Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 (Mg(13), no-sex, rom, sci-fi)
   It is very cold on Planet Yuri.  The cold is the end result of a two
thousand year long nightmare from which the Yurians were only awakening
from.  Two millenium before, a giant comet had slammed into the planet.  In
seconds, billions of tons of moisture had been flash boiled, then
catapaulted into the atmosphere where it then rained down, first as rain,
then snow.  Yurians living within two thousand miles of the point of impact
were instantly killed by the shockwave.  Other Yurians living anywhere near
one of the five massive lakes, or eight rivers, were killed within the
first twenty four hours after the impact by rising flood waters.  Within a
year, most of the remaining Yurians were dead-killed by a never ending
winter.  Only those lucky few, living with the highly educated and near
geothermal areas were spared the wrath of the comet.  Two thousand years
after the comet strike, the weather warmed, the population began to
flourish, and the planet was visited by extraterrestial visitors.
   The first visitors were from the Vilian star system.  The Vilian system
has a small red star.  The cold blooded inhabitants of the system always
seek sources of warmth.  A favorite source of warmth is a mineral called
Bluestone.  In the presence of a red sun, Bluestone heats up and gives
warmth.  Yuri is a mineral rich planet, among the minerals-Bluestone. 
Finding the Bluestone with their scanners, the Vilians landed and traded
with the Yurians-giving them new foods and thousands of imaging units in
exchange for the Bluestone.  The Vilians never returned, and it would be
years before other extraterrestial visitors came.
   The next visitors were from the new Earth/Centauri Alliance.  The end of
a recent war had allowed the Alliance to explore deeper into space.  The
first Alliance visit was a brief one by an Exploration vessel.  The
Exploration crew did a quick assessment of the planet, which was sent back
to Alliance Headquarters.  Alliance diplomats were the next to visit Yuri.
The diplomats offered education, medical, and agricultural assistance,
along with new vocations from the education.  Before signing on to the
Alliance, the Yurians had a request.
   The imaging units had a memory, from which the Yurians had watched over
and over.  Among the images preserved on the memory was a musical
performance by a musical group with a very beautiful and young lead singer.
The performance had become much beloved by the Yurians.  The Yurians
requested a performance by the group as a gesture of sincerity by The
Alliance.  When Alliance diplomats ran a check on the group, the results
floored them.  The check showed that the group was actually four long dead
musicians, and two heroic pilots from the recent war.  The diplomats sent a
request to Alliance Headquarters, which then caused new orders which were
sent to the Exploration vessel Intrepid.  The Intrepid was redirected to
begin a four week journey to Yuri, while two crew members began a new daily
ten hour regimen to prepare a musical performance not seen in two
centuries, "a concert for the ages" the crew members joked.
   Aboard the Intrepid, Lia Thermopoulis and Joe Fuller worked on a song
list.  Sitting in the ship's lounge, Lia and Joe struggled trying to find
the right song to open the concert with.  They had seen the images from
Yuri, which contained two songs from a performance they had recorded in a
simulation (sim) chamber.  Over the next three weeks, the opening song
would change twenty times before a final song lineup was decided on and
rehearsed.  Then, while the lineup was rehearsed, so did planning with
technicians on the ship on logistics for the show.  Because Lia and Joe
were the only two real musicians in the show, a sim chamber would have to
be built in the guise of a stage.
   The Yurians had selected Lonely Point as the concert site.  Lonely Point
is a massive oval auditorium carved from live rock.  Lonely Point has a
massive stage, two hundred feet in length, thirty feet deep, and seventy
feet in heigth.  Lonely Point has perfect acoustics.  Close to one hundred
thousand Yurians would be able to attend the show.
   The Intrepid arrived on the day before the show.  Joe and Lia went with
the tech crew to look over Lonely Point before the techs began constructing
the stage.  Like other Alliance visitors, Joe and Lia were deeply impressed
with the size of the auditorium.  Logistics were decided on and fifty crew
members arrived to begin builing the stage and backstage areas.  Since the
Yurian power supply was incompatible with the power needed to supply the
simulation projectors, two power units were brought to the surface.  The
techs also built a temporary building that would serve as dressing rooms
for the duo.
   In the hours before the show, Lia and Joe nervously went over the song
list while they paced in the dressing rooms.  Outside in the auditorium,
Yurians by the thousands filed in and excitedly anticipated what would be a
new experience for them.  The techs had finished the stage and placed a
giant blue curtain in front.  As the minutes ticked down before the show, a
muted roar came from the Yurians in Lonely Point.
