OVER THE SILVER SKY TO THE WORLD OF NEVER : Part 245 - I Think You Might Have Had Too Much Coffee.

It's not very often that I have good news to report. Good news hardly ever makes the headlines. The social media public prefer lies, anger and mock outrage. So they can virtue signal like mad and pretend they care, without having to do anything else except rattle off a Tweet. In case you missed the good news, let me fill you in. Some of those hard working climate sciencetists have come to the conclusion that unless something extremely radical is done about carbon emissions we are all doomed. They've been saying that for years now, along with a lot of other stuff that didn't turn out to be true. This time though, we only have 18 months to save the planet. Now, unlike every other forecast they've made, this one might be correct. Meaning you should start making preparations and pack your bags. We are fucked. Nothing major is going to be done inside 18 months. 18 years would be optimistic. It's the end of the world as we know it. Thank fuck for that we all cry. It's over at last. Mankind is heading for its long overdue extinction. I don't know about you, but I'm already planning my extinction party. However I will warn you that if they turn out to be wrong yet again, I will be taking matters into my own hands. I'm not postponing my extinction party for anyone.

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What could have been an extremely difficult situation, wasn't. She'd unburdened those emotions. Leaving him sitting there with a befuddled expression on his face. That had been a real kiss, as she'd said. Not bad for a first attempt in his humble opinion. There was no romantic interest between them. Jake decided it was no more than what would have passed between father and daughter in a tender moment. Say the day the daughter got married. He touched his lips experimentally, as she returned to her position. All he felt was touched. Her first kiss was also his first kiss. No one had sent him off like that before. The strongest desire he had was to survive. His fatalistic acceptance of death had vanished. He fully expected to die here. This was only a reason to live on. Something he couldn't recall having before. One tiny matter was bothering him. Another of those ghost questions that flitted into mind, then disappeared a second later

"When we first met you told me you were 14. Now you're 16. How does that work?"
Looking all cool and efficient, she flashed through half a dozen menu's on 4 different virtual displays.
"It's one of the complications of traveling between dimensions. Combined with no seasons and people not really caring about age or birthdays. I was born somewhere in the Never over 14 years ago. I was found when I was around 2 years old. Since when I've visited over a dozen other realities spending various periods in places where time flows differently. Faster and slower. I've experienced about 17 years subjectively. You shouldn't let my 16th birthday party confuse you. It's got nothing to do with my age. It's more to do with me never actually having a party in my name before."
Looking at her now she did seem older than when they'd first met. Changing from child to woman, he thought. His new respect for her skills would also be having an effect.
"Didn't we have a party to celebrate you becoming boatswains mate?"
"Yeah, but that was more about the promotion and custom than me. An excuse to get drunk. I'm over it anyway. My party won't be happening any time soon."
No she wasn't. The party was important to her. Far more than she'd admit to herself.
"I'm almost 3 times as old as you are." Was all he could think of to say.
"Yet you look to be in your mid to late twenties and have memories of thousands of former lives. If you look at it like that, Daisy is a youngster compared to you. I'm guessing on the numbers there. I've not had much experience with aging... I think Ugo is about to contact you. Get ready he's not going to have a lot of time. I'm sending him the latest information packet now. He'll have it before he speaks to you."
That was all it took for Jake to be there. Ugo sedately hurrying along a corridor. His assistants hanging back. The patriarch pulled his pager from his pocket as he pushed the button to open a door.
"I ain't got a lot of time Wanderer. I'm supposed to be having a crap. If this takes too long they'll be in here checking on me." Ugo scanned the details Pip had sent him. "Damn. I knew Debara's parents before he was born. Watched him grow up. He was a good man, once. This rings all too true I'm afraid. He's become a recluse. Now I know why. This explains a lot."
Ugo was obviously perturbed and upset by the news.
"What are your plans?" Jake asked.
Ugo gave a humorless snort.
"They were the ones you told me long ago when we first met. Trouble is they only lasted up till you came back. They ain't worth shit now reality has hit us. There's not enough time to come up with anything fancy. If you don't mind I'm going to let some of my most trusted people take a look at this. See if they have anything. All I can do is play it by ear from this point on." Someone was tapping on the door. "I called you to let you know. We'll be arriving tomorrow around midnight. You won't have any trouble spotting us I can assure you. Figured it was the best time. An earlier departure and it would look planned. Any later and it would look suspect and secretive. The best I can hope for is that I arrive there before they work out where I'm going and get to you first. Gotta go. Any more intel would be appreciated."
The link was disconnected. Ugo washing his hands as he called to his assistant.

