SunfallE

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Sandy']Also, most of the characters are still quite shallow, so now's your chance to shape them up just the way you want. ;D Better seize that opportunity before it's too late![/quote]I'd love to. But I'm kind of stuck until someone else posts. :p I think we are kind of stuck due to people being involved in other things due to the Thanksgiving holiday. It's easy for me, but then I didn't have to travel for the holiday. ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=Bláse][size=1][color=slategray]People get bored... they like to start fights to spice it up. Honestly, no one can leave anything alone. I don't believe in God, or any form of a god, but I couldn't care less about these things. Yet, the majority of people living in America believe in God, so, it makes most sense to go by the majority.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]So true on so many levels. And what makes it really ironic is many of those who consider themselves Christians don?t make a habit of attempting to force those of us who do not believe, into a life of where we have to believe. So to turn around and try to claim he?s offended because he?s an atheist. It?s just too funny, because he?s being offended by something he claims he doesn?t even believe in. So why get so upset of this one? How about leading a crusade over all the fantasy and science fiction stuff as well? After all those aren?t real either. At least to someone who doesn?t believe in God that is. ^_~ So I guess it really boils down to him attempting to do what he claims the religious people do, force his views on everyone else. He's doing exactly what he is whining about being done to him. Too funny! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom]Poor Nathan. I was afraid you were going to do something like that. I just wasn?t sure if Jared was going to catch him or if you were going to kill him off, or if you were going to find some other way for them to escape. *Pinches Beth* I guess I?m just a sucker for the more happy go lucky story where everyone survives and the bad guy is taken care of. Though I suppose that must be for a later chapter right? ;)[/QUOTE]Truthfully his death was planned from the very beginning. So no happy go lucky everyone survives story. ^_~ As for what?s in the later chapters, well that would be telling. :p [QUOTE=Aaryanna_Mom]Anyway, that was certainly a very long chapter. I really liked how you went through several of the main characters giving the reader a glance into what each of them was thinking before getting to the main event of this chapter. It definitely gave a sense of impending doom. Especially the part where Jared was feeling rather smug with himself, at that point I had no doubt that things were going to go horribly wrong for Nathan, Jason and Celestia. So keep up the good work. ;)[/QUOTE]That?s good to know as that?s exactly the effect I was aiming for, a sense of impending doom. I don?t think I got it as effectively as I would have liked. But I?m still glad to hear that I at least partially got it. [QUOTE=Aaryanna_Mom] I just know Jared is going to find out. After all if they question Daniel?s mother and use drugs, she knows the truth. So should I now be saying poor Daniel & Anna? Especially since you?ve been painting a picture of a government that has no mercy towards people who know members of the resistance? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=DarkRed]The answer to your question is...[spoiler][B]YES![/B][/spoiler] I won't say any more though as I don't want to spoil it for you. [spoiler][B]Cackles evilly[/B][/spoiler'][/COLOR][/quote]Crystia! [Insert whiny voice here] Stop that! [Pinches her!] :p I definitely don?t want to spoil it for you so how about I distract you with the next chapter Kathy? ^_~ [B] Chapter twenty-three:[/B] Jared entered the sickbay. ?[B]Ah doctor, there you are. How are your patients doing?[/B]? He asked. Crystal turned to face Jared and motioned him over to the observation window. ?[B]See for yourself[/B],? she said. ?[B]I?ve repaired the hairline fracture in Celestia?s skull and the fractures in Jason?s ribs.[/B]? Crystal sighed. ?[B]For future reference Jared, you might want to use a little less force the next time you need to restrain them.[/B]? Crystal finished, a touch of exasperation entering her voice. Jared answered, ?[B]Understood doctor, I?ll remember that. Is Daniel ready for questioning yet?[/B]? Crystal turned to Jared ignoring his question for a moment while she scanned the left side of his head. Jared waited patiently for her answer. The doctor finished and put the scanner away. ?[B]Looks like you have healed up nicely as well,[/B]? she paused and then continued. ?[B]It?s only been five days since he was initially injured. At this rate he will be completely healed in another two to four days. I realize that it?s already been two days since the incident but the newly grown rib needs a little more time to set permanently. And since he is only under suspicion, I cannot clear him for immediate questioning just yet.[/B]? Crystal walked over and into her office. Jared followed her. Crystal continued once the door had shut. ?[B]Sub-Commander, you know I would not deliberately delay your investigation. I know that his mother is being questioned as well. Since the initial questions and drug induced investigation takes around six days, if he is still not ready when they are finished with her I will personally oversee the use of the serum. I will have to adjust the dose to match his current rate of recovery. Is that acceptable?[/B]? She finished. Jared replied, ?[B]Perfectly doctor. I have one other question for you though. Why are you keeping the three of them in the same room?[/B]? The doctor replied, ?[B]It seems that Daniel is the type to over exert himself when he needs to be recovering. I?ve taken the liberty of keeping him sedated to allow his body to recover more quickly. Besides I didn?t want to tie up three rooms just to keep them locked in.[/B]? Crystal tapped her chin with her forefinger deep in thought for a moment. She looked up and said, ?[B]One more thing Sub-Commander. I?ve finished the research regarding Celestia and Jason?s genetic structure. I can perform the genetic enhancements as soon as they finish recovering. It would improve their health and increase their lifespan. I thought I would start with Jason and once he started responding then I would do the same for Celestia. The only drawback is that I would need to keep them here in sickbay for two to four weeks to monitor and fine-tune the process. I?ve informed the Commander but she has left the final decision up to you.[/B]? Jared thought about it for a minute before answering the doctor. He didn?t like the idea of waiting so long to finish what he had started with Jason, yet if he were realistic the investigation of Daniel?s crew, his family and even his interrogation would easily take several weeks if not months. Jared smiled. It would be hard to wait but if he underwent the modifications then Jason would be able to endure much more than he had originally planned. He had deliberately held back but just the idea that he wouldn?t have to be so reserved thrilled him. Jared made up his mind, ?[B]Go ahead with the modifications, and be sure to inform me the minute Daniel is ready as well as when Jason is.[/B]? Crystal bowed her head and said, ?[B]Of course Sub-Commander.[/B]? Jared turned and left sickbay. When Celestia had first woken up and found herself in sickbay she found that her head hurt so bad she couldn?t move. Other than to see that Jason was in a bed next to hers she couldn?t see very much. It looked like there was someone else in the bed next to Jason, but she couldn?t sit up to see. At first Celestia had been confused as she drifted in and out of sleep for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally started feeling more awake she realized that the confusion was from only hearing part of several conversations from some of the medical personal. It didn't take long for the pieces to be put together though as the medical staff was buzzing with the gossip of the most recent events surrounding her and Jason. They probably didn't realize it, but shortly after her and Jason had been brought on board they had been put through a speed learning language program to teach them the Versilan?s language. So they probably didn't realize that she could understand them. She may have understood them but she still relied on the translator that was fastened to her clothing as she worried about missing out on key information since she was new to the language. In fact she still had worked a lot in English but she knew enough to understand what they were saying. Nathan was dead. He apparently had been trying to escape with her and Jason. If she understood the medical personal correctly, Jared had found out and that was why he shot Nathan. But it wasn?t the shot that killed him. Nathan had somehow poisoned himself when he realized that Jared had found out. It seemed that just like her dreams of the Versilan?s being real, so were the ones about there being a resistance group. Celestia drifted back to sleep. Jason used the controls on the bed to change it so he was in a sitting position. It had been two days since he woke up in sickbay. The doctor had treated him for some broken ribs he had gotten when he attacked Jared. He hadn?t meant to attack him, but when he had seen Celestia slam into the wall after being hit by Jared something inside him had snapped. He had grabbed the laser gun from Nathan and shot him. And even after Jared shot his arm causing him to drop the weapon he had attacked him directly. He had felt such rage and anger when Jared had hurt Celestia that it had surprised him. Jason sighed. Too bad he had failed to actually kill him. He didn?t even know how to properly use the laser gun so he had been unable to make sure it was on a setting that would have killed Jared. The first chance he got he had asked the doctor about Celestia. Fortunately she was going to be just fine. What worried him now was what Jared would do to them once they recovered. Jason shuddered. Somehow Jared didn?t strike him as the forgiving type. The door to the room opened and Jason looked up to see the doctor entering the room. ?