   Lia and Joe changed into their performance clothes a half hour before
the show.  Two female crew members doted on Lia, making sure her hair and
makeup was perfect while a pair of techs went over minor details of the
show with the duo.  Five minutes before the show, Lia and Joe were left
alone in the dressing rooms.  They faced each other and took slow deep
breaths while they clasped hands.  Two minutes before the show, someone
banged on the dressing rooms door to remind the duo that it was "two
minutes to show time." Lia and Joe hugged, then exited the dressing rooms
and followed a tech to the stage entrance.  Fifteen seconds before show
time, the lights dimmed in Lonely Point, and the stage filled with bright
light.  The curtain opened as a scream came up from the audience.  Five
guitarists, a pianist, a keyboard player, a drummer, and a young lead
singer took the stage.
   Joe hit the snare drum four times followed by the guitarists jumping in,
who gave a sixteen measure intro before Lia began to sing Triumph's "When
The Lights Go Down":
   Spotlights, Houselights ready to cue, Backstage smoke is rising,
Steaming like a witch's brew.  I wanna play some Rock n Roll I wanna sing
the blues Yes I know I feel it comin Let the party roll.
   When the lights go down We're ready to sing the blues When the lights go
down, It's time to light, time to light, time to light the fuse.
   Oh no, they're screaming like the Fourth of July.  Hollywood comes to
your hometown.  Hammers cocked and ready to fire.  I've got itchy fingers
for the trigger tonight And I'm tired of waitin so tired Let the party
roll.
   When the lights go down We're ready to sing the blues When the lights go
down, It's time to light, time to light, time to light the fuse.
   Staying with the Triumph theme, the band continued with Allied Forces
and Hot Time in the City Tonight before the music paused for a moment.  Lia
took time to introduce the band to the audience.
   "Hello Yuri" she gleefully shouted out.  Her shout out was met with a
cheer.  "I'd like to introduce you to our band", she continued.
   "On lead guitar, he's hard to get along with-Neil Young.  The greatest
and most under rated harmony guitarist of all time-Scott St.  Clair Sheets.
A real legend-Ritchie Blackmore.  The most awesome chick who ever picked up
a guitar-Joan Jett.  He's weird, but he plays awesome guitar-Rick Nielsen.
The most under rated bass player of all time-Roger Capps.  On grand piano,
he is truly a legend-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  On keyboards, an awesome
singer and a visionary-Dennis De Young.  Lastly, on drums, my best friend
and co-pilot, Joe Fuller.  Let's rock guys."
   The band then launched into Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You".
   For two hours the music went on, playing the hits of Pat Benatar,
Journey and Styx before closing with Neil Young's "Keep On Rockin in the
Free World".  The band then ran offstage.  The Yurians, new to this type of
experience were confused as the stage lights stayed on and Lonely Point
remained dark.  A moment later, the band returned to the stage as a cheer
went up from the audience.  Joe started a pounding beat on the drums.  A
moment later the guitars joined in as the band played Cheap Trick's "Ain't
It A Shame?", which was followed by "I Want You to Want Me" and
"Surrender".
   The band then went to center stage and bowed to the audience.  They ran
offstage while the stage lights remained on.  The Yurians, now knowing that
there would be another encore continued to cheer.  A moment later, Lia and
twenty women in choir robes walked onstage.  Joe, Wolfgang, and Dennis also
took the stage.  Lia waited for the cheering to diminish, then addressed
the audience:
   "Those of us up here are a long way from home.  When you journey far
from home and you are alone in the cockpit, staring out at the stars, you
need something to anchor you to home.  Nothing comforts you more than your
faith.  I'd like to share that faith with you." She then began to sing"My
Jesus, my Savior, Lord, there is none like You; All of my days I want to
praise the wonders of Your mighty love.  My comfort, my shelter, tower of
refuge and strength; Let ev'ry breath, all that I am, never cease to
worship You."
   The women then joined her in song.