His new best friend was looking at him. Nervous and expectant. He smiled at her. All his nerves gone now. In less than 36 hours it would be on. Deadlines were always handy to have. The certain was always better than the uncertain, in situations like this. He and Pip could go over tonight. Explain what was happening. Get the others to the safety of the ship. Stay there until Ugo arrived. It could work. Even Scarlet might see the logic in it. If she didn't, it was game over. Her word would carry more weight with everyone else. She'd be antagonistic towards him as always. Suspect his motives, probably because hers were suspect. The liar was always the first person to say someone else was lying. A huge risk for a tiny chance of success. Suppose they did hide out in Chiro. Would it work? With 3 other clans heading this way there was a possibility there'd be more trouble. While Fafindi had a hierarchy it was largely historic and completely informal in nature. Anyone could question Ugo's motives and object to his actions. They could all claim the right to meet with the Matriarch first. That would invite other clans to take sides on the issue. Jake didn't know how many sides there were. It could lead to a full on civil war.

"My turn to get inside your head." Pip stated, with a look that brooked no refusal.
"Fire away then. Can't promise I'll answer."
The young blonde switched a few screens around.
"Why did you just accept it?"
That floored him.
"I think I know what you mean, but suppose I'm wrong?"
An impatient huff met his question.
"That you were gong to die. You worked it out, then went along with it. And I knew that was what you always did. They throw it down and you pick it up. Carrying them, like a loyal servant."
A serious question. One he must have asked himself before. No answer stuck out.
"Back on my earth there were a whole lot of massacres. Entire towns and villages led out into a field and murdered. A few armed men and hundreds of people walking to their deaths. Knowing they're going to die. Yet very few ever tried to escape. If they all made a run for it, some would survive. If they don't they all die. The math is obvious. Some of them cant believe its happening of course. They're shocked into immobility. Their survival instincts switch off. It's still a curious phenomenon. I don't know if that answers your question or not."
"It might do. I think you accept it because that's what you've always done. You're in a rut. A self destructive spiral. The reason I ask is that something has changed. You're actually resisting. There's a bit of you that wants to survive. A piece of the Wanderer that refuses to surrender to the inevitable. What changed?"
Jake looked at her disbelievingly. Surely she knew.
"It's you Pip. That's what's changed. I'm nobody and nothing. The expendable tool. That sometimes gets the job done. Once it's done, that's it. I'm invisible again. Unless and until they need me again. I thought we'd gone over this already?"
"We did. I was checking. And hoping I was the cause of the change. I'm going to see to it that you live Jake. If there's an edge I can give you, it will be given. It could take you decades to find me again. Last time it was me that found you remember. I don't trust your sense of direction." Now she looked very angry. Not at him though. "I want you to remember this Halliday. That woman you are so intent on saving, doesn't give a fuck about you right now. If you do something stupid on account of her, I will kill you the next time I see you. She's got a neural net. We can download that bitch into a new body any time. While you might not want to class her as an enemy, she's not a friend and definitely not an ally. So don't."
She spun back to her virtual keyboards. A look of grim determination on her pretty face. His realization needed confirming.
"You're planning on killing her aren't you?"
"Only if the bitch ends up killing you. Then I'll take great pleasure in killing her as often as I get the chance. The first time I'm going to shoot her in the face. Just so I can see the look on it as the bullet enters her skull. If your stupid loyalty and honor insist on you protecting her, I'm going to have to act for your own good."
"I think you might have had too much coffee. Killing her once would be more than enough. I bear some responsibility here. It's not like she's holding a gun to my head."
Was that disdain on her face or disbelief. He been on the receiving end of a lot of both.
"She has done in the past. Can you remember how many times she's shot you?"
"Okay. That was the wrong aphorism." He stalled at that. "She has manipulated me since I met her. That's to be expected."
"Men are so stupid. Daisy started it then the witch took over. You've been trained into submission. She gives a little bit of praise and lots of criticism. Then a little bit of pussy and a lot of anger. Do as she says and you'll get your little bits. You've been appeasing her since you first met her. Trying to keep her sweet. Only she keeps changing the rules on you."
"I thought that was all part of the pirate code. You know, that nonexistent rule book you all pretend to adhere to."
Pip interlaced her fingers and gave them a good stretch.
"Oh the code exists. It only applies between the Brethren and those we trade with. She likes to bend the laws into interesting shapes. Well there's a chance those rules will bite her on the ass, before too long."
Why Pip's words and sentiments worried him, he didn't know. Now was not the time to find out. Despite his inner change and wish to survive, the odds were heavily stacked against him. He'd always had something to live for in the past. Hadn't he? Strangely he wasn't entirely sure of that now. Back on that distant planet this version of him had been born on, he'd accepted his fatal prognosis without a murmur. As if it was natural to do so. Maybe for him it was.