Carthrat's journey into space - Round 3! Heaven or Hell!

[Anastasia]

"Anyway, how much do you think you'll get him up to," Tir asks as you step out, relaxing a bit now.

[Carthrat]

"Several magnitudes more than two hundred thousand," replies Carthrat, snorting. "One thing I don't miss is haggling. I loathed it. That's why being a mercenary was so great. Everything was non-negotiable."

[Anastasia]

"A shame you can't set your own terms now," he agrees. "Maybe if you're lucky, we'll get enough to cover a good ship and not just a fancy getaway shuttle."

[Carthrat]

"The ship isn't really an issue," replies Carthrat, checking his watch. "With any luck, by the time we need to use it again, I'll have all the resources I need."

[Anastasia]

"Yeah," Tir agrees. "Did you want to head back to the ship now?" he asks, "since Rachel already went off on her own."

[Carthrat]

"Already? Huh. Yeah, we better go back, I can hook up to the network and get some relative prices of other ships, and of resources and tools. And you can shop for ships. You can't really be a worse merchant than me. Just think up a suitable price and stick to it. If it's a good deal, most people won't bother with the haggling. It's only those pedantic Gerkluns.."

Carthrat groans. "God, I hate them."

[Anastasia]

Chuckling, "And I'm sure they hate you too, Carthrat. I can just imagine you having to argue for hours about a price..."

Still amused, he heads on. "Think Rachel will have any luck?"

[Carthrat]

"Don't know," replies Carthrat. "There are plenty of people out there looking for something to believe in, though. Even if they don't know it."

He turns his face, an oddly whimsical smile playing across his lips as he glances at Tir. "And she has.. some indescribable quality," he continues. "It makes me want to protect her, and help her protect herself. I don't know much about her faith, or Selene, or anything.. just that I owe Her Godliness a debt, even if I can't worship her.

She has some kind of inner strength. It was dormant, but I'm hoping to draw it out. She'll be a better person for it. And the best way to learn things is to do things.."

[Anastasia]

Listening the entire time, Tir speaks a bit slower, less jokingly when you finish. "You think that much of her? I don't know myself - she's not inclined to show much around me, and she looks to be going through a rough time.

Then again," He smiles ever so slightly, "She hasn't tried to kill me and hasn't run off screaming from Soul Eater. That's something of note. Tenkai Star..." He smiles even more, thinking back. The word 'Tenkai' is alien to your ears, an unknown word from Lord only knows what tongue.

[Carthrat]

"I've seen what faith can do," muses Carthrat. "It can create unfeeling hatred. Vicious zealots. Crusaders. Templars. Whatever you call it. But it can create great compassion as well.

But most fervent followers have a disdain for logic and rationality. Diane showed me otherwise.. I'm hoping Rachel is, as well."

[Anastasia]

Tir nods once, still a bit bemused. "Diane - that's the woman you are after? What was she like to inspire such devotion, anyway?"

[Carthrat]

"Diane.. what can I say about Diane?" says Carthrat, glancing towards the holographic sky, musing over it.

"I didn't realise it right away, of course.. but when I fought with and left Shizue.. I was still expecting the same things I always had," he explains. "Just.. something else to show up. I was delirious, partially schizophrenic. I couldn't plan, my health was all set to spiral down the way of the drunkard.

But.. I don't know. Initially, she just presented me with a goal, a task. To find this," he continues, holding up White Glow to the bright, artificial lights of the station.

"And she travelled with me when I was trying.. guiding me, aiding me. She was.. almost like a parent. Maybe an aunt. I know she was older than me.

I'm an orphen. Always lived by my own wits. So it was strange.. to rely on someone else. And I was. If she'd vanished or left before I was close enough to reaching my goal.. I might've just given up then.

Of course, that wasn't what I was thinking about then. It was only afterwards, when I'd travelled back to Asia that I started thinking about myself. Maybe my mind is still playing tricks on me? I know that she's only human, like the rest of us. Psychology tells me that I'm probably inflating the image of her in my mind."

That familiar smile flickers across his lips. "But it's a nice image. I can live with that."

[Anastasia]

Tir walks along, not speaking for a while as you get close to the wide elevator leading back to the space docks.

"One person's kindness....you got damn lucky, Rat," he comments as you step onto the metallic, plain floor of the lift down. "Finding that one person you need when you need them the most is truly a sign of someone looking out for you."

Glancing at the window squares showing the great starry void beyond as you go down, "She's a priestess as well...maybe this Goddess was looking out for you. Can't imagine why," he lets himself slide back again, a slight smile, "but it looks to have worked out rather well."

[Carthrat]

"I don't even know what Selene is the goddess of," jokes Carthrat. "Or even why'd she'd be so interested in a scamp like me.

Hey, remember when you first moved in?" he asks, curiously. "What did you think of me back then?"

[Anastasia]

"You were a bit of a ruthless bastard, but not a terrible guy," he responds, shrugging.  "You ran things more or less straight, though, so it spoke well enough of you."

The lift lands, down to the large hallway leading back to thie ships. Compared to above, it's rather bland and depressing down here.