had cut just a hair deeper, it could have damaged my spinal cord." Pulling her long, dark hair from the back of her neck, she turned to show him the remains of a gash. Frowning slightly, he ran his fingertips over the scar. Out of five hundred men on base, she was the only one who took much of a

beating...he found that extremely unsettling.

"And of course, the one atop my forehead is where they knocked me out. I'm bruised from one end of my body to the next."

Mike shook his head smiling in disbelief. "And you were still able to run and blow Smith's head off? You are truly amazing."

"Ah well..like I said, it's my job."

"And modest too."

She just grinned a bit, sipping her drink. Mike and Lia had been friends for a little over two years. He had come to Lesdoma as a pilot of defense. Word of mouth was that he was the best defense pilot that their solar system had and it was considered an honor to have him choose Lesdoma Base to be stationed. If the two weren't seen together causing trouble, they were trying to get Lia into the special defense sector in hopes of being able to work together. They knew that she'd always be the "best damned SIA on base and couldn't be spared" but they still tried. Together, they would definitely make a good team.

Right at midnight, the cafe closed forcing Lia and Mike out of its door. Taking a long walk back to the living quarters, they continued sharing stories and updates. Trying to muffle their laughter through the slightly dimmed hallways, Mike walked Lia back to her quarters which was conveniently located at the very end one of the many hallways casting a dark shadow around her door. There were five living quarter buildings and all sat on the outskirts of the base like a pentagon. Each one was made up of a system of hallways. There were four main hallways in each building which were all connected by mini-hallways. Thirty doors ran down each hallway, fifteen on each side of the hall.

Mike finished his last tale of Lance Fradman as Lia entered the code to unlock her door. As the door slid open she turned back to him and laughed.

"Well, I believe Fradman would be the one to do such a thing. He's not the brightest thing in the world."

He shook his head. "No, he's not. We're all willing to bet that he'll be asked to leave for doing it, though."

"Probably so," she started. As they continued to talk about it, she became quite aware of Mike's eyes upon her. He was watching her intensely, like a lion does its prey.

"And perhaps it would give them the perfect excuse to ask for--" She didn't finish her thought. Her words were cut off by Mike's lips which were suddenly pressed against hers. Taken completely off guard, she didn't know what to do. She was well aware of his hands as they found their way around her body, resting lightly on her hips. Her hands hung limply, too afraid to respond either way. Turning her backward, he backed her into the doorway, hitting the button to close the door behind them. He pushed her against the wall, his lips leaving hers to allow his lips to be satisfied with the flesh of her neck.

A harsh whisper escaped her, now free of his lips. "Mike...stop...you don't know...what...what you're doing." Before anything else could be said, his lips found hers again, his body pressed against hers which was still against the wall. Finally, her hand moved between them and pushed him back.

"What..what do you think you're doing??"

He couldn't help but smile softly. "If you don't want me to, I'll stop."

Surprised by his simple answer, she tried to search for the words. She looked back to the door, which was now locked by a code that only she knew. She looked back to him who was searching her eyes for an answer.

"You know we can't do this. Just think of all the problems it will cause."

"I have thought about it. For two years. I'd rather have ten times those problems than be without you."

His words again caught her off guard. She never planned on an incident like this happening. Both of them were committed to their careers and not once had she wanted a relationship be it serious or not. Now, everything she had worked against was working right back against her at full speed. So she did exactly what she thought was logical. She stopped thinking and started listening to what she really wanted.

He was well aware of her answer before she had uttered the words. Pulling her to him gently, his lips found hers again, but this time her own welcomed his with a much warmer greeting, bringing the "fire in the cockpit" description to a whole new meaning. Tomorrow, she'd regret it. Tonight, she wouldn't think about tomorrow.

Lianna Ragone posted June 22, 1998 12:42 PM

"You're what??!?"

Lia's eyes dropped to his desk, not about to look up at Saunders. He had been completely calm the whole time she had been talking, but she knew he was about to explode with each word that fell from her lips. The truth was, she was surprised he took it so well.

"Lia, look...I know that Jack's death is upsetting for you, but that's not a reason to leave."

"I'm not leaving because of Jack."

"Then what the hell are you leaving for??"

"I've already given my reasons, John. I can't stay any longer."

"Okay..okay..let's discuss this.."

"There's nothing to discuss, John," she cut him off. "I've made my mind up and I'm resigning from my position as an SIA."

He stood up and walked around his desk to her. She continued standing, her eyes locked upon it. She was obviously in a bad position and hated every minute of it, especially in the presence of Saunders.

