Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

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Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

September 05, 2019, 03:08:17 AM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88, @Triage

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Flying CAP through the Aldean star system was, broadly speaking, a rather dull affair. Six hours was a lengthy period of time to be on patrol, after all, especially without any serious expectation of action. Various Klingon warships and defence stations made the Wolves' job fairly redundant, while Aldean traffic laws and the need to remain inconspicuous limited the Wolves' options for training. As such, more often than not, Lillee found herself in her Valkyrie, simply cruising along at low impulse.

It would have been tolerable if not for the truly bizarre alien who was Lillee's wingmate. After six days, at least, Lillee was starting to decipher the woman's strange accent and dialect, but it was a perpetually bewildering affair. Meony was perfectly understandable when talking about anything flight-related, but when it came to normal pilot banter, they might as well be speaking different languages. Lillee even activated her Universal Translator at one point, hoping that Meony would be more comprehensible in translated Rihannsu than English, but the state-of-the-art computer didn't do much better.

On the sixth day of patrolling, Lillee mused on the irony of how a Federation computer could handle Tholian languages better than English. Today, however, the stars and the heavens seemed to have aligned, because Meony started to make much more sense that usual as their element cruised up to a gas giant on the outer edge of the system. The two women actually had a pleasant conversation as they scanned the gas giant's orbital vicinity, and it provided Lillee with one bit of information that stuck in her mind. Apparently there was a Romulan shuttle down in the shuttlebay, called the "Apache", which was...something. Neither Lillee nor the computer recognised the adjectives or metaphors that Meony used over the comm ("she's hot as a billy goat in a pepper patch"), but they were at least said with cheerful appreciation.

Thus, after landing back on the Theurgy and changing out of her skinsuit into her uniform, Lillee got a quick lunch and then went down to the large shuttlebay. As expected, the Apache was instantly identifiable among the sleek white Starfleet shuttles, but the instant that Lillee saw it, she frowned.

"That is not Rihannsu," Lillee muttered herself as she eyed the large runabout from across the bay. She had been half hoping for the chance to walk on a Rihannsu craft again; after all eight years was a long time to go without being near Rihannsu technology or spacecraft. This thing, however, was clearly something different. Curious, Lillee strode over to the strange craft and then began to walk around it, eyeing it intently with a professional's gaze. The craft certainly had some similarities to a Kestral-class scout ship, and the Danube-class runabouts that the Kestral design was inspired by, but this was...new. It was sleeker, its weapons, sensors and engines more clearly inset into the spaceframe than Federation and Romulan designs, but the vessel itself somehow still appeared more menacing, aggressive.

By that point, Lillee was simply too curious to not explore further. It could be Reman, she supposed, but who had ever heard of the Havrannssu shipwrights developing such a gorgeous runabout? The slaves had their clever moments, but surely a vessel like this was beyond their capabilities, especially after the traitor Shinzon and his ilk had been exterminated. After completing a full circuit of the craft, Lillee noted the open rear door and simply walked in. She might well get in trouble for this, but would anyone really blame her for her curiosity?

Inside, she simply explored, examining the interior with the same fastidiousness with which she'd examined the exterior. Soon enough she got to the large cockpit and Lillee looked around, considering the control surfaces and what they said about the craft's capabilities.

Interesting. It even has a cloaking device...

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #1 – September 05, 2019, 04:34:57 PM

"I hate adjusting power conduits,” Samala thought to herself as she lay in the cramped access tube adjacent to the Apache’s warp core. After all the damage had been corrected, Samala had settled into the unenviable task of adjusting the craft’s power levels. Given the limited power supplied by the core and the demands of the Apache, the lattice network of power conduits had to be adjusted so that that power could be quickly transferred between systems without maximum efficiency. On Bacury III, that process could take multiple hours with a full crew in multiple areas of the ship simultaneously. On her own, Samala hoped that she could complete the task in perhaps 2 days.

