Here are the next two parts.  These should clear up a lot of questions.
If you still have problems with plot continuity/lack of depth of
description of the characters/more questions/etc., let me know!  Thanks,

----------

				*******
			     Blue Lightning
				*******
				Volume I

			(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...


* Aliens


	"It's not just a translator."  Jeremy, sitting on a workbench,
turned around to face us.
	"Come again?"  Steve asked.

	"It does a bit more than just translate."  John held up the broken
translator.  "When I x-rayed the guy's head, welll...those wires are going
to some very interesting places.  Not only does it send stuff to the
conscious mind, to the lingual centres of the brain, it also sends it to a
very specific area of the subconscious."  He dropped it back on the table,
puzzled.  "It also ties into the optic nerve, but I'll be damned if I know
why.  It's meant to act almost like a hypnotic suggestion, except the
person knows what's going on."
	Ouch.  "That's a rather nasty piece of work, then.  So you just
don't connect up those wires, right?"
	"Not quite that simple.  The thing's delicately balanced to give
out just the right current, and not fry his brain."
	"I can shunt it to a resistor, but it'll have to be outside the
casing.  If I put it inside, the heat might damage the circuitry", Jeremy
added.  "Just don't get hit in the head, and you'll be okay."
	"Otherwise, you'll have a major headache to deal with."

	Jeremy smiled at that, and turned to face me.  "So you wanted me to
make another one, right?  I'll see what I can do."  He picked up the
translator again.  "But it'll probably take a few days."
	I nodded.  "No problem.  Now we head back."

	Steve gave me an I've-had-enough look.  I returned the favor.

	"First, we need to get more samples of their language.  *And* I
want to find out what they're doing here."  I gestured at the ladder.
"Seeing as how I won't be able to find that out from *him*, we need to go
back."
	I smiled crookedly.  "Besides, he might be getting a bit lonely by
now.  A bit hungry, too.  Let's go."


	A lone scoutcraft descended towards the planet.


	The humanoid stepped carefully down the ramp.  Something changed,
and he stood a bit taller, almost glowing with joy.
	A few, long strides to the edge of the cliff, and he jumped.
Falling, a perfect swan dive, he disappeared far into the depths of the
sea.

	"Pretty strong.  For a female."
	"When'd you get that idea?"  I frowned at him, then stared,
wondering, at the sea below.
	"I wasn't sure for a while, but it makes sense.  Don't tell me you
haven't noticed the way she acts."

	I avoided his eyes, almost blushing.  He smiled.  "Embarrassed?"
	"A little, yes."

	He gave me a friendly slap.  "Och, dinna worry lad.  We oll make
mistekes sometuymes."
	I rubbed my back.  "Hey!"

	The sky brightened a little, and one by one the stars winked out.
I yawned, waving a hand in front of my mouth.  "They'll probably be out
during the day.  We'll have to come back tonight."

	I clear away a small, circular area by the cliff.  "Here.  We'll
make a sundial, and mark it for sunset.  She'll figure it out."


	The continent loomed ahead on the screen, dark and forbidding.
They most likely didn't go there, to keep isolated.  But from what, I
wonder?

**********

	The walls and floor were steel gray, and the light was stark and
painfully bright.  Three creatures shuffled nervously through a low
doorway.  Four feet high, blackish gray, thin, fur, six legs (arms?).  The
mouths were rimmed with long, chitinous fingers, and filled with rows of
tiny, sharp teeth.
	A grinding noise echoed through the room, as the creature with
black fur and a brown underbelly rubbed his fingers against his teeth and
each other, in a complex, gyrating rhythm.  "Missing was one of workers
this morning, sir."
	The gray one answered.  "Will search you?  Needed are all workers
now.  Progressing well until now is project.  Find it you must."
	The third, dark gray with a brown underbelly, turned away,
emitting a breathy hiss.  "Sure are you that injured it is?  Escaped is
possible for it?"
	"Remove could not controller-device it.  Injured it must be.
Search will I."  The black one skitted to one side as the other two left,
stiffly marching down the long corridor.
	The grinding noise subsided a bit.  "Hope to find it soon I do.
Would not be good if died it."  His head hung low, slowly shaking from side
to side.

**********

	I must tell the elders.  My people...and my friends, are in great
danger.

	Weya swam past the coral reef, deceptively calm.  Fierce currents
threatened to dash her against the rocks, leaving her prey to the thousands
of kelpworms within.
	She glided above the ridge, finding a safer current.
	If only they will listen.  I have been an outsider to them for too
long, preferring both land and sea, the solitude of the far and distant.
And yet...now, when I need their help most, will they aid me?

	Ahead, a great, rocky protrusion came into view.  Many openings in
the rock were visible.

	Home.

	She swam toward one of the smaller openings, which shortly opened
out into a huge grotto.  A dazzling array of crystalline formations covered
the walls, floor, and ceiling.  Ordered chaos, a garden of unparalleled
beauty.  And yet the haughty stench of calm immutability hung dead in the
water.

	The guards, she thought.  Two of the younger, male seadwellers swam
towards her.