[B]How are you feeling Jason?[/B]? She asked with a smile. ?[B]Okay I guess,[/B]? Jason replied. The doctor came over and ran a scanner over Jason. She finished and put it away. ?[B]I want you to come with me,[/B]? She paused at the panicked look on Jason?s face. ?[B]Relax, I intend to enhance your genetic structure to more closely match ours. It will make you stronger, healthier and more importantly increase your lifespan so you?ll live longer like we do. I?ll be doing the same to Celestia once she recovers a bit more. I?ll be keeping you both here in sickbay for the next month until the process is complete. If you like I?ll let you both continue to stay in the same room, okay?[/B]? Jason hesitated and asked, ?[B]What about this guy?[/B]? Indicating the Versilan in the bed next to his. Crystal replied, ?[B]Don?t worry about him. He?s only in here for a few more days and then I?ll be moving him to another room.[/B]? She smiled. ?[B]I only locked him in here as he tends to ignore orders to recover and doesn?t rest like he should.[/B]? She turned to leave and Jason got up and followed her. Celestia overheard the doctor speaking to Jason as she woke up. By the time she woke up enough to open her eyes they had already left. Her head finally seemed to feel better so she used the bed controls to put herself in a more upright position, though not completely up. Now she would finally be able to see who was in the other bed! Who ever it was they were asleep. A blanket covered him but his face was turned towards her. Celestia was surprised! He looked just like a younger version of Nathan! Admittedly Nathan?s hair had been completely silver gray, but the round shaped face, small nose and full lips were almost identical. Celestia wondered if Nathan?s hair had once been reddish brown like his. Maybe they were father and son? It would certainly explain why they looked so similar. Celestia looked away for a moment and then turned back. He certainly looked exactly like the one in her dreams named Daniel. Was he the same one? If they had been on Earth was it possible she had met him as a child and simply didn?t remember?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]?[B]Wait! I don?t want to hurt you![/B]? Lita yelled in a desperate attempt to calm Joachim. But it was too late and within moments he disappeared from sight. ?[B]You stupid witch! Look at what you?ve done![/B]? A shrill voice called out from behind her. Startled Lita whirled around to see Ayame walking towards her with a look of cold fury on her face, making her look almost demonic with all the blood covering her clothing. [I]My God![/I] She thought to herself. [I]She?s insane![/I] She opened her mouth to reply but Ayame ignored her and continued. ?[B]I?ll tell you what you?ve done![/B]? She cried, her voice becoming more shrill and angry with every word. ?[B]You killed that girl and then tried to blame me because I have the most blood on my clothing! You?ve gotten exactly what you wanted! You brought us here and now you intend to kill us all![/B]? Lita was stunned. She really was insane if she really thought that! She glanced around while slowly backing away, but other than Kalas the rest of the people were gone.[I] I don?t have anything to defend myself with![/I] She thought, as her initial rage changed into pure fear. [I]Gods! She?s going to kill me too! I can?t let her touch me! [/I] ?[B]I won?t let you![/B]? Ayame screamed. And with that she charged Lita. Wrapping her hands around her throat in an attempt to choke her. Desperately Lita tried to pry her fingers lose, but she was horribly strong! Kalas couldn?t believe what was happening! From waking up in a grave with his name on the tombstone, to finding other people there as well, to having that poor girls head literally explode, showering him with blood and other things he didn?t want to think about. This whole thing had definitely gone from just a dream to some sort of horrible nightmare. And then before he could even react to the girl?s death, Lita attacked Ayame and accused her of being the killer! He watched the events unfold and yet in spite of everything, he just stood there not knowing what to do.[I] This is insane![/I] He thought. [I]I need to get out of here![/I] He looked around and with a start he realized that other than Lita, Ayame and himself, everyone else was gone! ?[B]You stupid witch! Look at what you?ve done![/B]? Startled Kalas turned back to see Ayame up on her feet and heading towards Lita. She looked terrifying. The blood and gore all over her clothing, the expression of rage as she continued to scream at Lita. [I]She?s lost it![/I] He thought. As if to confirm that thought Ayame screamed, ?[B]I won?t let you![/B]? And charged Lita. Kalas froze for a second and then ran towards Lita and Ayame. He raised his hands, intending to simply shove Ayame aside, but instead shimmering blades appeared and shot at Ayame. [I]What the hell?[/I] Kalas thought. The blades of what appeared to be air flew towards Ayame, changing quickly to just a shimmer of air that literally shoved Ayame to the side. Startled Ayame let go of Lita in an attempt to keep her balance. Lita gasped for air when Ayame let go, stumbling backwards. She felt hot tears running down her cheeks. [I]She nearly killed me! [/I]She thought as she fell hard on her rear on the ground. Desperately she tried to catch her breath, but she felt faint and dizzy. She looked up when Kalas spoke. ?[B]That?s enough Ayame! She didn?t kill Constance and you know it![/B]? He moved until he was standing protectively in front of Lita. ?[B]We need to work together to get out of here! Not kill each other![/B]? ?[B]I see it now.[/B]? Ayame said calmly. ?[B]The two of you are in this together.[/B]? ?[B]What are you talking about Ayame? Neither one of us had anything to do with this![/B]? Kalas said angrily. Ayame continued talking as if to herself. ?[B]Yes, it?s as clear as day.[/B]? She giggled hysterically. ?[B]I won?t be fooled. I?ll put an end to you two and then I?ll take care of the rest of you.[/B]? With a shriek of rage she charged Kalas this time. Her body shrinking as she lunged towards his face. Kalas watched in horror as Ayame lunged towards him, her body shrinking as she projected herself towards his face. [I]Damn![/I] He thought as he stepped back. Instinctively he raised his hands to stop her. Ayame was less than a foot from his face and only four inches big and shrinking when once again the shimmering blades of air appeared and shot out of his hands. This time the blades ripped right through her instead of shoving her aside. A horrible shriek filled the air. Kalas cried out in pain as the sound went though him. He reached up with his hands to cover his ears in an attempt to block the sound out. He stumbled backwards. [I]It hurts![/I] He thought. Then just as suddenly the noise stopped. A bright flash blinded him, forcing him to close his eyes. He uncovered his ears to the sound of several horrible thuds and slowly opened his eyes. Kalas gagged at the scene in front of him. Ayame had returned to her normal size?in pieces. The blades of air that had shot from his hands had torn her to pieces! Desperately he turned and fell to his knees, retching,[I] I only wanted to stop her![/I] He thought as tears began to flow down his face. It seemed like an eternity until he felt hands touching his left shoulder. ?[B]Are you alright?[/B]? Lita asked him. Kalas looked up at her tear streaked face. Lita got down on her knees and hugged Kalas. ?[B]Thank you for saving my life.[/B]? She said, she let go and got up. ?[B]If you hadn?t stopped her she would have killed us both[/B].? [CENTER] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Labyrinth/labyrinth-deathcard.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Labyrinth/labyrinth-ayame.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I just got this game last week for my DS system since I adored the original Secret of Mana game for SNES, which I still have by the way. And since it looked interesting, and the short reviews like the one I read here on Amazon: [INDENT][SIZE=1]Children Of Mana takes us back to ages past, when an island called Illusia floated at the center of the world. At the heart of the island towered an ancient, enormous tree that stretched up to the very heavens. When a time of darkness comes, chaos and sorrow engulfed the world until at last its salvation appeared - in the form of a boy, a girl, and a holy sword.