“Oh, why won’t you stay balanced?” Samala vented mentally, resisting the urge to hit the wall. She didn’t believe that she could do more damage but why take the chance. She was just about to start again when she felt the presence of an unfamiliar mind approach. She had taken to limiting her ability to sense others to an area just beyond the Apache’s hull. Far enough that she could sense anyone nearby but not so far as to feel minds several decks away. It took a lot of effort at first, but after a few days she could almost do it without thought; almost.

“Who is this?” Samala wondered, following along as they circled the ship, a feeling of curiousity emanating from them. They were female, judging from the texture of what she could female. She could have found out everything about them in an instant but that was more trouble than it was worth. “Better to be patient.”

The hybrid remained unmoving as the mind entered the ship, the sound of the stranger’s feet seeming to echo in Samala’s ears. She waited until whoever they were had passed through to the passageway towards the cockpit before exiting the access tube as quietly as possible. Dropping to the floor like a ghost, Samala picked up a laser cutter that was nearby and stalked after the intruder. She found them in the cockpit staring over the ship’s control surfaces. And she heard the active thought about a cloaking device.

“Touch anything and they’ll never find your body,” Samala threatened from the doorway. “Turn around slowly.”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #2 – September 17, 2019, 12:50:13 AM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

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The sudden threat stiffened Lillee in alarm, inhaling sharply, her hands curling into fists. Very slowly she raised her hands and turned around, her nerves on edge...until she saw the person threatening her.

A teenager. Lillee was being threatened by a teenager. To be sure, the girl was clearly on the cusp of adulthood, but still, she couldn't be older than nineteen! Lillee relaxed, although she kept her hands raised in as non-threatening a position as she could as she assessed the young woman before her..

"You're rather young to be threatening someone with a laser cutter," Lillee commented with an arrogant smile. Her eyes flicked up to the girl's distinctive pointed ears without comment. "I am Petty Officer Lillee t'Jellaieu, a pilot of the Wolves. Is this your vessel, sa-Rihanna?" Keeping her hands up, she glanced pointedly around the small bridge. "It is a remarkable design. I couldn't help but admire it. How did you come across such a craft?"

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #3 – September 22, 2019, 01:15:19 PM

Her arrogance astounded even Samala at that point. Here she was, boarding a ship that was not Romulan, poking about without permission and when confronted, was condescending. Samala had often wondered recently which was worse, Romulan or Starfleet. It seemed when you put the two of them together that you came up with something far worse than either of them individually. It almost defied imagination. And Samala was having none of it.

When the pilot, a purported member of the ship’s fighter squadron took her eyes off of her and looked away, Samala struck swiftly. Moving forward, she seized one of the Romulan female’s arms and stepped into a hip toss, sending the pilot to the Apache’s deck. Before she could gain her bearings, Samala pounced on her, pinning both of Lillee’s arms against her sides with her knees and feet and holding her shoulder down while bringing the laser cutter to her exposed throat.

“The Apache is my ship Romulan,” Samala enunciated, seething in anger. “I helped to build her and you will not steal her secrets for your Tal Shiar masters. I will kill you first. And at this distance, I wouldn’t even need the cutter,” Samala declared, opening her lips to reveal to pronounced canine teeth, and thus, her half-Reman nature. While it was a distasteful thought and action, she had been trained on how to hurt someone with just her teeth.

“So, I would choose your next words very, very carefully Lillee t'Jellaieu,” Samala warned her trapped companion. “Before your squadron ends up with an opening in its ranks.”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #4 – September 25, 2019, 02:53:15 PM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

The attack was so rapid that Lillee didn't even see it. One moment she was standing there, and the next moment she was slammed onto her deck with bruising power. She had barely begun to move when the girl fell on her, trapping her arms with her legs, and Lillee struggled angrily before the laser cutter was brought to her throat. The silent menace of the weapon froze her in place, glaring up at her assailant.

As the girl spoke angrily, Lillee's own fury grew at the presumption, and she struggled again in the girl's powerful body pin before she noticed the teeth. The pointed teeth. The revelation hit Lillee like a torpedo, and the new information cooled her rage at least a little, but it nevertheless stayed, simmering. Her back ached mightily from the force of the impact, and it demanded recompense.