	"Why are you here, Weya?"
	"The elders are not pleased with your presence."
	Or even my existence, I am sure.  Sad, indeed.

	"I must speak to at least one elder.  I would prefer that the
circle meet."
	One snickered.  "That will not happen.  Leave now."
	"Wait!"  She paused, gathering her thoughts.  "Our people are being
taken.  Would you not know the reason?"
	"You have found something?"

	Weya looked away, distant.  "Much more than I can say now.  The
circle should meet."
	There was a long silence.

	"You are right, of course.  This time, Weya.  This time..."

	The two swam off, leaving her to wait.  A matter of this importance
should surely provoke a response, but the circle had long despised her.
She could only hope they chose reason over bitterness.

	Before long, she was escorted into a smaller chamber, nearly
identical to the first.  The circle was waiting, long, sagging faces filled
with distaste.  She sighed.  Must truly despair so easily overcome?

	"You would speak to us on this matter?  Then speak."

	She nodded.  "My people, something must be done.  Our brothers and
sisters are being taken while they gather crops from the island.  A group
of strange creatures which came in flying metal are forcing them to build
more of such metal for them."
	The water was disturbed as feet and arms were swished in
displeasure.
	"Listen, please!  Other creatures, who look much like us but are
pale and soft, helped me."
	The water grew cloudier.
	"They removed the thing controlling my mind.  See the mark it
left!"  Weya turned her head, showing the First Speaker the purple splotch
near her ear membrane, a small, white circle of bone showing through at the
center.  The bandage?  Lost, somewhere in the sea.

	"Enough of this.  We will listen no more.  This is another of your
fables from above, Weya."
	She faced the Third Speaker, the sharp jangling of anger plain in
her once melodic voice.  "Can you not see?  Our brothers and sisters are
missing, truly.  Is that a fable?"

	Low-pitched, dissonant whistling echoed harshly throughout the
chamber.
	"If what you say is true..."  She faced the First Speaker again.
	"...we will simply not go to the island any more.  Your creatures
can deal with each other."
	"What??  And the people we have lost?  What of them?"
	"Nothing can be done.  I have spoken.  You may leave."


	I cannot go back, then.  If they will not listen...
	Weya approached the cliff, the beating of the waves upon the rocks
above growing louder.  Emerging from the sea, she walked along a small path
leading up the cliff face, smiling a small, sad smile.  The sun, high in
the sky, shone down upon her, and a cascade of light fell around the
seawater still clinging to her.
	My new friends will help me.  But is that enough?

	An arm grabbed hold of her from above, hauling her onto the top of
the cliff.  The seadweller looked forlornly at her, all the while gripping
her hand tightly.
	Another seadweller, accompanied by the black spider, approached.
Then she noticed the controllers.
	"Safe you are!  Glad am I to see you."  He looked intently at her
head, noticing the wound.  "Have not your controller-device you?  Most
strange this is."

	Weya was slowly led away by the two seadwellers.  The taller spoke.
"I'm...sorry, Weya."

	I am alone.


* Captured!


	"She's not here?  Hmmm...odd."
	Steve and I walked along the cliff, reaching the sundial.  The
stick in the center was leaning slightly to one side, but otherwise it's
intact and untouched.  I reset the stick.
	"That's what I thought.  We're a bit late.  So is she."

	"Wait a sec."  I jogged back to the scoutcraft, and retrieved two
small elliptical pads, on the lower half of which are speaker grilles.
	"Communicators.  Since we'll be staying a while, we should have 'em
along."

	I held one out to Steve.  "Just in case."
	He pocketed it.  "Thanks.  You could've told me sooner."
	"C'mon.  Time to do a little exploring.  Did you bring that digital
recorder?"
	"Why'd you bother?"

	I grin.  "Well, it's the best we've got, considering..."
	Steve handed me the walkman.
	I pressed on the top edge of the communicator.  "Anybody awake up
there?"

	"Hullo."
	"Ben!  You're actually up at this time of night?"
	"I needed *food*."
	"Yeah, well...don't raid the icebox while I'm gone."  I looked out
towards the sea.  "How's Jeremy doing?  Any progress?"
	"Yeah, he-ahh, he had something to tell you.  Ho-uh, hold on a
minute."

	I paced along the cliff edge, then stopped.
	"Damon?  I've come up with an idea you might like."
	"How about the translator?"
	"It's coming.  John says he can set up something that plugs into
your head, to let you *think* what you want to say to our friend over
there."

	"Okay, how's it work?"
	"S'a bit complicated.  Hmmm...  Well, your brainwaves get
translated into that grinding language, and transmitted over a microwave
linkup.  Then, the translator gets it and puts it in terms our friend can
understand.  What do you think?"
	"How long?"

	"A little under a week for what's his name's.  Yours will take
longer."
	I smiled at Steve.  "Good luck, and thanks.  Oh, by the way, it's
'she', not 'he'."
	"Oh really?  See you later."

	I put away the communicator.
	"Sounds like you got yourself a bargain."
	"Who, Jeremy?  He's into that kind of stuff."  I glanced in the
general direction of the copse of trees.
	"S'not what I meant.  Your 'two-for-one' deal."
	"Eh heh.  Hmph.  Funny...let's go."


