Kin

Gark had not a lot of memories of her family. Sometimes, after too much of Ali's rhums at Firefly's bar she had faint reminescence of people, who seemed to correspond to what people call "kin". The name Luc, a girl called Jeanne d'Arc... fleeting images floating in the pale mist of Firefly's bar.

Sometimes, also, she would dream of people laughing, the sound of an accordeon, crops in the fields, green valleys, and then people fleeing, herself shivering in the dark, hidden in the little hut she had built on the hill. Suddenly she had woken up on A-Corp sim, at the foot of a BDSM Castle, wondering if she had died and was now what the Earth-that-was-once called Hell.

The only clue of about her kin was of her people's name: Kasparians. The little bracelet she had worn ever since she woke up on A-Corp, with the word Kas scratched on it had been the key to solving at least that part of the puzzle. Once while visiting a saloon on Occilan moon, she had been told by the bartender there that it was from the Kasparian people without him being able to give more data apart that he had met someone who had mentionned the Kasparians. But she still wondered about the validity of that piece of information.

Eventually, she would find out about her kin. The truth is out there. Somewhere.

Again

Gone...


When I got the news, I rushed to Caliban. Krenshar, Miya, Thoth, Cody, LilyBell and Gallagher stood on a ridge looking at the spectacle. Caliban was burning.

I hear it's the Purple Bellies who decided that Caliban was too subversive to continue its operation.

Again. My second home in the 'verse was in smoke.

Emotions are much too intense to even sound coherent...Sorry, folks.

Even for me, who is a pacifist by heart, the taste of revenge burned my throat...No smoke of the fires of Caliban could taste like this.

Sprax

For some scientific reason that I couldn't explain, the air on Caliban was getting cooler and cooler. Happy to have found a coat to keep warm, I could be found generally in the morning never to far away from my fireplace. Maybe I could suggest to Krenshar a barrel or an open pit where I could warm my hands in the courtyard, making the place quieter, with me not shouting out to the people outside in order to get their attention? Steal Jane's barrel at Firefly's, maybe? But then Milo would eat me alive. Not good. Or Jane.

I was broke, so I rarely went shopping these days. I was therefore quite content to hang around the Dome, chatting with the residents, particulary Miya and Thoth, Vega and naturally Krenshar. I saw Jai once in a while. She's nice and now has flowing blond hair which is very pretty. But I digress.

One particular slow Saturday night, alone in the Dome, entered a visitor. At first, I wasn't even curious. He was walking around exploring the grounds, like most visitors do. But then as he passed me on, as I was siting at the picnic table in the yard, he called on to me: "So Miss, have you gotten over the termination of Blackburne yet, or are you still moping like a spoiled brat?" Now, talk about good manners from your friendly neighboroud stranger? Merde.

Gut reaction, I swore in French, because swearing in French is probably how I was brought up if only I could remember a bit more of where I came from... I digress again.

"The name is Captain Jonathan Sprax, of the Duvernay division of the Alliance. "

He didn't wear the usual gray micey coloured outfit. He did look particularly clean and shiny. "Under cover cap'tain? Your brown coat seems kinda new though." I said. "Yours isn't, and I see you have the same boots you had the last time we met... Rough times, Miss? or playing the Caliban Hobo? " By then, my blood was boiling. Before I could utter another word, he put his shiny boot on the seat approaching me with a half smile, his eyes showing no emotion at all. "Sorry about Blackburne, Miss, it seemed there wasn't much choice...you know, terrorists, secessionists...no good people, some say thieves and raiders, bootleggers..." "Sir, they were Reavers...they were Reavers...", I stuttered.

He straightenend , scratched his clean shaven face, "Just one advice, Miss Koba, tell your friends that we haven't forgotten them, and even if you are sprawled out on all these moons, we haven't forgotten about you guys."

And on that note, he turned away and TP'd out.

Sprax, Jonathan Sprax.

Aurevoir

Gark sat on the stairs of Firefly's bar and looked straight ahead on what she called "Main Street". The buildings on Hale's Moon stood there, silently peering at her. She could almost see past Fook's, if she squinted her eyes well enough.

The silence was quite unusual. Even that early in the morning, Mr. Krenshar would sometimes come running to salute her. Even Jayne who stood usually on her spot near the porch was nowhere to be seen. But then Mr. Krenshar had left too it seemed. He too had moved on.

Garkuyan had never considered herself very nostalgic, since the past is something that she, like so many others, has no control and which she cannot change. Genetic factors, cultural environment, human needs,the natural curses occurring that lead to choices, good or bad. The passing of time and it's consequences on everything, on the body first of all, and on the soul too becomes clearer as the birthdays come and go. There is not much to do about it.

But that morning, the notion of time gone by resonated in her head, hammering, hammering, hammering. Days gone by. Ghosts and memories.