"Lia, you're the best SIA that we've got! If you leave, we've lost both of our best SIAs."

Her eyes shot to his. "It's always about you, isn't it John? You can't see past your own reputation enough to realize what's going on. I'm leaving. That's all there is to it. Either you accept it or you don't. Either way, I'm leaving."

Saunders fell back on his heels, her comment obviously stinging him. He did his best not to reply to it, studying her silently. There was nothing that could have prepared him for such a scene. He thought she loved her job..truth was, he was right.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"No, there's not." Finally, she leveled her gaze to his. "I've loved working for you. I've loved being on this base. Jack's death was hard on me, but I could still continue. There's a lot of pressure, but I can still handle it. I'm leaving because I feel it's time to move on."

He leaned against his desk, sighing heavily. "I can't make you stay. You have a right to resign whether I agree with it or not." He couldn't believe he let her off that easily. "How long are you going to give us?"

Dropping her gaze again, she didn't want to answer that. "I'm wanting to leave as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible?? How soon is that?"

"I'd appreciate two weeks."

"Two weeks?? Good God, Lia! Did you not hear a word in our last meeting? We've got another case. A huge case at that. They've already asked for you to be assigned to it."

"I don't want to accept."

"Come on, Lia. Let's think about this. If you complete this case, your payment would be huge. With the money you've already accumulated added to that, you could buy anything. Hell, you could take over the entire SIA if you wanted."

"I don't want the money."

It was an uphill battle and Saunders was obviously not going to win. Never had Lia been one to quit like that. He could only assume that Jack's death had hit her harder than he thought. He was right...Jack's death did hit her hard. Jack was about the only reason she had stayed with the SIA to begin with. Now, she was moving on.

"Where are you going from here?"

"I've been given the opportunity to join a private ship crew. I'm going to accept the offer."

"What the hell?? A private ship?? What could possibly be better about a private ship?"

Her gaze turned to a glare. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss this, John. It seems as though you're not taking my thoughts into consideration. If you don't mind, I'd like to be given permission to leave the room."

"Fine. Go. I'll talk to the board later this week."

She nodded once, turned and started to leave.

"Lia?"

Turning back to face him, her gaze was rather vacant. "Yes?"

"It's not my reputation that I care about here."

Standing motionless for a moment, she nodded, turned again and left the room.

Lianna Ragone posted June 24, 1998 12:19 AM

There was a familiar dread that had nestled itself into Lia's mind as her hand went to the doorknob of her parents' home. She hadn't seen them in two years, but two years didn't seem long enough considering her last exit. There was still a tension that sat between them like an electric field ready to zap anything that came near it. And zap them, it did.

Lia had lost communication with them while she was just a kid. They were busy with their careers and she was left with the "house sitter." The house sitter became more of a mother then her own mom did. It was a terrible thing to say, but she didn't love her parents. She didn't have the chance. When she was sixteen, she moved out and supported herself (by rather degrading methods) as she finished her last year in high school. By the age of twenty, she had taken more courses than most of the graduating class in a university. She took classes all day and night or worked, getting barely enough sleep to keep her head up. But somehow, she was able to get a job within the SIA as a training recruit. Luckily, they paid her way to finish her classes while working for them. She proved to be a strong asset to the SIA very quickly. In a matter of months, she went on her first assignment.

Her parents were less than thrilled. Without fail, every time they met, she was antagonized about her path in life. It was never fulfilling enough for them, it was to dangerous, it wasn't promising. The way Lia saw it, she simply wasn't a big business woman rolling in money and power and therefore, was considered a failure. But Lia was happy nonetheless. For her, going home was like marching closer to a criminal's termination date.

Letting the door swing open, she stepped into the house to find it once again remodeled. It was updated with the latest technology available (and a few things that shouldn't have been available), while on the outside, it fooled one into thinking it was a late style of the old 21st century architecture. It didn't surprise her to be greeted with the familiar smell of new appliances. Never had her home been filled with the scent of a family. Each house had its own scent that is created by the family who occupies it. Of course, the family doesn't recognize it, but to those who are unfamiliar to it, it smells much differently. But, Lia's house never took on a smell of habitancy. It always smelled like new appliances fresh off the assembly line. She had grown to hate it.

Without turning to meet his only daughter's gaze, her father kept his back to her, facing the sink as he drank out of a glass. He knew she was there, he just didn't happen to be glad to see her.

"Lia."

"Dad."