   "Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing Power and Majesty, praise
to the King; Mountains bow down and the seas will roar At the sound of Your
name.  I sing for joy at the work of your hands, Forever I'll love You,
forever I'll stand Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
   Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing Power and Majesty, praise
to the King; Mountains bow down and the seas will roar At the sound of Your
name.  I sing for joy at the work of your hands, Forever I'll love You,
forever I'll stand Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.  Nothing
compares to the promise I have in You"
   On a solo, Lia finished with
   "Nothing compares to the promise I have..........in You.  "
   After the cheer began to diminish, Joe started an African/Carribean beat
on the drums.  Lia began to sing"I will return, to your sanctuary.  I will
return, to my first love.  I will return to your sanctuary to the touch of
your hand to the brush of your wind again."
   The women joined her, repeating the first verse before the music and
voices went upbeat.
   "I will return, I will return, I will return to your sanctuary.  I will
return, I will return, I will return to your sanctuary."
   The group repeated the first two verses, then added
   "To worship you In spirit and truth I lift up my hand in total
surrender."
   Lifting their hands and waving them, the singers got the audience into
the act.  The singers then repeated the second and third verses and then
added
   "I will return, to your sanctuary.  I will return, to my first love.  I
will return to your sanctuary."
   The music diminished to Joe's beat on the drums, which was accented by
rythmic clapping of the singers and audience.  Then Joe suddenly ended the
beat.
   Lia waved at the audience and shouted:"Thank you, God bless you, and
good night."
   The lights in Lonely Point came up.  The band ran offstage.  The
audience filed out in the afterglow of a mood altering performance.  The
concert would go down in the annals of Yuri's history as one of the
planet's most significant events.  Music became a subject of study as rock
n roll, long thought dead, found new life on Yuri, all thanks to the hobby
of two pilots.
   After leaving the stage, Joe and Lia were cheered by crew members on the
way to their dressing rooms.  Air tempature at the start of the concert was
forty nine degrees fahrenheit, but two hours performing under hot lights
and next to sim projectors had left the duo covered in sweat.  Joe and Lia
looked forward to a cool drink and a shower.  With the door to the dressing
rooms closed and locked, and alone for the first time in hours, they showed
the pent up emotion they had suppressed around crew members.
   "That was AWESOME, you were AWESOME!!!" Joe yelled.
   "YOU WERE AWESOME!!" Lia yelled back.
   They hugged and shared an excited kiss, then pulled back with a "what
did we just do?" look.  For a long moment they just looked at each other,
then Joe said:"Showers."
   "Yes, showers" Lia agreed.
   The duo headed for their individual rooms where they took showers, then
re-emerged in robes.  They picked up bottles of juice and water, which they
voraciously swallowed while looking carefully at each other.  Their silence
was disturbed by a knock at the door.  Lia went to the door, opening it to
let in a trio of men.
   The Yuri are a small blue skinned people, and one of the men obviously
was one of the Yuri.  The two taller men were from The Alliance.  Lia and
Joe had video conferenced with one of the men and knew him as the Alliance
sector representative.  The representative, John Williamson, introduced the
other tall man as Ar Carghetti from the Centauri council, and the short
blue man as Du Bohl, elected leader of the Yuri.
   Du's face was alit with excitement and emotion as he approached Lia and
Joe, hugging both, thanking them profusely, then asking where the rest of
the band was.  Joe and Lia quickly explained how the sim projectors made it
appear that there was nine people onstage, when actually there was only
two. Du looked confused for a moment, then his face regained the glee it
had just a moment before.  Williamson made eye contact with Lia, then
said:"I think you missed your calling young lady."
   "No sir, I didn't", she pleasantly disagreed as she lifted her dress
uniform from a rack.  "Deep space piloting is where my interest is. 
Singing is just my hobby."
   Williamson saw the unmistakeable red star cluster award on her uniform
and recalled from their personnel files that Joe and Lia were only two of
eleven recepients of the award, remembering that in the Battle of Vatan
Narrows, the two pilots had become seperated from their main group and had
taken on a trio of Sentori base ships, destroying all three in a display of
great piloting, shooting, and luck.  He immediately retreated off the
platitudes and joined both Du and Ar in thanking the duo for their show,
then retreating out of the dressing rooms so that the pilots could get
dressed.  Although a reception followed the show, Joe and Lia didn't speak,
except professionally, as they didn't know how to address the kiss, and how
it felt, and what it meant to each other.
   **********************************************************************
   For two weeks, Joe and Lia avoided each other while off duty and kept
things strictly business while on duty.  Teasing from the crew about the
"rock stars" on deck didn't help much and created some suppressed hard
feelings.  Joe and Lia used their sim time to send rare video messages
home, along with footage from their show, but most importantly, they did
not do it together.  Most unexpectedly, it was an off duty moment event
that brought the duo back together.