	We made our way through a rather dense stand of the alien greenery,
finally reaching what looked for all the world (mine, anyway) like a
construction site.  I peered out from behind a tree.  Seadwellers, and a
few spiders, were mulling about, the seadwellers doing most of the heavy
duty work, while the spiders fine tuned things.  A certain acquaintance was
nowhere to be seen.
	"Well, shit in a bucket.  These people have been busy."
	"Oh, quite."  Steve smiled slightly.
	"Don't start."
	"What?"  He grinned a bit more.

	"Good. What do you think they're building?"
	"What're you asking me for?  I'm just a bodyguard."
	"Seriously.  Opinions?"

	Steve looked silently at the site.
	"The only thing I can come up with is some sort of mining machines,
*maybe*."  He pointed to a rather unoccupied spot on the construction site.
"Those drums over there?  I could be wrong, but those look like ore
filters."
	"What makes you say that?"
	"Look, if you dump the ore in through the top, those pistons would
pulverize it, and those electromagnets would grab the ore.  The shit gets
dumped, and you can turn off the magnets and dump the ore wherever you want
it."
	"Brilliant."  Except for the fact that magnets don't attract much.
"Now, how do they move 'em?"
	"You got me."

	I looked around at the site, then pointed at a far corner.
"There, you see those two crawlers?  *That's* how they move 'em."

	Suddenly, everybody stopped working.  A three-creature wide line
formed, heading out of sight.  The spiders made up the sparse third column,
closest to us.
	"Quitting time.  Chow and bunk."
	"My thoughts exactly.  What say we make like a very discreet
shadow?"
	Steve looked at me, grinning mischievously.  "Your da boss, boss."
	"Oh, shuddup.  Twit."

	And we *discreetly* followed the line.  That is, except for Steve's
incessant prattling.  "I am not a twit.  Do not call me a twit.  I'm much
more intelligent."


	The line diverged.  The spiders entered a huge shuttle, and the
seadwellers continued on towards what appeared to be a barracks.
	"Gotta be at least fifty of the locals here.  More, unless I miss
my guess."
	"What could be so important that they have to mine it here?"
	"Wish I knew.  Maybe we'll find out."  I frowned.  "Hope we don't
though.  I wanna get those people out of there long before that."
	"Slow down.  We can wait an hour or so before we try anything."

	I looked back in the direction we came from.  "Right.  Let's head
back to that construction site.  Hope they don't post guards."
	"Why should they?"
	I glanced back at him.  "Good point."

	We returned to the site.  And indeed, no guards were in sight.  :)

	I craned my neck, trying to get a better view of the interior of
one of the crawlers.
	"Will you give me a hand?  I want a look at this in case we need to
use it."
	"Fine.  Watch it..."
	I clambered over the edge.

	"Great!  It figures."
	"What?"
	"The controls are built for spiders.  Naturally..."
	"These holes are deep.  Can't reach the end with my fingers.  With
my luck, they probably have some sort of manipulators in them, too..."
	"Just as long as we don't need to borrow a spider to drive one."
	I smiled down at him.  "I wouldn't bet on it.  All right.  We'll
bring the laser next time and cut the tracks."

	"Don't you think you'd better find out a little more of what's
going on before you do that?"
	"Seems pretty clear-cut to me."
	"Don't judge by what you see.  Find out."

	I sighed.  "Get me outta here, will you?"
	"Sure."


	Inside the barracks, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the gloom.
All around, seadwellers were lying in various positions on the ground.
There was no floor.  A pair of lone eyes gleamed in the darkness,
reflecting the faint light from the doorway.  I looked back at Steve and
gestured.  "Steve..."

	I approached the eyes.  But it wasn't her.
	A soft, fluted tone sounded from around his throat.  "Weya?"
	"Sorry, I don't understand."

	He pointed at Steve.  "Ssele."  He gestured at me, then beside me.
"Weya?"
	"I think he means *her*."
	I shook my head slowly.

	He pointed towards the doorway, at the spiders' ship.  "Weya."
	I took his hand.  "Can you show us where she is?"

	He slowly took it back, and I let go.  He tapped the 'translator'
on the side of his head twice.
	"I'll be back for you then.  All of you."

	A few more eyes shone brightly in the darkness, watching us.
"Let's head back for the ship.  We're gonna need...uh-oh."
	*Very* rapidly, two spiders appeared in the doorway and grabbed
both us, though gently.  Steve was pale, much more than usual, almost
choking for air.

	I felt around in my pocket, and pressed the communicator.
"Whoever's around up there, we've been captured."
	"Say again?"  Jeremy's tinny voice sounded in the still air.  "I
can barely hear you."
	"We've been *captured*.  Hurry up with that stuff.  We're gonna
need it."

Damon Casale, dc56+@andrew.cmu.edu

* Maison Ikkoku * Kyoko Otonashi * Video Girl Ai * Amano Ai *
               * Blue Lightning * Kerin Gray *
Blue Lightning forever...Kerin, are you out there?