A cold exchange to most, a great acknowledgment of each other's presence to them. She left the room. Her mother was once again not home. She hadn't even stayed to meet her. A business trip, she gathered. With that, she fell to the couch, exhausted from the long ride to the place called the New England Colony in the slowly reforming planet of Earth. The New England Colony rested upon what used to be just England. It had been destroyed in the last war and rebuilt a hundred years later. This tiny speck of civilization was where Lia grew up, but no one could be blind enough to call it her home.

Lianna Ragone posted June 25, 1998 11:32 AM

There was a noticeable hesitation in her movement as she ascended the huge steps of the massive building. It was one of the few ancient structures that hadn't been destroyed during all the wars and it still held that same greatness that she remembered. Slowly pulling the thick wooden door open, she was greeted with the sound of a faint singing. Nothing had changed. The ceiling still reached upward into a high arch and the windows were still large and stained with beautiful murals. Most of all, it still held that peaceful solemness.

Lia slipped into a pew half way up the aisle which was still carpeted in the deep crimson that it had always been. Ahead of her, a children's choir was rehearsing. Candles illuminated the alter, some which were being lit by church goers as she watched. It was exactly like she had found it when she first walked in seven years ago. Today, however, she wasn't seeking shelter from the harsh winter.

A young girl about fifteen or sixteen was centered on the pulpit, waiting nervously. The choir continued, building up stronger and stronger and as they held out the last note, on cue, the girl opened her mouth and sang with all her strength. A slight shiver ran down Lia's spine as she almost thought she was looking at herself from years past.

Lia had been helped by the church for years while she was making it through high school and college. On days when her parents were arguing with her, she'd always run to the cathedral to listen to the choir. The day she moved out of the house, she asked the church to take her in. Whether it was out of pity or duty, she did not know, but they allowed her to stay with the very few they housed. Though she didn't have to, she helped them out by cleaning around the building--picking up trash, replacing the hymnals, making sure all the choir robes were hung properly and the sort. Once, when she was replacing some of the candles, they heard her singing and begged her to join the choir. She did and became their lead soloist for quite some time.

Lia didn't know a lot about religion. She knew all the stories and beliefs, but she didn't really know where she stood among it all. Her parents had never attended any kind of church and never spoke of it. She had never come to the church "searching for God" as many would call it, she simply came for shelter. Even when she joined the choir, she did it only because she enjoyed singing. She felt bad about it, but it wasn't really in her control, at least, that's how she saw it.

She would be leaving her parents' house tomorrow. The silence that had erupted from the walls within that house was unbearable. Her father hardly spoke to her and her mother never even called to see if she was all right. She didn't know why she expected anything to be different, but there was always that hope that one day, she'd open the door and they would accept her. Perhaps, she'd never return home after she boarded the Vextis.

Quietly, a figure sat next to her in the pew. "Lianna Ragone. We didn't know if we'd ever see you again."

Turning to look at the man, she smiled softly. "Father Damen. How are you?"

"Good, good. Yourself?"

"Okay, I suppose."

A sigh escaped him, a grim look settling itself upon his face. "You came to see them again, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I'm headed in a different direction and just thought I'd see them in case I never returned."

He shook his head. "And by the look on your face, you seem as though they did not welcome you once again."

"No. They didn't. But, I didn't expect as much."

He didn't reply. He knew Lia's parents by word of mouth and on one occasion had

encountered them when they found out that Lia was staying with the church. They weren't exactly what you'd call model parents.

"So where are you headed, child?"

She smiled a bit. Even at age 24 he still called her a child. "I'm going to board a private ship here in a few days. I've resigned from the SIA."

"Ah. That's nice. Cisliona was no place for you to be anyway. So tell me how your job with their government went."

She hesitated. How do you tell a religious figure that you were successful because you killed all of your suspects? "Well, it went really well. My partner and I were able to succeed in a lot of missions."

Noting the hesitation, he just nodded and didn't press further into it.

"Have you come to visit your true family as well?"

"My true family?"

He waved his hand casually, indicating the church. "Yes. Your true family."

"Oh, ahm..yes, now that I think about it, I would like to see them again."

He smiled a bit. "I see. Well, how about I update you on all that you've missed while we go find them."

They stood and began walking through the church and hallways while he told her about all the updates on her old friends and those that had cared for her. Just like the first day when she walked in, they walked up and down the hallways just talking. Only this time, she was more confident and less nervous..and a lot taller than he was. Things had changed so much since then. But one thing remained the same. Father Damen not once showed any type of discrimination toward her or her chosen path. He had always been her guide into doing as she wanted and not conforming to what the world wanted. It was his strength that helped her survive those years of sadness. It was his strength now that would send her toward her chosen path to board the Vextis.