   While approaching the Mos system, crew members picked up a strange set
of signals.  The Mos system is a large one, with fourteen planets, and
fifty five moons.  According to intelligence accumulated from merchants and
explorers, the system has only three habitable planets with two moons also
thought to be habitable.  None of the planets or moons are thought to have
humanoids in a state of development beyond primitive tool development, so
the signals were both unexpected and mystifying.
   Captain Rader ordered Lia and Joe to the bridge where the situation was
explained to them.  As the best pilots, the job fell to them, but as war
veterans their inner alarms went off.
   "I think we should take a blade into the system", Joe commented.
   "I agree" Lia concurred.
   Lia and Joe looked into each other's eyes and shared an awkward moment.
Captain Rader, a careful man, disagreed, ordering the duo to take one of
the shuttles instead, as he didn't want to chance a new regional war.
   The shuttles are wedge shaped craft, with only one tenth of a speed as a
blade, and no weapons.  In the elevator, on the way back to their quarters,
Joe looked at Lia and asked:"Survival suits?"
   "Definitely" she agreed, "and weapons."
   "I'm getting the same feeling I got on the Venan moon."
   "Me too", Lia said, then asked, "fifteen minutes?" as the elevator
opened on the crew quarters deck.
   Twenty minutes later, both pilots were in the hangar bay, giving the
shuttle a pre flight inspection and subtly sneaking extra weapons onboard.
After distracting the hangar crew several times and getting their weapons
onboard, they pronounced the shuttle "Ready" and boarded.  Joe was in his
seat first.  As Lia got to the cockpit, she gave Joe's shoulder a gentle
squeeze.  Joe turned and shared a knowing look as Joe knew he had just been
flirted with.
   Both pilots then went through radio transmissions with the bridge crew
and operations center.  The hangar doors opened.  As they locked open, Joe
disengaged the shuttle from the hangar floor.  Applying a gentle squeeze on
the throttle, he nursed the shuttle out of the hangar bay and into the
blackness of space.
   "New coordinates" Lia said as she fed the coordinates from her computer
to Joe's head up display.  Joe turned the shuttle in an angle away from the
Intrepid and goosed the throttle.  With the shuttle on course Lia broke
things open with a loaded question:"Want to talk about it?"
   "About what?" Joe countered.
   "The kiss.  Why did you kiss me?"
   Joe swallowed, and thought a moment as he composed his answer.  "Lia",
he began, "I've been halfway across the galaxy with you, faced life and
death with you.  I trust no one more than you.  You know I care about you.
I'm pretty sure, no, I know I care about you more than anyone else.  I've
just wanted to, you know, kiss you for a long time, but I was afraid you
might lose trust in me.  I hope you don't lose your trust in me."
   Lia answered him by placing her left hand over his right and giving it a
gentle squeeze.  Joe turned and locked eyes with her.  Lia gave him her
million megawatt smile.  Joe leaned in as if to kiss her.  Lia pushed him
away.
   "No", she protested "fly, there's time for that later."
   "Promise?" he asked.
   "I promise."
   The shuttle's course took it across the system away from the Intrepid.
While the Intrepid was carefully checking out the three planets, the
shuttle had been assigned the two moons with probable life.  As the shuttle
approached the first planet with a possible moon he took an arcing course
that would take the shuttle over the moon's north pole.
   "Getting signals" Lia said, "don't know from what, but something is out
there."
   Lia looked intensly into her scanning computer while Joe watched the
horizon.  A glint on the horizon caught his attention, then recognizing the
danger he put the shuttle in a steep bank as he dove for the surface.
   "HEY, what the....?" she called out.
   "Sentori" Joe answered.
   "Are you sure?"
   "Damn sure."
   Just then a bolt of energy shook the shuttle.  Lia looked into her
scanner.  "They're gaining on us."
   "I'm doing the best I can.  Hang on."
   Joe did a one eighty, heading directly for the Sentori ship just as he
had at Vatan Narrows.
   "Joe, I don't think_____"
   "We have to try."
   Joe aimed the shuttle directly at the belly of the Sentori ship. 
Because the shuttle lacked the Blade's speed and maneuverability, the
gambit failed as a massive energy bolt fried the right side of the shuttle.