[/SIZE][/INDENT] Painted a picture of a game that looked like it would be fun to play, I decided to give it a try. So far it?s been a combination of liking how it was done and being disappointed in the lack of an overall storyline. For starters, one of the things I do like is you aren?t restricted in choosing who the main hero will be. There are four you can choose from and each one has little variations that affect how they look on your screen. The actual landscape is beautifully done, even if the characters look a bit odd as they are done more like colorful sprites instead of realistic looking characters. But each time they talk there are beautifully done pictures of the character to go along with what ever they are saying and different expressions depending upon their current mood. The actual game play is very linear, there are side quests, but actually doing them is the same process of what you do to advance the game, so other than the actual goal at the end being different. It?s essentially the same as doing a major event. Well other than many of those major events will include a boss battle where the side quests will not. One of my biggest dislikes in this game is the actual dungeon aspect. Everything revolves around entering a dungeon, completing anywhere from [spoiler] four to twelve and more levels. And for each area, they all have only so many floor plans that you get again and again. As the game progresses, the only thing that changes is the monsters as the further along you go, the more difficult the monsters become. [/spoiler] You of course have the spirits for magic in the game, however, unlike the Secret of Mana you are limited to only [spoiler]taking one along at any given time. If you want two, you have to be in multiplayer mode with someone else and even then the second one is just the one they have with them. [/spoiler] So I found that to be a little disappointing. The actual fighting has some improvements in that your character locks onto the target when you are using a bow, and you have special moves, and others you gain later in the game. It also has a system of a gem frame where you either find, buy or make gems to put in it that provide a variety of different effects from making you stronger to [spoiler]causing your bow to shoot three arrows at the same time. One of my favorite moves. [/spoiler] The only drawback, you can?t [spoiler] switch gems once you?ve entered the dungeon, so if you?ve equipped the wrong one you have to wait till a point during the dungeon process when you can or leave the dungeon, switch it and then come back. [/spoiler] The music is nicely done which is a plus as nothing turns me off quicker than poorly done music in a game. Anyway, overall I?ve enjoyed the game enough that I feel I got my money?s worth. But I know I?d love to see another game that was a bit more true to the Secret of Mana I played so many years ago, as it was one of the games that started my love for RPG?s in the first place. Anyway...for those of you who have also played it, what's your take on it? ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Leon had thought he was just having a strange dream, that is until the death of the young girl and seeing the other one standing where her head had been covered in blood and gore. And to top it off the crazy woman didn?t even seem bothered by all the blood or that she was literally covered in it! And didn?t he just see her somehow shrink herself and enter the poor girl?s nose? Just what in the world was going on here? Well what ever it was, he was certain of one thing, and that was that he wanted nothing to do with that wacky woman. And it seemed that a couple of the others felt the same. One of the women along with two of the children had disappeared and an older woman along with another man was leaving as well. ?[B]I could use a drink right about now.[/B]? He muttered before turning and following the woman with white hair and the other man who both were heading towards what appeared to be an entrance among the tall hedges. Keene watched in disbelief at what was happening. He started backing up only to fall backwards into the grave that he had just climbed out of. With a startled shriek he got back up and quickly climbed out of the grave. His heart pounding in fear. ?[B]This is a dream! Just a dream![/B]? he started muttering to himself over and over. Torn between the desire to run and yet to scared to move. He heard one of the other guys mutter something about a drink and then start to follow the other two who were leaving. As he passed Keene he stopped for a second and their eyes met. ?[B]If I were you kid, I?d get the hell away from that woman.[/B]? And with that cryptic statement he kept walking leaving Keene where he was standing. Keene watched him go for a moment before turning back to the gruesome scene in the center of the field. Everyone else was starting to stir and he noticed that in addition to the three who were heading out, it seemed that others had already done so. ?[B]What should I do?[/B]? He whispered to himself. Torn between the desire to follow the others and yet to afraid to turn his back on the dead girl and the one covered in blood. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Kalas Harrison hadn?t even opened his eyes, but yet he knew something was off. For one thing it felt like he was lying on rocks and dirt instead of the worn yet comfortable mattress in his apartment. And why in the world was there bright sunshine? Had his roommate left the blinds open again? He knew Kalas hated it when he did that. He opened his eyes only to see that he was in what appeared to be a rectangular hole made of dirt about three feet high. ?[B]What the hell?[/B]? He muttered to himself. Quickly he stood up and climbed out of the hole. He had barely stood up when a short scream caught his attention. It was a young girl with blonde hair, staring at a gravestone. He was close enough that he could see the name Constance Breck on it. [i]I wonder why that upset her[/i]? He thought. Curious he turned back to the hole he had been lying in. With a startled oath he realized that there was a gravestone there with his name [I]Kalas Harrison[/I] on it. If his name was on the gravestone next to the hole he had been in then Constance Breck must have been her name. Kalas looked around, he along with other people who were also climbing out of the graves, appeared to be in a small circular field surrounded by tall hedges. In the center there was a stone plate. Constance had already walked over to it. Kalas followed her and took a look for himself. The word nexus was written around a star, shaped like a compass. [I]Nexus[/I]? [I]Just what in the world is that suppose to mean[/I]? He wondered. [I]And how did I get here[/I]? More of the people began to gather around the stone plate, but yet no one seemed inclined to speak. They all seemed just as confused as he felt. And just as spooked. The eerie quietness of the place, the graves with people?s names on them. The whole thing was downright creepy. Kalas gathered his courage and finally asked, ?[B]I don?t suppose any of you know what the hell is going on here?[/B]? [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom'] Don?t keep me waiting too long! I?m wishing this was a book I had in my hands so I could continue reading and didn?t have to wait. ;)[/quote]Very well, here?s the next chapter as requested. ^_~ Fair warning though, things are going to get a little more serious from now on. [B]Chapter twenty-two:[/B] Jason couldn?t believe it. After Jared left the room for a little bit he came back got dressed, wrapped him in a blanket, picked him up and carried him to his quarters. He was even more surprised when Jared put him in his bed and just covered him with another blanket and left. Jason was confused. What had just happened? He tried to figure it out while he waited for the drugs to finally wear off. Although he was relieved, he wondered what had been in the transmission Jared received. What could have been so important that it would stop Jared from finishing what he had started? Whatever it was it had saved him, if only for now, from being raped by Jared. Though it hadn?t saved him from the initial foreplay Jared had put him through. Jason cringed at the memory of it. How could he face Celestia again? Now he understood why women were so hurt by being raped. He was pretty sure he loved Celestia. He was also pretty sure he had always cared for her; he just hadn?t said anything yet. Now he wished he had. If Jared had his way he would never be allowed to be with her. And he didn?t want anyone other than her to touch him in that way. Jason curled up on his side and cried himself to sleep. Celestia couldn?t sleep. Her mind kept racing and she couldn?t stop from feeling a sense of dread. She had thought she had seen Jared looking rather smug, but she couldn?t be certain. She was afraid for Jason and yet she wondered if her feeling was connected to the fact that they had left Earth earlier that day. Celestia curled up on the sofa and sighed. She had known that they would finally leave Earth but some small part of her had hoped she would return home and now she was being taken away from Earth. It hurt in a way she couldn?t describe. Celestia couldn?t stop the tears that escaped and ran down her cheeks. No, if she was honest with herself, what really hurt was being kept apart from Jason. She wondered if she has always felt more than just attraction to him. She had worked with him for over three years and for two of them she had done nothing about how she truly felt. Now she would never get the chance, Jared would see to that. Celestia had never felt so powerless before. She desperately wanted to somehow protect