Time had come to go. Garkuyan was leaving Firefly's bar.

For some reasons, probably based on her being unaware of her family roots, she dealt very badly with the loss of people leaving her immediate circle. And as much as she was aware that people leaving is a natural process and new people entering one's life is also the nature of things, and is such a very good thing, she missed a lot of people who had decided to go their way, or came once in a while to the bar and not for long.

A few names popped in her head. Sabrina, Belize, Archer, Maikar, Micah, Ben, Lyric, to name some that came to mind. Cholgosh and Amy. She didn't see much of Seana now. Anya had left suddenly. Hollow. Andrew. And some other people she had forgotten the names, but never the smiles.

Maybe, even if on a rational perspective she understood the situation, after all these months she still missed Downporte a lot, the community she had there, the family she had, close-knitted and so very familiar. Maybe she still couldn't cope very well with it's destruction. The void had gotten bigger and bigger.

There wasn't many choices. Silence was the the only way.

"You'll could come back...maybe. No, I'm leaving. You'll be back. You'll miss your friends. They will miss you. They will forget you. Just take a break: you rarely do. You're restless and edgy these days. " The words, crashing constantly in her mind, were bringing on a slight case of a headache and nausea.

Gark stood up and entered the bar. She stood there a while, silent and lost in her world, shivering. She still wondered why her picture never appeared on Mr. Barnes's TV. She shrugged. She wondered if she somehow had missed something.

Her self-pity was a clear indication that a pause was needed. Now.

She turned around, waved to the Firefly spirits and smiled meekly.

"Aurevoir, mes amis."

Gark left the building.

Sunset

Life is slow.

I thought I was strong and find out I am not.

Blackburne is gone and now has been transformed into a nice, hilly, green island with mountains and nice houses with pools and plastic ducks. I see no one there. The place is an uninviting 'burb.

I miss my Blackburne terribly, and it's been many weeks now since "The Last Raid" occured. And still I am stuck, images frozen into my mind, images of my home lost now forever.

I know I am not alone in this hard place. Immy, Lorie, AlisonLynn all miss our moon. Mr Barnes too and Lauralai must talk about it sometimes in their alcove. Others probably too that I am not aware of. LilyBell.

The bar has reopened near Hale's and as far as I know it seems to be going well. Nice people from Hale drop by and it has been quite cheerful.

But still the scar has not healed.

I must wait and live the sunset.

Pause

To all readers, followers or in hiding,

A chapter is closed. I will not be writing in the near future. We will have to wait to see if another one will start.

It was fun and I hope you enjoyed it.

Take care. Life is good, and if not as you wish, it's the only one we have so let's live it up the best we can.

*hugs and kisses*

Garkuyan Koba and typist

Closure

Well, life at Blackburn Downporte is over. Definitively.

A few days ago, I packed up the few remaining things I had in my little Earth Room loft, replacing them in my inventory with a sigh the entire 'Verse population probably heard. Yes I shed a tear and more than one, to be honest. This place had been my home for a long time now, and it had echoed my laughter and my sorrows,and also the sound of my dancing shoes on the bar's floor. In the early mornings or in the middle of the night, I had whispered all my dreams, wishes and secrets to Black Horse as I brushed him in the dry air of Blackburne. I had teased Milo more than once, and ran with him around the shops and dwellings, playing with him until he growled and hid in Sabrina's garage, tired and cranky. But this was over now. As the rumors of an immanent massive raid persisted, I looked in my mirror and was quite honest with myself: I couldn't face it. I had to go.

Last night, as the Reavers attacked the dry sandy moon which what was or had been the home for so many of us, I went to my little loft for a last time, sneaking behind the burning buildings, watching out for snipers and feeling pretty silly in my apricot colored long dress and high heels, while my friends were battling the Reavers and dying or being wounded.

I stood outside a while on the balcony, the sound of gunfire and screaming freezing my blood and paralyzing me near the ramp, at the point where Meyers shouted and asked if I was alright. I muttered "yes" with no conviction at all. I thanked him for having been such a good and patient neighbor. He waved, turned around and returned to the battle zone. I entered the loft. All was in order. As I checked one last time for forgotten stuff I could have left behind, I found under the living room's rug a little piece of paper.

On it, a simple sentence: " Woman, I love you.".

I smiled.

As the fire caught on the porch where me and my family had shared stories, emotions laughs and tears, and the fighting intensified and that I knew the end was near, I realized that as much as I was leaving forever a place that I had called home, I wasn't quitting the most important of all, the friends I cherish with a passion, the loving men and women who care and listen to me with patience and understanding.

Downporte Firefly was going down. Life, Love and Friendship was still there alive and thriving.

"All is well, all is well".

I closed the door behind me, glancing one last time at Downporte that I knew so well. Clutching my little note, I waved, smiled and before TP'ing out to safety, I whispered: "See you soon, pretty people".