"I am no spy, girl," Lillee hissed back, glaring, her eyes flicking down to the point of the laser cutter at her throat. "If the Tal Shiar ever got me, they'd hang me up on the Imperial Plaza and let the Senators rip out my guts for all to see. I am Starfleet."

Then, her fury reigniting, Lillee grinned with dark daring. "If you want to cut my throat, girl, then do it. Be quick." Lillee angled her head back, exposing her throat. "Come on. Do it. But then, have you thought it through? Are you ready to make an enemy of the Theurgy's crew? Are you ready to become a murderer? If so, cut and get it over with!"

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #5 – October 05, 2019, 03:56:00 PM

“That’s exactly what a spy would say,” Samala mocked thoughtfully when Lillee protested the accusation. She was about to retort when the Romulan continued on, remarking that the Tal Shiar would publicly execute her before declaring her allegiance to Starfleet. And then the Romulan found her backbone and retorted, daring Samala to carry through with her threat before countering with what the ramifications of her actions might be.

“I already am a murderer, Romulan,” Samala seethed, her hand pulling the laser cutter back just a little, lest she flinch. “And not in the nice clean way that Romulans like. No, I spilt the blood with my blade, until my hands were coated in it. Dripping in it,” Samala described, her mind flashing back for a moment to the room at the end of the hallway where she had thought her brother was; where instead she had found a young child. An orphan by her own hand. “I have done many things recently that I never thought that I would. Some I regret, others I do not. Convince me why killing you would be the former, rather than the latter. Why would a Romulan join Starfleet? It is the antithesis of everything that your species represents.”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #6 – October 19, 2019, 05:57:15 PM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

Lillee glared back up at the hybrid, hating the idea of exposing herself thus, but the longer she stayed trapped, the more that common sense prevailed. There was no avoiding it, and the girl did have a point. The added point of the laser cutter was unnecessary, but Lillee forced herself to ignore it, relaxing her body. It was the same principle as when flying; a tense pilot invariably made mistakes that a relaxed pilot wouldn't.

She blew a strand of blonde hair away from her mouth, taking a breath. The girl had to be frightened. Scarred. The Rihannsu and the Havrannsu had a torrid history, and hybrids of the species inevitably got the worst of it.

"Kelhi ar'hunn," she cursed softly, looking up into the hybrid girl's eyes. "I was a soldier in the Star Navy, a pilot of the warbird Sunheart. We were infiltrated by a spy, a Starfleet spy, who posed as our tactical officer. He bedded me, manipulated me, and used my biometrics to gain access to secret technology that we were testing. If the device had been activated, it would have killed billions on both sides of the Neutral Zone."

Lillee's voice was soft, her sharp eyes locked with the hybrid girl's. "I watched the spy murder my captain. He convinced me of the threat. I helped him sabotage the warbird, but the sabotage...something went wrong. The warbird was destroyed when they tried to pursue us. More than 1500 soldiers died because of me. That is why I am a traitress to the Empire. That is why my name was thrice written and burned by the Senate. That is why I am of the Federation now."

Rihannsu - Romulans
Havrannsu - Remans
Kelhi ar'hunn - a slang phrase that roughly translates to the Terran phrase "to Hell with it".

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #7 – November 03, 2019, 10:05:41 AM

Listening to the Romulan speak, Samala opened her mind just a fraction, enough to sense the truth of what the pilot was saying and no more. And to her surprise, everything that the Romulan was saying was true; at least as far as the Romulan believed it to be. That was the funny thing about truths and telepathy. As long as the person believed it to be the truth, the telepath could not and would not detect a lie. But that didn’t mean the whole truth was being told.

“What is up with me?” Samala wondered idlily to herself, her hand pulling the laser cutter back even further as her mind raced. “Why is it so important to me to find out why she joined Starfleet. She is nothing like my brother?”