   "SHIT!!" Joe screamed as he fought the controls to put the shuttle in a
nose dive.
   The gambit did force the Sentori ship to stop and turn 270 degrees, then
also for the surface.  The Sentori crew watched the shuttle plunge in a
death dive for the moon's surface, then decided the shuttle and it's crew
were finished as it pulled away.
   Onboard the shuttle, Joe and Lia fought to release themselves from their
chairs, then disengaged their survival packs from the backs of their
chairs. Locking the packs to their chests, they exchanged a look they knew
that they couldn't reach the weapons they had stashed in the rear of the
craft.  Joe popped the floor hatch just behind the cockpit.  The suction
pulled the hatch away from the craft, and nearly took Joe with it.  Lying
on the floor near the hatch with swirling wind in the shuttle and suction
at the hatch, the pilots knew they faced a low probability escape.  Joe and
Lia exchanged one final look, then Joe shoved Lia out the hatch.  Joe
followed her seconds later.
   Through his helmet visor, Joe saw that Lia was in a perfect, head down,
arms to her side dive.  Joe was in an identical dive, but he was behind her
and to her left.  Both pilots were in clouds, tens of thousands of feet
above the moon's surface.  Had it not been for the survival suits, the
velocity of the fall would've boiled the pilot's blood, and ripped their
bodies asunder.
   Ten thousand feet above the surface, the pilots cleared the clouds. 
With seconds to react, they pushed a button on their right wrist which
deployed a parachute, which changed their body angle and slowed their
descent.  Still in a terminal descent, they pushed a button on their left
wrist which deployed rockets mounted next to their ankles.  Both pilots
slowed to a manageable descent and made a gentle impact on the moon's
surface.
   Lia and Joe landed in a wooded area, an eigth of a mile apart.  It had
been a pulse pounding drop to the moon's surface.  Both pilots lay in the
grass breathing hard as their heartbeat slowed from three times resting
rate to a normal count.  Lia almost popped her helmet visor open to breath
in non stored air, then thought better of it and took an air meter from her
sleeve to analyze the air around her.  The meter read fifty percent oxygen,
forty percent nitrogen, three percent carbon dioxide, and a mix of other
gases.  With the air practically identical to that on Centauri five, Lia
decided to open her visor and try the air.
   Her worrying was for nothing.  The air tasted sweet and life was
suddenly very precious to her.  Lia stood and called out to Joe.  He didn't
answer the first call, causing more adrenaline to shoot into her
bloodstream.  She called again.  This time he answered.  Lia started to run
in his direction, then remembered her parachute.  She quickly disentangled
herself from the chute and ran in Joe's direction.
   A moment later she saw him jogging in her direction.  She ran into his
arms, hugging him, then planting a heartfelt kiss on his lips.  She hugged
him some more and gave him another kiss, this one quicker than the first.
Holding him, she confessed:
   "I thought we were done for.  I thought you were gone.  I couldn't live
with that thought.  I'm so glad you're alive."
   The couple held each other for a long moment, then knelt to go through
their survival packs.  After making sure everything was in place, and not
broken, they took store of their location.  Joe had taken his personal
locator beacon out of his pack.  The beacon was going to be their only way
of contacting the Intrepid.  It needed to be placed in high location to be
most effective.  The couple took out their binoculars and scanned the area.
The area, besides being wooded, was also hilly and not populated.  The
couple decided on a hill and set off in that direction.
   An hour later they were on top of a grassy hill.  Joe placed his beacon
and activated it.  The couple then started to scan the area again.  Several
minutes later, Lia spotted a trail.  There was discussion about whether
they should wait for the Intrepid, or go off to find sources of water and
food.  The trail might reveal that, or it might be trouble.  The trail
might reveal something like they found on the Venan planetoid.  The couple
set off towards the trail, then turned right when they got there.
   The couple walked for over an hour when they spotted a small plume of
smoke.  Being cautious, they took out the small sidearm on their belt and
made a cautious approach toward the plume.  Going off the path, and
struggling through brush, the couple took their time as they made sure that
there was no ambush waiting for them.  They weren't sure what they would
find, but the source of the smoke was nothing less than amazing.
   Finding a stone age tribe can be an eye opening experience for any non
anthropologist.  The tribe that befell the couple's eyes were humanoid, and
nothing short of gigantic.  The tribe's adults were around nine feet tall
and muscular in stature.  They lived in circular mud huts and shared a
communal fire which they used for cooking and drying washed clothing.
