Chapter 16: Trial Stars

Cattia Romana Prepells and Dana Withers traveled together, but even this was but a brittle peace. No matter where Cattia went, Dana would always be one step behind, watching her like a spider watches its prey struggling. Dana’s grayish-blue eyes were like pools of water during a violent storm, and her gaze was no less thunderous. She kept a stony face as she followed Cat, and never once did she falter behind. In a way, her dedication was admirable, but the way she watched over Cattia was anything but friendly.

Put simply, Dana trusted starving dogs to watch over a slab of steak over trusting Cattia’s words. Dana had heard enough from Cat’s records to detest the woman: not just because she had supposedly been responsible for the death of twenty-three people, but also for the fact that she had actually denied this charge, plus she even had the gall to come to Dana and the others with a job offering! The sheer nerve of the blonde woman was mind-numbing!

Besides, deep down inside, Dana just plain didn’t like Cattia. She was either too sultry and flirty, or else too tomboyish and rough. She was a most violent mix of manly strength and womanly charms; she was sneaky and quick, fast to get out of a tight situation, and faster still to escape the law. She dressed scantily and had the pride of the devil, and to top it all off, no one could ever tell whether she was telling big lies or small lies (no truth came out of her mouth).

Cattia, however, secretly liked Dana. Of course, there was plenty of discord in her eyes as well, and oftentimes Dana was far from loveable, but Cattia had a special sense about her that enabled her to see the good in any person, or at least those she knew well enough. Dana was actually a lot like her: strong, independent, unpredictable, sly, quick, uncontrollable while remaining in control, and obviously pretty to the eyes as well. Unfortunately, there was no chance of Cattia ever convincing Dana of the truth about herself, so for the moment, the girls held a brittle and bitter peace.

Cattia and Dana rented a taxi, wherein Dana asked to go to the only place she truly felt safe on the world. The cabbie was reluctant to travel outside the city limits, but after a little bit of monetary persuasion, he instantly sped away and wished the city good day. During the long cab ride, Cattia tried speaking to Dana, but the woman had deafened herself to everything except the cab’s brakes.

“We’re here!” shouted the driver as they stopped. “I guess you girls’re runnin’ away from somethin’ or else somebody’s after you.”

“Sort of,” shrugged Cattia. “So what’s the damage?”

“Two-K.” Cattia dug into her pocket and pulled out two 1000-unit notes, and handed them each to the driver. An extra hundred came along with them, for “your troubles”, she claimed. The cabbie whistled at the smaller amount and waved farewell to the woman.

“None of my business,” he said as he leafed through his pay, “but you girls aren’t gonna go in that forest for anything ... uh ... well... ‘intimate’, are ya?!” Cattia gave the lewd driver a flat smile, but Dana’s response was anything but cordial. She grabbed the poor man by the collar and nearly stuffed her face into his own.

“What kind of sick, twisted idea is that anyway, huh?!” she snarled. “What makes you think I even like this girl?! For all you know, I could be a cop whose vehicle broke down, and I’m takin’ this girl to the station!”

“Yikes, sorry!“ moaned the driver. “I’m just kiddin’ around! Yeesh!” With a final sigh, the driver pedaled away, leaving Dana and Cattia only a few meters away from Sayrah’s Holy Forest--which was, by all means, one of the safest places on Earth.

“I know how you feel,” muttered Cattia after hearing Dana groan about the driver’s unnecessary question. Dana replied with a fiery-hot stare and an equally scalding snarl.

“Shut up,” she hissed. Without another sound--at least one louder than a muttered grumble--Dana stormed into the forest with Cattia on her tail. The scarred blonde merely sighed and shrugged in defeat as she followed the older woman.

“Oh well,” she sighed. “So much for breaking the ice.”

Dana barely remembered how to get to Sayrah’s lair, but the woods were so holy and safe that there was no concern for danger. Even with Cattia behind her, Dana truly felt like she could receive no harm in the woods, and even lightened her attitude. Her smile and easy pace was soon eliminated as Cattia joined her.

“Withers...” Dana ignored the other woman’s attempt at conversation, and slowed down slightly so she could once again keep an eye on the Cat. The blonde let out a groan, but otherwise continued her journey.

“Fine, don’t talk with me,” she sighed. “Just tell me if I’m going the right way.”

“Go straight,” growled Dana, and apparently, that was all Cattia needed to know. The two women waded deeper and deeper into the forest, until after a few minutes of exploring, they came across a clearing and were once again in the presence of the ethereal and muscial Eternenenite, Sayrah A.D. Ancravienetta. Still as tall, wispy, mysterious, and gentle as ever, Sayrah extended four of her sixteen arms in a warm greeting, and smiled a little broader as she recognized Dana.

“Oh, my dear child,” she sang, “whatever brings you back to these woods?” Sighing, for Dana felt as if even she herself was unworthy to be in such a place, the brunette aimed her arm towards Cattia and tried her best to explain everything.

“This woman here,” she answered. “Cattia Romana Prepells, the Space Cat. She’s responsible for the deaths of over twenty people, and she’s also wanted on resisting arrest and several other minor felonies like smuggling. She claims to have some kind of information about this System or Project or whatever it was...”

“System GOLGOTHA,” muttered Cattia. Dana curtly nodded her head.

“Yeah, whatever it was. Anyway, she claims that she’ll be able to uncover the rest of the information soon, but she’s waiting for an accomplice of hers to arrive. In the meantime, I sort of volunteered to keep an eye on her.” A pause separated Dana’s speech from Sayrah’s.

“ ... I see,” she whispered. Sayrah turned her focus towards Cattia, who would’ve felt instantly at ease from her gaze if there wasn’t so much inner turmoil eating at her. Sayrah tilted her head questionably and seemed to peer directly into Cat’s soul.

“ ... Mass slaughter is indeed a heinous crime,” she whispered gently. “ ... Not only are the families of the dead sent into sorrow, but perhaps the killers themselves are stricken with pain as well.” Dana snorted at the song but remained silent; Cattia seemed more bewildered than comforted. Sayrah saw this confusion and gave a sweet, comforting smile.

“Perhaps it would suit you to tell me your story, child,” sang Sayrah. “I may be a little young, but I am still renowned for my sound judgment. Maybe you will be able to convince me of your innocence.”

“Good luck,” snorted Dana sarcastically. “Miss Sayrah, no offense on your part, but I don’t think it’s wise to listen to this butcher.”

“You of all people should not be so hasty to swing a gavel,” replied the Eternenenite coolly. “After all, have you not been involved with illegal activities in the past?” Dana instantly paled and stuttered, but could do nothing to save herself from the accusation. With her point now across, Sayrah smiled back down on Cattia and urged the young woman to tell her side of the story. Slowly, the Space Cat took a deep breath, raised her head so she was eye-to-eye with Sayrah, and began her story.

“To begin with, I was involved in an accident on Earth with a pilot training school when I was only eleven years old, right after I got my piloting license. Before that, I traveled on smuggling ships with parents. One of the engines that I was working on was rigged with explosives. When I tampered with it, it blew. I tried to run and warn someone about the explosives, but I was caught in the blast and as a result, I received several burns and this cut across my face from a flying engine part. It’s true that there were 23 deaths, and over 62 injuries, but ... I didn’t do it!

“Of course, human nature knows no innocents. I was blamed for the disaster and had a bounty put on my head. After a daring escape, I fled to Saturn Space Station 02 after... ‘borrowing’ my father’s ship. I’ve been living one step ahead of the law ever since, and even though I wasn’t the cause of that accident ... I was still ... I was still ... I...”