Jason but knew she could not. It had taken almost two days but Jared had finally narrowed it down to three possibilities. They would be arriving in sector fourteen in just a few hours. His instinct told him it was Nathan but he couldn?t rule out the other two possibilities. Jared sent a request to an old friend located at High Command. One he had recruited to spy for him. He wanted Nathan?s background checked completely. If there was anything to be found he wanted to know about it. For now he had to continue to assume it could be any of the three suspects. It was tempting to just pull them all in, but at the same time if they thought he suspected them the traitor would commit suicide before he could get to them. Members of the resistance always committed suicide given a chance. No he had to find out for sure and capture them before they could commit suicide. Nathan was supposed to be taking the shuttle out to start the scan. Somehow he couldn?t imagine him escaping and leaving Celestia and Jason behind. If he had only been planning on passing information along to the ship that had been destroyed, it would be the perfect opportunity as the new scanning could be used to cover additional transmissions. Jared smiled; he knew just what to do. Nathan couldn?t stop his heart from pounding as he maneuvered the shuttlecraft from the hangar bay. Celestia and Jason didn?t have a clue as to what was going on and the hologram of them leaving the ship had worked. In just two minutes he would be in position to make a run for the ship that was suppose to be waiting for them. In all his years working as a member of the resistance never had he felt such fear. If it didn?t work he would have to shoot both Celestia and Jason before taking his own life. The next two minutes felt like an eternity as he went through the motions of having Celestia and Jason help him start scanning the system. He sent out the recognition signal for the ship that should be waiting for them. In just a few seconds he would have his answer. Nathan never got to see if there was a reply to the transmission. Nor did he see the laser blast that caught him from behind and sent him sprawling to the floor half stunned. He could hear Celestia?s and Jason?s gasp of horror. And as he heard footsteps coming towards him, he knew who it was without even looking. He had failed. As Jared came into view he bit down on the poison capsule that he had attached to his back tooth earlier that day. ?[B]I?m sorry[/B],? he whispered to Celestia and Jason as darkness took over his vision. Celestia couldn?t believe what was happening! Why did Jared shoot Nathan? Something inside her snapped. After all this time, being a prisoner, being tortured and hurt by Jared, seeing Jason?s terrified expression as Jared walked towards Nathan. She found she couldn?t hold it in. With a scream of rage she attacked Jared! She was still holding some of the instruments she had been using to monitor the scanning and she lashed out with them hitting Jared as hard as she could. When Celestia attacked him, Jared was so surprised that she actually managed to hit him several times before he calmly backhanded her sending her flying across the room to slam into a wall before falling to the floor unconscious. He could feel blood running down the left side of his face. She had actually managed to cut the skin in his scalp when she had hit him with the scanner! He was further surprised when he was then shot by Jason with a laser gun! He must have gotten it from Nathan! It was a good thing Jason didn?t understand how to use the laser gun. If he had realized that he was wearing a combat suit underneath his uniform he would have shot him in the head. Jared didn?t give Jason a second chance. He calmly shot him in the right arm causing the gun he was holding to go flying. Jared couldn?t believe it when Jason rushed him anyway. He fired again but other than to make him stagger the light stun setting had no effect! Jared didn?t have a chance to fire again before Jason slammed into him knocking both of them to the floor. At that point Jared realized that Jason had gone berserk like Celestia had. He ignored the attempts by Jason to throttle him and reset the weapon to the highest stun setting. He then fired point blank at Jason?s chest. The blast threw Jason backwards off Jared to land on the shuttlecraft?s main control console before sliding to the floor unconscious. He got up and retrieved the laser gun and put it away. He turned his attention back to Nathan even though he was sure Nathan had committed suicide, but he checked to make sure. A quick scan confirmed his suspicions. Jared sighed. All that work and the traitor had managed to escape being interrogated after all. He had been looking forward to prying information out of him. Since resistance members were known to poison themselves he had brought a broad-spectrum antidote but the sudden attack by both Celestia and Jason had prevented him from delivering the remedy in time. It was too late now. He went over to the ships console and contacted the Commander to deliver the news. Daniel couldn?t believe it! Nathan was working for the resistance? He had poisoned himself to prevent capture? Of all the possible scenarios he had never imagined that Nathan had left his mother to join the resistance. Did his mother know? How could he even tell her that Nathan was dead? Daniel felt torn, he may not have liked Nathan but his mother had. It would break her heart all over again to hear he had died. Damn it all! Daniel threw the hand-held device with the report against the wall shattering it. He would have no choice but to tell her and he would have to inform Commander Sandra as well as it would implicate both him and his mother. Especially if they found out he knew they had known each other and he had said nothing. Daniel got up and started pacing in his quarters before sighing and sitting back down again. He had worked so hard to become a commander, and now because of Nathan?s foolish actions he might actually lose his position. Daniel knew the rules; he would be subjected to interrogation. They would use drugs to make sure he was telling the truth. High Command would then decide if he was truly innocent or not. Daniel called sub-commander Kim to surrender command to her. The sooner he got this show on the road the sooner he could return to work. He wanted to contact his mother, but he changed his mind, as he knew he could not. It would be seen as him warning her to escape. Regretfully he would have to leave that to someone else. They would interrogate her as well and there was nothing he could do to stop it. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Sandy] Heh, you're really making me look like I can't take any feedback from anybody, Sunfall. XP[/quote]That certainly is not my intent. ^_~ I just think you got frustrated and seeing how demanding coming up with an event that will please a lot of members is, I can understand that. [quote=Sandy] I just didn't know what people wanted me to do when they said that the PMs were a bad idea or it shouldn't be based on a board game. Say "okay, I won't do that ever again" or "you're absolutely right and I was wrong"? They're just opinions, not the objective truth.[/quote]True, they are just opinions and your statement that you just didn?t know what people wanted you to do is an excellent response. I think this is where the thread derailed a bit. You didn?t say, [I]okay, do you have any suggestions[/I]; you instead immediately defended your event, so I think it got everyone off on the wrong tangent here since it wasn?t really necessary to defend your event. So it got the others coming back telling you that you were overreacting. Like a chain reaction. It just kept going.[quote=Sandy] However, if people are worried that I won't do anything else besides RPGs if I get chosen to be an Event Master, then I can tell you to relax, because I already have several ideas how to involve the majority of the community to the Event Forum.[/quote]That?s good to know because unless you tell us, we have no way of knowing this and you are rather well known for your RPG?s so it was an assumption on my part to think that since you entered the contest with a modified RPG that as an event master you would most likely continue with the same type of events. So it was a valid concern as I truly didn?t know what you have in mind; and I nor anyone else can tell what you have in mind just by seeing what your first event is. [quote=Sandy'] For this particular event, I didn't see it necessary or even possible, due to the restrictions in time and duration, amount of threads and the fact that there's three events going on at the same time (which seriously divides peoples' interests). I got an idea that I thought was great, it passed Shy's judgment and tomorrow it'll launch. There's no going back now. ;D[/quote]I agree, having more than one event running at a time does divide people?s interests and thus makes it harder as you are competing with the other two to get members to be a part of your event. I don?t have a problem with your initial idea, nor do I think you should go back and start over. But if you are going to be an event master, I would imagine that this won?t be the first time you?ll have to deal with people not agreeing with the event you?ve chosen. And as a potential event master, dealing with such differences of opinion is going to be essential to your job. So in that respect I think this whole thing can also be a learning experience on how to address members concerns in relation to any current event. I?m not saying one side is right and the other is wrong. Only that I think an initial reaction to be defensive got everyone going in the wrong direction. ^_~ [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Sandy']I don't get it. Should've I just crawled in front of everybody who gave me feedback, saying "yes yes, you're right, I'm sorry" instead of defending my views and decisions? I know I should've been more calm about it, but I didn't resort to namecalling like Papa Smurf or belittling like DeathKnight.