   The sun was fading in the sky when Lia and Joe decided to just stroll in
amongst the tribe members-who appeared benign.  They kept their weapons in
easy reach as they resumed the path and walked in.  Lia smiled and said
"Hello" often as she greeted the tribe members.  The couple had left their
universal translators on, but it was to avail as the tribe used a hand sign
language.  The couple finally understood the gestures, which was to sit at
the fire and enjoy a primitive stew, which had bits of meat and local
vegtables.  Water, flavored with fruity leaves-which gave the water a
citrus type tang, was also served.
   After the meal, the couple was welcomed to one of the huts.  A bed of
straw, covered by a massive fur hide, provided a mattress, while another
fur hide became a blanket.  Alone in the hut, the couple took advantage of
the privacy to take off the bulky survival suits and put on blue jumpsuits.
Feeling secure, and exhausted from their day, the couple slid between the
hides and snuggled togerther.  With his body pressed against hers, Joe
gently caressed Lia's face, and ran her hair through his fingers.  Joe
leaned in and kissed her.  Lia returned the kiss, holding his face in her
hands.  She felt Joe's hand slide up her side, and she gently pushed him
from her as she protested:"Wait, stop."
   "What?" Joe asked.  "I know where this is going, and I think we should
stop now, before we both regret it." "Regret?" "Joe, I'm glad our
relationship has gone to the next level, but let's take some time, before
we, you know."
   Joe pulled back from her.
   "Joe, don't be mad, or hurt, please."
   He took her hand in his.  He smiled as he kissed her hand.  Lia returned
the smile, then closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.
   ***********************************************************
   As morning came, the couple woke up in an embrace.  He woke when he felt
her stir.  She turned and faced him.
   "Good morning" she said.  "Morning" he replied with a smile.
   Lia gave him a quick peck on the lips.
   "Ugh, morning breath" he playfully said.
   Lia shot him a look.  "I'm going to pee" she announced, "don't follow
me."
   Shortly afterwards, the couple was given a breakfast of fruit and bread.
Lia took to the children and found herself pressed into service as a
babysitter.  The men in the tribe left, ostensibly to hunt, while Joe
stayed behind in case there was trouble.  A group of women left to gather
food, while others tended to tending to the village and helping Lia with
the babysitting.
   In mid morning, events took an unexpected turn.  The sound of hoofbeats
caused panic in the village.  Women and children ran in various directions.
Joe and Lia, not sure what to do, stood their ground in anticipation and
confusion.  In seconds, three small men on horse like steeds appeared in
the village.  They were green skinned with bulbous heads.  Holding white
rods in their right hands, they advanced on children and women caught in
the open.  When one rider caught a young boy trapped, he jabbed him with
the rod.  The child screamed in agony and crumpled to the ground.  An
infuriated Lia ran towards the rider, and launched herself towards him. 
She knocked him from his ride and began to punch him relentlessly.  Another
rider advanced on Lia, but he found himself dismounted and pummeled by Joe.
   Satisfied she had left her rider incapable of resisting, Lia turned her
attention to the remaining rider.  The rider, frozen in terror, fled when
Lia growled at him and flinched menacingly.  After seeing the remaining
rider disappear, Joe and Lia turned their attention to the riders they had
attacked, both appeared lifeless.  After a moment of discussion, it was
decided to bury the lifeless riders.  Lia and Joe carried the riders a
short distance from the village, and buried them.
   When they returned to the village, they found themselves embraced as the
villagers seemed to thank them for their defiance by surrounding the
couple, smiling, and patting their shoulders.  The boy who had been stung
by the rider came close to Lia.  Seeing him holding his arm, Lie examined
the wound and saw two small burn marks and a large red puffy area.  Lia
took him by his good arm and led him to the hut she shared with Joe. 
Taking out her first aid kit, she dug out alcohol, salve, and a dressing.
She cleaned his wound, applied the salve, then put on the dressing.  The
aid made the boy feel a lot better and he quickly communicated that to the
tribe.  This raised the level of the celebration, as did the returning
groups of women and hunters.  Joe got Lia alone for a second, "You know
they'll be back" he warned.
   "I know" she said.  "And in bigger numbers, with weapons." "We have an
hour, maybe two."
