Rat-a-tap-tap.  Whipped out another one.  Here you go.

----------

				  *******
			       Blue Lightning
				  *******
				 Volume III

			  (c) 1995 By Damon Casale


	The year is 2008.  Overcrowding, a totalitarian government, and 
vicious, constantly infighting intelligence agencies plague the world.  
It's not a nice place to live.

	I had a plan.  There was a way out, away from all of the worst 
humanity has to offer.  It was only a matter of time...


* Nefaroo


	It was time.  Andrea didn't leave any doubt as to that.

	"Ahhh..."  Her face contorted in pain.
	"Easy there."

	She gripped the sides of the medbed, groaning.

	"Got him.  Relax, and take a deep breath."  John held up the baby, 
umbilical cord and all.
	Snip.

	Andrea half-smiled, taking the baby.
	"He's beautiful."  Nick finally sat down.

	Nena chuckled to herself.  "I've just seen my dad, being born."

	John gave him a whack, and he started crying.  "Now that's a 
healthy kid."


	Nena met me in the corridor outside, and we took a scoutcraft back 
to the space station orbiting Nefaroo.

	Dozens of spiders were scurrying about, a scene of organized 
mayhem.

	"This was just built about ten years ago.  We've even got a small 
mining colony on the larger moon."
	"You were right.  A lot *has* happened."
	"This is nothing.  In two years, they'll be ready for an expedition 
to Elai, the next planet over.  Lots of raw material there.  And they'll be 
planetforming it, too."

	She smiled.  "You made all of this possible.  So cheer up."

	"So what happens now?"
	"In three hours, there's a freighter arriving from the moon.  The 
ore is already refined.  They'll process it at this station, and in a 
little under two weeks, the Seeker will be good as new."
	"So what do we do?"

	"Nothing at all.  We're heading down to the planet for that 
vacation you promised."

	I smiled back.  "What about everyone else?"
	"They're free to explore.  Come on, the next shuttle's leaving in 
ten minutes."


	The spaceport was huge.  It dominated nearly a third of the city, 
sprouting arms in all directions.

	The shuttle touched down, and we took a waiting aircar.

	Nena circled low over the city, heading for the sea.  While the 
city itself was sizable, the wilderness around remained virtually 
untouched.
	"Where are we going?"
	"Nowhere in particular."

	She rummaged around in a pack, letting the autonav fly, finally 
pulling out two oxymasks.  She handed me one.  "Here.  I like the ocean 
scenery better."

	The aircar settled onto the beach.  The sun hung low in the sky, 
just beginning to redden.
	"One question.  Is Weya still around?"
	"She is, but we won't be able to see her before we leave.  She's 
part of the team preparing for the expedition to Elai.  Even now, they're 
putting together the flora for seeding the planet."
	"Pity."

	"So are you, as a matter of fact.  It'd be best not to see either 
of them."
	"I understand."

	We sat on the shore, watching the sunset together.

	"You're going back, aren't you?"
	She smiled.  "You know me too well already."
	"I'm coming with you."

	She looked away.

	"If it's important enough for you to go back, I can't let you face 
those risks alone."
	"You don't know what you're getting into."
	"Then tell me."

	She was silent for a while, watching the stars come out.
	Finally, she nodded.  "All right."
	"In the center of Triangulum, surrounding the black hole there, is 
a gigantic space station.  Light years across."
	"It's inhabited by a race of energy beings.  Somehow, they absorb 
almost all the radiation from the debris flowing into the black hole.  
That's why we can only scan x-rays coming from it."
	"They're building some sort of gravity motor.  They intend to pilot 
that black hole out into the galaxy, because they've exhausted the material 
near the core."

	"But that would tear Triangulum to shreds!  It can't stand that 
kind of stress anyplace else!"
	"I know.  So I have to stop them, somehow."

	She's my granddaughter, after all.

	"What did they attack you with?"
	"Miniature black holes.  As soon as they touched the ship, they 
exploded."
	"We were all lucky to get away.  If we hadn't had the hibernation 
chamber..."

	She faced me again.  "Come on.  This is supposed to be a vacation, 
after all."

	We stood, and donned the oxymasks.

	The light from the moons was bright enough for us to see 
underwater.  We swam over a small reef, alive with kelpworms.
	Ahead, a school of fish darted away.  Golden in color, with coal 
black eyes, and no mouths.  Their gills rippled in unison, keeping a 
regular beat.
	On the sea bed, a series of crystalline formations were growing out 
of the rock.  Nena broke off a piece, and tapped it.  It gave forth a clear 
tone.
	She handed the crystal to me, and we continued on.

	We broke the surface, far out to sea.

	"It really is beautiful down there."
	"Glad you like it.  I usually come out here when I want to be 
alone, but I'm making an exception."

	I chuckled.  "Thanks."
	We gazed up at the night sky together.

	"What's it been like, up there?"
	"I've seen a lot.  Many, many alien races, wars, a famine, a star 
going nova and wiping out a civilization..."
	"Through it all, I've wondered.  How do we, as humans, fit in?  
We're off in our own little corner of the universe, oblivious..."

	"It's sad, in a way.  There's so much out there to see, to 
experience..."
	"Maybe, someday.  But the way Earth's going, it doesn't look 
likely.  After the world government formed in 2002, things just went 
downhill.  It was too overbearing, too authoritarian, for my liking."
	"I don't think they'll make it into space.  Not like that."

	"I wish--"
	"It *will* sort itself out in the end.  You can't solve everybody's 
problems for them."  I looked at her.  "If there's one thing I've learned 
so far, it's that."

	"Maybe you're right.  But still, I can't help feeling sad about 
it."

	We looked up at the sky again, watching the myriad of twinkling 
stars slowly drift through the night.  For a long time, we were silent.

	I'm glad I met her.

**********

	"Another day or so, and we'll be ready to launch."  Justin gave a 
grandiose wave, smiling lovingly at the Seeker.
	"It all goes by so fast, doesn't it?"  Jeremy said.

	"Don't worry.  We'll be sticking together for a while yet.  We're 
both heading back to GLC, from what I hear."
	"GLC?"
	"Galactic center."

	"I hope Damon knows what he' s doing."
	Justin laughed, a small, nervous laugh.  "Don't worry.  He's got 
Nena to knock some sense into him."

	"That's what I'm afraid of."


Damon Casale, dc56+@andrew.cmu.edu

* Maison Ikkoku * Kyoko Otonashi * Video Girl Ai * Amano Ai *
               * Blue Lightning * Kerin Gray *
                   Blue Lightning forever!!