Lianna Ragone posted June 25, 1998 04:04 PM

"Well Jack..this is it. I'm..I'm leaving Cisliona. Things have..they've changed since you..well, since you've been gone. I always told you that I wouldn't survive long on the base and well...I didn't. You were the only thing keeping me here, you know? I loved the job, don't get me wrong, but you know how things were. I mean, behind the scenes of my position....it wasn't easy being a woman and trying to act as if it didn't matter because it did. It did to all of them..Saunders, the supervising staff, even the men who didn't want me on base. But with you...with you it was easier. You showed me that I was more than what people saw me as...Damn it Jack..even today when you're not even here, you're the only person who can make me cry."

Lia brushed a tear away before it could roll down her cheek. It wasn't easy trying to convince herself that she wasn't upset when she really was.

"I found me a job aboard a private ship and I'm taking it. I've only met two of the people on board so far, though. I went not too long ago to see them about it and they seem really nice. Of course, it's probably not your thing...I think it's mine, though, you know?"

She paused, gathering her thoughts.

"I never really had a chance to say goodbye. And even now...even now it's not really a goodbye. But if you can hear me, where ever you are, don't think that I don't hate you for leaving me. You were the closest thing to family I had, Jack....Maybe I don't hate you, but I miss you. I always will. And...and even though you're gone, you'll always be with me. Always."

Taking a deep breath, she laid two roses upon Jack's grave. It was her trademark goodbye. One rose that was bathed in the colors of a pale sunrise and the other in the colors of the dark sunset. Side by side, they marked the beginning and the end. She kissed her fingers and then touched the gravestone and in a soft whisper requested, "Wish me luck, Jack." And with that, a clap of thunder echoed through the sky as if answering her.

Standing straight again, she smiled softly and slowly backed away before turning around and walking away.

Lianna Ragone posted July 15, 1998 12:24 PM

A fourteen hour ride was enough to do Lia in for the day. From Cisliona, the Vextis could be located at that distance if riding with Jeff Louider. He was a good guy, but his flying was about the worst of his skills. Maybe not so much his flying as his sense of direction, but it would lead you to believe it. She originally planned on taking a shuttle from the base, but unfortunately an attack from the Thesidians had put things on hold. The only available pilot was Louider and he insisted on taking all precautions which included a four hour detour.

But she didn't complain. It gave her time to finish her files and catch up on a few hours of sleep. She tried to keep her mind off of Mike, who had been sent with a fleet before he could say goodbye. She almost convinced herself that it was for the better. Lia hated goodbyes..especially when they involved men she liked. To be honest, she wasn't quite sure she wasn't happy about leaving him.

It wasn't until they had docked that she woke. Taking a minute to remember where she was, she yawned and put her laptop away. She had been aboard the Vextis once before, but even so, she couldn't help but be nervous..after all, this would be her new home.

Taking to the short steps, she threw a bag over her shoulder and when on the ground, took the rest of her belongings from Jeff. "Thanks for the ride, Jeff. It was a great help." He smiled. "No problem at all..I just wish it hadn't been under those particular circumstances." She nodded and he disappeared to tend to the tiny ship.

Her dark eyes swept over the docking bay in search of something..anything familiar. Taking a deep breath, she silently hoped that she had made the right decision.

Lianna Ragone posted September 02, 1998 08:21 PM

She was nervous. Lingering steps and hesitated actions proved that, but she was subconciously anxious at the exact same time. The hallway seemed never-ending--a corridor of identical doors, marking the entrance and exit of similar rooms that she would soon grow accustom to. Had her steps been any slower, she might have missed the turning of the next two days.

Lia wasn't one to procrastinate, but the mere fact that she felt out of place helped her find some comfort in it. It was very seldom that she was delt the struggling hand...in fact, she always had the advantage over most situations, but it was the same butterflies in her stomach that one would get on the first day of combat training that made her sure it was otherwise.

She shifted the weight of her bags, finding that they were becoming more and more of a burden, as slow steps led her to the only door she had remembered correctly. Her orders were to find Kat and get "acquainted" with her new home. It seemed easy enough, but as she stood outside the door looking at it with her rare indecisive glance, it seemed to also be the hardest thing to do. And it was ironic that she should be the one knocking at Opportunity's door. It seemed like hours that she stood there, but she drew in a final deep breath and raised a hand to the door, letting it fall against it solidly, and finally, waited in hope that someone (and the opportunity) might answer once more. 