   At their first chance, the couple put their utility belts on.  They
tried to stay near the edge of the village in case the riders returned.  As
evening came, they set up revolving watches.  In the early morning hours,
they used the steeds from the dead riders to set out in the direction the
riders came from.  A short distance from the village they found a great
ambush spot, then they began the wait.
   It was well into morning that a caravan of riders did appear.  They were
moving slowly, unlike a war party.  In case it was a ploy, Joe took a shot
in front of the riders.  The energy bolt stopped the caravan in it's track.
The leader, obviously a very smart person, dismounted and held up his
hands. Proceeding alone, he walked ahead on the trail.  Lia decided to meet
him, with Joe assuring she would know if there was trouble.
   Out of sight of the other riders, Lia called to him and led him off the
trail.  Leading him to a place with a pair of rocks, she had him sit so
that his hands were on view.  The universal translator, a pen size device,
ended up doing most of the work, but the leader started the dialogue by
explaining that the riders had only come to recover the bodies of the slain
riders.  He also explained further that the raid had been part of a
longtime tradition among his people wherein older teens would make contact
with the "Forest People" (the villagers), as a rite of passage.  Lia told
him that the villagers were now under their protection and that the
tradition was ended.  Lastly, Lia learned that the "shock sticks" the
riders had used were from the Sentori, who frequently traded with the small
people for a green colored stone that was mined near the city where the
small people lived.
   Lia then allowed the leader to bring his steed and led him to where the
bodies were buried.  After the bodies were recovered, and the leader
returned to the caravan, the riders left from whence they came.  Lia and
Joe stayed near the ambush point for several hours just in case they
returned.
   Evening was falling when the couple returned to the village.  Joe and
Lia were looking forward to a meal and a night's rest when they got back,
but what they saw when they got back definitely screwed up their plans.  To
their joy, they found some of their crew members, but they also found that
their crew members had rounded up the villagers and were holding them at
gunpoint.  The couple quickly made their crew members put away their
weapons, then they tried to apologize to the villagers.
   Commander Nehru was in charge of the crew at the village.  He explained
that after they got to the village, they found the survival suits and
packs, and feared the worst.  An exasperated Lia told Nehru what had
happened, starting from the Sentori ship, to the parachute drop, to the
village and the raid.  Crew members hearing the tale, were nothing short of
amazed.
   Shortly afterwards, it was time to leave.  Lia and Joe tried saying
goodbye to the villagers.  The couple didn't know the customs.  Lia hugged
the women and children, clasping hands with the men.  Joe shook the hands
of any villager he neared.  Finally, waving their hands, the Alliance crew
members left the village.
   A half hour later, Lia and Joe were back on board the Intrepid. 
Immediately, they had to feed their reports on what had happened into the
ship's computers.  After the reports were filed, Joe and Lia had dinner,
then they both headed for Joe's cabin.  Lia sat on the edge of his bed and
took off her shoes.
   "Unmarried crew members aren't supposed to sleep together" Joe remarked.
"I'm tired, besides, all we're going to do is sleep" she said as she laid
down.  Joe spooned against her.  "We're going to have to tell the Captain
we're a couple." "In the morning", Lia moaned as she clasped Joe's hand
against her stomach.
   The next two days on the ship were busy for the couple.  Besides telling
the Captain they were a couple, and being admonished not to let their
relationship affect their duties, the couple had to contact their families
because they had been reported missing after not checking in after twelve
hours.  With each message home, and reply, Joe grew more upset.  Although
Lia had kept him in check with makeout sessions in his cabin, Joe had been
digging into the ship's log.  When he had amassed the information, he
prepared to break it to Lia.
   It was on the fourth evening back aboard the Intrepid.  Lia had come to
Joe's cabin again.  Giving him a warm wet kiss as she entered the cabin,
she tried to push him towards the bed, but he pushed gently back and
said:"We need to talk."
   With a look of concern, she asked:"Is something wrong?" "Sit" he told
her, motioning to a chair.  "What's wrong?" she asked again.  "Although the
time spent on that moon with you will always be precious to me, we were
there fifty six hours." "And?" Lia asked.  "Let's start at the beginning.