[/quote]I don?t think that any of the people were deliberately trying to give you a hard time Sandy. Boo was explaining to you why your event didn?t catch their attention. Both BKstyles and Aaryanna_Mom explained how your event seems to be more geared towards RPG players instead of the community at large. Aaryanna pointed out how including more members would be a good idea. Charles pointed out that they felt the effort to be impressive overcomplicated things. DeathKnight pointed out that the differences you mentioned in your event vs. a true RPG didn?t make it more appealing to them. DeadSeraphim pointed out that previous events that weren?t RPG?s were successful. And that the current entries were just more of a showcase your RPG?s instead of a more community-based event. Papa Smurf pointed out that they felt that a game converted to an event/RPG with rules was really better suited to the game board format where you play it out face to face. Overall I didn?t really see any attempts to tell you your idea sucked or that you should remake it. I can see that it frustrates you so you?ve been defending your idea. But I honestly don?t think they were looking for you to defend it. I think they were just trying to say that if you are going to be the next Event Master, you need to keep this sort of thing in mind so that all of your events don?t end up being just another RPG. DeadSeraphim even pointed out that they felt this way about [I]all of the events.[/I] [QUOTE=Sandy]I may be overly sensitive, but that's only because DeadSeraphim, Papa Smurf and DeathKnight have all flamed me in the past. Somehow those three are always eager to "share their opinions" with me. I have high faith in Labyrinth, but it does have it's flaws, I admit. However, so far the only [I]truly[/I] constructive criticism (which didn't have a taste of insult included) has come from Charles, Aaryanna and Aaryanna_Mom - they offered advice that could actually be used to change something. So I'm not the only one at fault here.[/QUOTE]Don?t let the past interfere or overshadow their current comments. I think the problem here is you took the input too personally (perhaps because of past experience) and perceived it as an attack instead of constructive criticism on what they would like to see in a future event master. I know I for one would like to see more than just RPG?s as the other events like the quiz and nifty fifty were lots of fun. So I really think that this entire debate has been about not relying on past experience with RPG?s, because in the end it doesn?t really include the entire community very well. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='WhiteBlaze]You could get a [B]fried[/B'] turkey! They are pretty good. Maybe not as good for you as an oven baked turkey, but they are definitely good.[/quote]Well fortunately the new oven was installed yesterday and wonder of wonders?It works! ^_^ So today I went with my family to the store and we got all the stuff for making a yummy Thanksgiving dinner next week. Including the turkey. So I?m looking forward to it as I just love making the food and finally sitting down with everyone to enjoy it. As much as I enjoy turkey I should make it for other occasions besides Thanksgiving. It's just yummy, yummy stuff! :catgirl: [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Normally I would say no I do not dream about anime, but in the past week I had a few dreams about the Detective Conan/Case Closed series. I would imagine it was triggered by the marathon I had with my friends where we watched over fifty episodes from this show. It wasn?t too bad as dreams go, but it was annoying as every time something was due to happen, and if you are familiar with the series then you know it deals with murder cases on a regular basis. Anyway, what I?m getting at is I was always the target in the dream. Even to the point where I remember lying on the floor with bullet holes in my head, people standing over me and talking about how I was dead, even though I was able to see them and hear them talking. Definitely quite weird. At least it didn?t seem to hurt when I was shot in the dream. I did however reach up and check my head for holes when I woke up. :3[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkOrchid']Sandy, the only thing I could see doing differently with yours is allowing more players. But then I didn?t construct the rules so I don?t know if that would be a problem or not. Perhaps having one group of seven start one week and then another group say the next week? That would make it more open in that more people could participate and it would potentially attract more people. Especially if you made the final decision as to who went into each group. It would add to the mystery of wondering just which group you would be in. [/COLOR][/quote] [QUOTE=Sandy]That would be great [I]if[/I] there were more people signing up. So far, I have the seven I asked for, and I'm satisfied with all of them. Together we'll make this event enjoyable to outside viewers as well, I'm sure of that. However, I'm not expecting any more sign ups for tomorrow, although they would be a nice surprise. Thanks anyway, Aaryanna! ;D[/QUOTE]Well since it?s so close to the deadline, perhaps an alteration that allowed a second set of sign ups? Thus making the deadline the 25th? That way you could still have a second round if you had enough interest. In all honesty I figured that like your previous events you already had a ton of sign ups. I?m sure that other people may have thought to themselves; ?[I]Sandy?s events/RPG?s are always popular so why bother when I probably won?t even be accepted[/I]? By allowing more than one round it would make it more accessible to the members as you would no longer be limiting how many people can be a part of it. It wouldn?t matter that the sign ups are secret anymore as the potential player won?t be worrying about will I even get in. As for your event Gavin, I?m in agreement with Aaryanna in that although it is a great idea for a very intense competition, the fact that there are so many areas to compete in is a bit of a turn off for me. I?m not really interested in sparring or poetry. So maybe simplifying it (by removing one of the competitions) or allowing partial enrollment would gather more attention. As for White?s event, I don?t have any suggestions. It is a form of RPG, but in my opinion, I think that by not requiring detailed signups and being more open makes up for it. It?s flexible in that anywhere from eight to thirty players will work. Making it very open to the community as a whole. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I want the Twilight Princess for the GameCube as well. And since I plan on getting it immediately when it is released, it will be my present to myself for the holidays. ^_^ I intend on playing that over the Christmas holidays. And since I'm on track for having Star Ocean beaten by the time it is released, I'll be ready for a new challenge. (I'll come back to the bonus stuff for Star Ocean after I've had my fun with Twilight Princess) The other thing I?d like to get is the Season One box set of the newest Dr. Who. I?ve been a happy camper with my favorite Science Fiction show airing again. :catgirl: [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']So post some more so I can find out just which one it is. ;)[/quote]As requested, here's the next chapter. I'm glad you've been enjoying reading it and I appreciate your comments. ^_~ [B]Chapter Twenty-one: [/B] Nathan set his hand-held device down; he had finished writing the program to make the Commander think Jason and Celestia had left the ship. Celestia?s program had been easier to modify than he had originally thought. At the last possible moment he would upload the program into the ships computer so it could make use of the ships own projectors to support the hologram. It would only fool them briefly but it would last long enough for them to be picked up by the ship waiting for them and make their escape. Nathan sighed. He only hoped that Anna wouldn?t be to hurt when she found out he was a member of the resistance. It was a good thing no one knew about Daniel. He had heard that Daniel had been assigned his own command. If it were ever found out he was his father it wouldn?t matter if Daniel was a member or not. High Command was very unforgiving towards families who had members in the resistance. The fact that most of them were unaware of it didn?t matter to members of the High Command. Nathan started getting ready for bed, now that they had actually left Earth they would arrive in sector fourteen in just two days. He needed to be ready when the time came. Jason couldn?t help but feel uneasy as Jared was escorting him and Celestia to their quarters. Jared had left him alone after the brief incident when he was assigned to the new quarters, but today he seemed different to Jason. Was it because they