Remember, we both had reservations about the mission?" Lia nodded.  He
continued, "And the Captain sent us out in a slow unarmed shuttle.  A
Sentori ship nearly killed us, and we survived, somehow." "And?" "The
Intrepid was four hours away." Lia's eyes lit up with a thought.  "I
checked" he said, "the Intrepid detected the Sentori ship three hours after
we left.  The Captain then ordered the Intrepid out of the system for
nearly thirty hours, then they took a slow roundabout course to the moon."
"What are you saying?" "The Captain doesn't know what he's doing.  If we
stay under his command, we'll end up dead, or one of us will, then the
other will have to live without the other.  I never want to live another
minute without you."
   Lia moved next to Joe and hugged him, holding him tightly.  After a very
long moment, she loosened her grip and asked, "What do you want to do?"
   "Go to Commander Nehru and request a transfer.  If it's denied, resign
our commisions.  I know you love deep space, and with deep space opening
up, there's shuttle positions opening up all the time.  We're decorated
pilots.  We could be instructors anywhere."
   Lia pulled from him and placed her hands on her knees.  "You're right"
she said, "it's just that fleet is all I've ever known.  You're talking
about a drastic change."
   Lia took her shoes off and started to lay on his bed.  "Lay next to me
and hold me" she asked.
   Joe spooned against her.  "Lia, I___"
   "Shhhh" she hissed.
   The couple laid silently together for a long time.  Finally, she broke
the silence with:"There's a place on Centauri Prime called Ki.  It's like
your Hawaii.  Girls speak of it when they talk about their future
marriages. Joe, will you take me to Ki?"
   "Are you asking what I think you're asking?"
   Lia turned to face him.  "We're talking about the future, a future
together", she started, "Joe, I want to spend the future together with you,
always."
   Just so I'm clear, and please let me ask", he pleaded, "and I'm not
prepared for this moment the way I wanted to be, Lia, will you marry me?"
   "Yes, of course I will" she said with her very warm and wonderful smile.
   ********************************************************************
   Thermopoulis-Fuller Wedding
   On Saturday June 6, 2237, Lia Thermopoulis and Steven Fuller were wed in
Saint Micheal's Cathedral in Brighness, the Capital city of Centauri Prime.
The service, at the request of the bride's family, was a high church
service presided over by Bishop Mantell.  The three hundred member Saint
Micheal's choir opened the service with "Surely the Presence".  Bishop
Mantell welcomed service attendees, then the bride strolled up the aisle to
"So Beautiful", an old church hymn.  She wore a Vera Wang original white
wedding dress, heavily layered in taffeta and her hand was offered by her
father.
   Bishop Mantell then gave the Pastoral Prayer, and led the congregation
in the Niocene Creed.  The choir gave the Doxology, then led the
congregation in the Mallote version of The Lord's Prayer.  Bishop Mantell
gave a quick sermon before the choir sang the bride's favorite song-"Shout
to the Lord".  There was an exchange of vows, then with the couple
announced man and wife, the service was ended with the choir singing
"Alleluia".  Onetime members of VF-18, from Battleport Yorktown, provided
honor guard duties outside as the couple left the cathedral under a canopy
of crossed swords.
   A reception was held at Heroes Hall.  Entertainment was provided by
simulations of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Billy Idol, Cheap Trick, and
Abba.
   The couple serves in Spacefleet and is stationed at Spaceport Two near
Centauri Prime.  They are assigned to Training Wing One as Pilot
Instructors.  Both are heavily decorated veterans of the recent Gemman War
with both awarded the Red Star Cluster, the Alliance's highest military
award.  Both will continue with Spacefleet.
   The couple will honeymoon at Ki on Centauri Prime.
  
***************************************************************************
*
   Monday, June 22, 2237
   With heavy heart, Spacefleet today announced the destruction of the
Explorer ship Intrepid.  As of this writing, it is not known what brought
about the ship's demise, but Spacefleet reportedly heard a mayday request
from the ship before it was destroyed.  Responding ships found only debris.
The ship's data recorder was recovered from the debris.  The recorder
revealed that the ship was running was at high speed and being fired upon.
The identity of the assailant ship is not known, but stray Sentori ships
are still a reality in the galaxy.  At this time the number of assailant
ships is not known, but Explorer ships are built to not only take
punishment, but also to outmaneuver and outfight at least two Sentori base
ships simoultaneously.
   The Intrepid crew, like many crews today are manned by a mix of Alliance
planet members.  One hundred and forty souls were on the ship.  An
investigation is ongoing.  
  
Lia's Great Space Adventure-Part Two-Peace