had left Earth a short while ago to head to the next system? Jason hoped so. He didn?t want to think it was because Jared was planning to do something to him. When Celestia had entered her quarters and the door locked behind her Jared told him to come with him as they had something to discuss. Jason cringed at the thought but did as he was told. When Jared opened the door to another set of quarters Jason hesitated as a feeling of dread filled him. Jared didn?t give him a chance to do anything as he shoved Jason into the room and when the door closed behind them he grabbed Jason from behind wrapping his left arm around his neck choking him! Jason reached up with both hands forgetting in his panic that Jared had threatened to hurt Celestia if he resisted. Frantically he tried to pull free of Jared?s grip but he was far too strong. Jason gasped as he felt something sting his right hip. What had Jared done to him? In the next moment Jared wrapped his other arm around Jason?s chest pinning him against him. Jason thrashed madly trying to pull free. He thought he had been afraid before, this was ten times worse! Part of him remembered Celestia but it was overwhelmed by the other part of him that was panicking. He began to feel faint from Jared choking him, and as he also began to feel dizzy he realized Jared must have drugged him. Jason tried but found he couldn?t even hold his arms up anymore. As the drugs continued to rob him of the ability to resist he found he couldn?t even stand anymore. Jason cried inwardly in his mind, wishing, hoping it was just a dream and yet knowing it was not. Jared whispered in Jason right ear, ?[B]How do you like it? By now you must be starting to feel the effects of what I gave you.[/B]? Jason shuddered as the whisper set off goose bumps through his whole body. It was the thing he had feared most. Jared had given him one of the drugs they had used during his interrogation. The one that because of how it stimulated you he would have rather died than be anywhere near Jared while under it?s effect. Jared continued, ?[B]I?ve improved upon the formula used for interrogations. Rest assured I?ll be sure to demonstrate.[/B]? Jason wished he were dead. He couldn?t even resist as Jared carried him into his bedroom. Jason couldn?t stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks as Jared started to remove his clothing. Sandra had barely lain down to sleep when the console beeped indicating there was an incoming transmission for her. She sat up and turned it on. It was Commander Daniel and his sub-commander Kim. They appeared to be in sickbay. ?[B]Ah Commander Sandra,[/B]? Daniel spoke. ?[B]Sorry to disturb your rest but I have something important to tell you. I?ll send you the details but first you?ll want to secure this channel.[/B]? Sandra raised her eyebrow but did as Daniel requested. Once the report he sent was downloaded into her hand held device she took a few moments to read through it. Daniel waited patiently while she read the report. Sandra finished reading and said, ?[B]I see, interesting. Go ahead and start searching for the base. I had suspected that we have a traitor on board, but there hasn?t been any concrete proof.[/B]? Sandra sighed and continued. ?[B]Keep in contact as I may need your help in exposing the traitor.[/B]? Daniel replied, ?[B]Yes Commander.[/B]? Sandra shut down the transmission and got out of bed. Regretfully this would have to come before sleep. Based on Daniel?s report it was highly likely that the resistance had planned on either leaving something for the resistance ship to pick up or they might have even thought of a way to attempt to get Celestia and Jason off the ship. Based on what was in the files they recovered it was likely that the traitor on board her ship was an officer. Security was tight. Only an officer would have the necessary clearance to be able to pull it off. For them to have known the precise location and time they would be arriving in sector fourteen meant it could only be one of ten people who had that information. Eleven if you included Nathan. He wasn?t an officer but he had the information, security clearance and the skills to have pulled it off. Sandra opened a link to Jared?s quarters. She knew he had planned on entertaining himself with Jason for a while, but this was more important. Jared heard the beeping of the console in the main room indicating he had an incoming transmission. Jared sighed, of all the times to be bothered! The drugs he had given to Jason and himself had finally started working in full force. He had been enjoying himself and was on the verge of making Jason his. Reluctantly he got up and went into the next room to answer the call. Jared had a reputation for what he did to others when he was annoyed. So he knew that no one would bother him unless it was really important. He turned the screen on to see that it was Commander Sandra. She raised her eyebrow when he appeared on the screen, as Jared had not even bothered to get dressed. ?[B]Ah Jared, It pains me to interrupt you. Read this report I?m sending you. Be sure to secure the transmission at your end first.[/B]? Jared was puzzled but did as he was told. He sat down in front of the terminal, not because he cared if the Commander saw him naked but because the drugs made him feel just a tiny bit dizzy. When he finished reading the report he knew that his fun with Jason would have to wait. This was far more important. ?[B]I understand Commander, I?ll get to work on this immediately.[/B]? Jared shut down the transmission and immediately gave himself an antidote to the drugs. As much as he hated postponing making Jason his, this had to come first. Jared sighed, at least he had gotten to have some fun. It was almost maddening how things kept interfering with his plans for Jason. Never had he been thwarted so many times in getting what he wanted! It was a good thing he had other diversions or he would be seriously angry. Still the chance to catch a resistance member was in itself quite thrilling. He hadn?t had the pleasure of a full interrogation in a long time. Jared smiled. He would find the traitor and when he was finished with them, they would beg him to kill them.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']And some of the more healthy foods have outright disappeared from the shelves to make room for the new junk food. It?s like instead of actually putting real health food on the shelves they are instead putting the new junk food up in it?s place.[/quote]Quoted for truth, that?s exactly what?s happened in the Wal-Mart near my home. They redid the store this year and now we have entire isles dedicated to the new crackers, cookies, candy and potatoes chips that are suppose to be the better ones for you. Literally up to one half of the entire food section of the store is nothing but the new junk food craze. One of the changes I hate the most is the new ?Splenda? they put in diet sodas. Especially since I prefer the diet as I hate the syrup taste to the regular, but now the new Splenda sweetener, gives it the same sickening taste. So far they haven?t done it to all of the diet soda?s but the day they do is the day I quit drinking any form of soda. The potato chips and crackers and other changes don?t really bother me that much since I?ve never been a big fan of that kind of junk food. In fact most of the time I don?t even eat it, which is why the diet soda change annoys me as it?s the one thing I do like to have. They?ve also been switching the store over to more of the healthy choice soups as well and I?ve always preferred just plain chicken noodle soup. The new one tastes terrible. And last time I checked, so long as it?s in moderation, the amount of fat I would get from my favorite soups isn?t enough to need changing. I?m more inclined to think it?s a push by the insurance companies as health issues due to obesity is close to becoming the number one killer in America. Or so a health magazine I read while waiting for the Dentist said when I was reading it earlier this week. Seems like every time I read something along those lines the reasons as to why things are happening changes. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I always enjoy Thanksgiving just for the food aspect. I love turkey, stuffing and having lots of different pies for desert. And it?s one of the few times a year my family gets together and actually has a meal at the table at the same time. Usually our schedules are so off that we rarely have time to get together for anything, let alone sharing a meal. And like Panda mentioned it?s nice because you get the weekend off. At least I do now that I?m no longer driving. For a truck driver, the only day you get off is Christmas. Which kind of sucked as I really missed getting to do things with my family and friends for the various holidays throughout the year. The only drawback is this year we may not have an oven for cooking a turkey. Last week, when I was making some pizza the bottom element in the oven literally exploded during the cooking process! Fortunately it didn?t start a fire since I was in the room and quickly turned it off and my brother immediately switched the circuit breaker to completely deny the unit any power. The end result, the flying metal shards pretty much destroyed the inside of the oven, and now we are getting a new one. It?s supposed to be installed this Friday, but if it?s not, I guess we will be using our slow cookers and the stovetop to try and make the food. And I guess the whole baked turkey deal will not happen. Which kind of sucks since I really like turkey. ^_^ I guess the only good thing is the door was shut so the metal shards hurt no one and that it happened now instead of during the middle of the night while the turkey was cooking. Since it didn?t trip the circuit breaker, if no one was around to respond immediately, well it could have started a fire during the middle of the night while we were all sleeping. o_O The other thing I really like about the Thanksgiving holiday, is the two mad days of shopping right after. I always make a point of not needing to really shop on that day so I end up going with friends and we just browse and have a good time checking things out. And we take along some money so if we really see something we want we can pick it up. It?s a fun way to just chat, and have a good time among the hustle of people. We?ve done it enough that it?s almost become a tradition that we get together and have fun on those days. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=Kurayami Oji][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed] Would you rather be a UPS driver? OR..... Would you rather be a FedEx driver?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]That is so easy, having been a truck driver, I already know that working for FedEx is a total pain in the rear. UPS is much easier to work with. So I would drive for UPS. No contest whatsoever. :catgirl: Lets see?. [B]Would you rather hike barefoot through the mountains during the winter?[/B] Or [B] Would you rather hike barefoot though the desert during the middle of the summer? [/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']Anyway, just some quick proofreading. If you take a look at these two sentences...The only things I noticed that were a bit off were these two sentences. After the word fired a comma would help to give it a necessary pause as it seems a bit off. Also I think you might want to have areas instead of just area. [/quote]Thanks for pointing that out. I appreciate it. ^_~ [B]Chapter twenty:[/B] Daniel realized he was hurt more than he originally thought, as he wasn?t sure he would even make it to sickbay. They were almost there when another crewmember saw them and immediately moved to help. When they entered sickbay several of the doctor?s assistants moved to help him lie down on one of the few empty beds left. Once he was settled the two crewmembers that had assisted him left to return to their duties. Daniel cringed at the waves of pain coming from his right side. He tried to relax but it just seemed to get even more painful as time went by. One of the assistants came back and ran the scanner along his side. Daniel could tell from his expression it wasn?t good. He shut the scanner off and said, ?[B]Just a moment Commander while I get Alex.[/B]? Daniel just nodded his head. It seemed like an eternity but in reality only a few minutes passed before the assistant returned with the doctor. Alex didn?t waste any words but ran the scanner again as if reconfirming what he had already been told. He turned to his assistant and told him to prepare the third surgical room for immediate use. Alex finally turned back to Daniel and said, ?[B]Looks like you?ve really done it this time Daniel. You?ve managed to shatter one of your ribs, puncture one of your lungs and some of the bone fragments are sticking out your side. I know I?m wasting my time telling you, but it?s better to let us come and get you instead of moving with those type of injuries.[/B]? Daniel winced and said, ?[B]Sorry Alex, you know I hate sickbay, I just thought I?d save you the trouble of hunting me down this time.[/B]? Alex smiled and laughed. ?[B]That?s true. The good news is I can easily repair the damage but it will require surgery, as I will need to build the foundation to re-grow the rib that was shattered. I know you hate being under, but this type of work is quite delicate so I won?t be able to allow you to be conscious this time. I?ll also need you to stay in sickbay for at least one day after the surgery is complete to give the new rib time to stabilize. I will inform Sub-Commander Kim that she will be in charge until further notice[/B].? Alex paused for a moment before continuing. ?[B]And Commander, please don?t make me restrain you this time. I?ll put you under for several days if I have to. I?ll be more than happy to set things up so you can stay in contact with Kim, but this time it really is important you stay put.[/B]? Daniel said, ?[B]Very well doctor. Though the moment I am recovered enough I expect to be released.[/B]? Alex smiled and said, ?[B]Deal.[/B]? Kim stood up and stretched a bit before continuing with her work. It had been twelve hours since their encounter with the resistance ship. She had heard how they would commit suicide to prevent capture; she just had never seen it firsthand before. Only the Commander?s quick thinking in switching all power to the front shields had saved them from even more extensive damage. Other than the interplanetary communications and the hole in the forward storage hull all the more serious damage had been repaired. The wiring to the communications had already been fixed, but the main computer boards had been fried due to an energy overload caused when the resistance ship exploded. They had all the materials necessary to build a new board and the engineer?s had told her they expected to have it ready in another six hours. Kim now had every able person assessing the damage to the hull in the forward storage area. The last report indicated that although they could fix it well enough to make hyperspace possible. It would be necessary to return to a space dock and have a section of the hull actually replaced as the stress had warped the metal beyond its stress point. If everything went well all the repairs there should be finished in another twelve hours. Kim finished preparing a report for the Commander. The doctor had informed her that he had taken the liberty of giving Daniel something that would keep him out for around fourteen hours. Knowing how stubborn Daniel was about medical treatment she had post-authorized the sedative. Kim smiled; she would enjoy arguing with Daniel about it later. She always gave him a hard time about treatment. She got up and left the bridge to go to sickbay. Knowing the Commander even though he was suppose to be out for a few more hours it was more likely he would wake up early. Besides she had something really important to tell him about. Among the wreckage of the ship they had found a few things intact. By immediately disabling the engines of the ship it had resulted in them lacking the power to completely destroy everything on board. A hand held device had been recovered still intact. Although most of the files were corrupted beyond recovery a few of them had been salvageable and she knew the Commander would want to know what was in the files immediately. If for some reason Daniel was not awake by the time the interplanetary communications were restored she would contact Sandra?s ship immediately. Based on the information in the device the resistance had known that Sandra?s ship would be arriving in this sector in a few days. That meant that there was probably a member of the resistance working undercover on Sandra?s ship! It was possible that Commander Sandra already suspected that there was someone from the resistance on her ship, but if she didn?t know she would want this information as soon as possible. Kim continued walking through the ship to the sickbay. She had also noticed that the location of the resistance ship in the system would mean it would go unnoticed for several minutes based on where Sandra?s ship was due to drop out of hyperspace. The fact that they had almost collided with it upon arriving in this system told her that who ever was working for the resistance didn?t know about Daniel?s ship being assigned to work with Sandra. Otherwise they probably would have left this sector already. The real question was why was the ship there in the first place? Kim entered the sickbay and went straight to the room the Commander was sleeping in. Since he wasn?t awake yet she sat down and continued to look through the notes that had been recovered from the hand held device from the resistance?s ship. Who ever was working for the resistance on Sandra?s ship had to have some level of authority. They had even sent recommendations for the base in this area to be abandoned. Which meant the probability of them finding anyone still here was slim. Most likely they would find an abandoned base that had been stripped of any clues as to where they may have gone. As soon as the ship was able to move she would have them scan the planets in the area for signs of an explosion. If there hadn?t been enough time to evacuate then they would have made sure to destroy the base. If that was the case the chance of finding clues was slim to none as they usually were quite though in that respect. Kim entered the room where the commander was and sat down; she continued to work on her own report regarding their arrival in this sector while waiting for the commander to wake up. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Welcome to theOtakuBoards [B]Kairi 624[/B], Please be aware that we have a rules page that all members are required to read before posting. These [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"][U]Rules[/U][/URL] and [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][U]FAQ[/U][/URL] can be found on the left navigation menu and the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52331][u]Otaku Lounge Rules[/u][/url] are pinned at the top of the forum. You can also use the underlined links I have just provided. Also, we have pretty high standards when it comes to the quality of posts (ie: making them well thought out with care given to grammar). It?s also a good idea to put more into your posts, especially when it?s the opening one as that?s what kick starts a discussion. When you re-read the rules page it will make more sense to you. So due to the spammy nature of this thread I am going to lock it. You may want to read through some of the existing threads to see what is acceptable and what is not. If you have any questions please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators. Also a bit of [I]advice[/I] for you[B] Derald[/B]: a quick look at the Otaku Lounge rules will show this: [CENTER][B](Playing mod)[/B][/CENTER] [SIZE=1]This one doesn?t seem to be too much of an issue, but it does happen on occasion. Please, if you find a thread or member that requires being dealt with by a moderator, and no moderator is currently available, do not take the liberty of dealing with the problem yourself. If you happen to come across this scenario the please use the ?Report bad post? button at the top right hand corner of a post, or you PM a moderator and alert them of the problem, and when a moderator is available, they will take care of it.[/SIZE] You?ve been a member long enough to know better than to[I] play mod[/I]. ~SunfallE [B]Thread Closed[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]The13thMan I?m going to tell you the very same thing indifference already did: [quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed]At this point it?s painfully obvious that all of you have a different viewpoint so lets leave it at that and move on. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]What you have done here: [QUOTE=The13thMan][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]It's fine to laugh at religion and make jokes about it privately or among friends. Lord knows i've got a sense of humor when it comes to such things. I never disagreed with anybody there. Where i do disagree is when a person makes a potentially offensive comment regarding religion to a person they barely know. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Is simply restate your opinion that humor in a religious debate thread shouldn?t be done. I?ve read through the thread and not one of those comments from the others came across as a deliberate attempt to offend anyone. I can?t and won?t moderate people for making a [I] potentially[/I] offensive comment. Religion is a topic that many people disagree on and it?s only natural that that disagreement is going to spread into how people think you should even discuss it. And like indifference also said here: [QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=DarkRed] Especially since if you really feel a person?s post is truly offensive or doesn?t belong in a debate, there is a handy tool in the upper right hand corner for reporting a bad post. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]So if that is the case, use it. You found it potentially offensive and others do not and arguing over it isn?t going to change either sides? point of view on this issue. So lets stop arguing and get back on topic here.[QUOTE=The13thMan][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]It's stupid and pointless. I don't understand how you can disagree with me there. [/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] Again you are talking about your opinion on the subject. Not everyone feels the same. People have different ideas as to how they express themselves in regards to religion and for some, laughing over stuff is part of how they see it and talk about it as well. I don?t want to turn this into a more official warning, but I will if this continues. You have clearly said what you think and it?s not productive to keep trying to convince others that your view point is the correct one. Nor is telling someone you would punch them in the face or that they are [I]little pricks[/I] So be a little more civil here as well. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]1. What religion are you CURRENTLY following? If you don't have one, then why?[/B] None I don?t believe in religion. Why? Because after being raised in the LDS/Mormon faith and spending years being uncomfortable attending something I didn?t really believe in, I decided it was time to pull the plug so to speak. [B]2. Why do you follow that religion? Parents, personal reasons, etc?[/B] The only reason I ever belonged to church was because my parents took me to it when I was a child. I left for personal reasons, which I will not discuss. But I can tell you that one of the main reasons is I see no point in belonging to and giving money to an organization I do not believe in. And that applies to any religion. [B]3. Do you ever feel that people often critisize you because of these beliefs?[/B] Perhaps for my perceived lack of beliefs. There was a time when people who knew I had quit being a part of the church would keep sending missionaries to try and ?save? me. But a quick visit to the current bishop with a request to either take my name off of the church records or quit sending missionaries to my door ended it. So now I?m allowed to be a ?fallen? member in peace. For people who don?t know me, well when religion comes up I pretty much stay out of it since it?s too easy to get people riled up. [B]4. This one may spark a little bit of arguing: Do you believe that your religion is the [I]one true religion?[/I] If so provide evidence.[/B] No I don?t think my disbelief is necessarily the only truth. Just as those who believe may later find that they were all wrong, when I die, I may also find out that I was wrong. Only time will tell. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Welcome to theOtakuBoards [B]UchihaFanGirl[/B], Please be aware that we have a rules page that all members are required to read before posting. These [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"][U]Rules[/U][/URL] and [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][U]FAQ[/U][/URL] can be found on the left navigation menu and the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52331][u]Otaku Lounge Rules[/u][/url] are pinned at the top of the forum. You can also use the underlined links I have just provided. We encourage people to introduce themselves within their posts as they enter discussions throughout the boards. We would rather that than having a ton of introduction threads. For that reason I am going to lock this thread. You may want to read through some of the existing threads to see what is acceptable and what is not. If you really want people to contact you using AIM or other chat methods, a good idea would be to include that information in your signature. That way every time you post people will see it. Also, we have pretty high standards when it comes to the quality of posts (ie: making them well thought out with care given to grammar). When you re-read the rules page it will make more sense to you. If you have any questions please feel free to PM myself or any of the other moderators. ~SunfallE [B]Thread Closed[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Kurayami Oji][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Well, I'd rather live in a big city in Texas, I don't really care which one, probably Dallas, or Houston. But I basically just want to move there because nothing really cool ever happen's where I live now. And there's not a anime convention nowhere near here, and I mean like 100 miles away at the very least. So, yeah, Texas.......... Chuck Norris doesn't sleep.[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]Take it from someone who use to live in Dallas Texas, you definately want Dallas over Houston. If you've ever been there, it's hard to imagine, but Houston is even more humid than Dallas is. :animesigh Besides Dallas has tons of great things going on and if it weren't for the fact that I love living near mountains, I probably would have moved right back. ^_~ As for where I would like to be? If I had a choice I'd live close to YellowStone National park. So long as I have access to the Internet and an indoor swimming pool I'm a happy camper. And if I was close to the park I'd spend all my free time hiking, fishing and all sorts of things along those lines. :catgirl: [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]It seems to me that you could put them in either category. Since you have a section for explaining a bit about your comic you could either put it in the Tokyo Mew Mew category with a brief statement on how the show inspired your fan fictions and the comic is about the fan fictions you wrote. And if the fan fictions are posted elsewhere you could include a link to the said fan fictions. You could do the same if you put it in original anime as well, just note that the comics were inspired by fan fictions you wrote based on the Tokyo Mew Mew series. And again, if the fan fictions are posted elsewhere, provide a link so the viewer can go and check out the fan fictions if they wish. Personally, I would put it in the Tokyo Mew Mew series because the comics are based off of fan fictions of that series. And so long as you include the details surrounding the comic like I mentioned it should be fine. ^_~[/COLOR]