“What you have said doesn’t make you seem like the smartest Romulan out there,” Samala pointed out with a smirk. “That you allowed a spy to bed you and steal from you makes you seem very unreliable, or, perhaps, complicit. At any rate, you were knowingly working on something that would kill billions. Then you changed your mind and sought to escape. And killed 1500 of your fellow crewmen. Remans would almost call you a hero.”

“But you haven’t yet answered my question,” Samala pointed out, her eyes hardening as she was unable to resist the need to get an answer. “Why, would a Romulan join Starfleet? Escaping certain death is one thing. Joining, that is another.”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #8 – November 05, 2019, 11:39:31 PM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

"There was a war to fight at the time," Lillee muttered reluctantly. "Anyway, I had nowhere else to go. I was a soldier, a combat pilot." She paused, then sighed. "Besides, Starfleet are not what Rihannsu propaganda say they are. It's true that they are foolish and soft. They're...sentimental. I will never comprehend their obsession on exploring every patch of space in their view. It was Starfleet's reckless exploration that unleashed the Borg and the Dominion upon us all, yet they never learned their lesson."

She rolled her shoulders uncomfortably in Samala's thigh lock, then quite against her will, Lillee smiled wistfully. "Even with all that, they are noble. They are bright and optimistic. They serve a higher calling than fighting for an empire. They are good people. It is easy to get swept up in their nobility."

By now, Lillee's back was starting to ache mightily at being pressed upon the metal deck plating. She tried to stretch a little, but the weight of the hybrid girl upon her was suffocating, even if the laser cutter was drifting away as the girl relaxed.

Enough!

Lillee rolled back on her shoulders, elevating her legs and her buttocks high, stretching as much as she could until she seized Samala's head with her shins. "URGH!" she cried explosively as she unfurled her body in a single powerful motion, thrusting her legs back and throwing Samala away, sending the hybrid head-first through the air. Lillee was up on her feet in a heartbeat, her hands held out to defend herself.

"Peace!" she shouted at the girl. "Peace. I shall not report your assault if you do not report my trespass. Is that fair?"

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #9 – November 20, 2019, 12:20:18 AM

"There is always a war to fight when it comes to the Romulans!” Samala wanted to scream, knowing from experience that if the pilot’s former brethren didn’t have an enemy that was easy to see, they sought one out no matter where they looked. She had to agree though that Starfleet also had its faults. Chiefly, the one that Lillee had pointed out; their need to explore and understand everything that they could see. And when they understood all of that, they looked even further afield. She didn’t agree about them unleashing both the Borg and the Dominion; both of those would have happened eventually. Starfleet had just hastened the meeting, for better or worse.

And then Lillee’s tone changed and Samala refocused on her captive and listened as the Romulan began to extoll about virtues. And Samala was forced to admit, if only to herself, that she had seen these very same traits in the short time that she had been aboard. She had confirmed what her brother had said about the day they had been rescued. They hadn’t needed to rescue them; could easily have left them to die but they hadn’t. And she had judged them unfairly. Perhaps it was time to look at them with clear eyes?

Samala’s pondering was interrupted by the Romulan beneath her bucking her off. The hybrid had let her attention drift and the pilot had seized the opportunity to free herself. Rolling backwards, both to put distance between herself and the Romulan and to block the door, Samala rose to her feet and stared at the pilot, listening to the bargain she was offered. Silence for silence. Thinking quickly, Samala reasoned that it was a good deal. While she was confident that she could defeat Lillee, the aftermath of the engagement, no matter the results, would not do Samala any favours.

“Acceptable,” Samala said simply, tilting her head slowly to the side as another thought occurred to her. “This ship and the people on it are declared traitors and renegades. Why stay when it would be easier to disappear and survive on your own? Or turn them in to Starfleet and the Federation for justice?”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #10 – November 25, 2019, 12:25:51 AM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

Content that the hybrid wouldn't attack again, Lillee stretched her aching back. wincing. If not for the youth's age, she would've been deeply annoyed...and hell, she was annoyed anyway. Her back truly hurt. Still, there was no use yielding to that annoyance now.

And really, the girl asked a very good question.

"Why?" Lillee repeated, her tone uncertain. She sighed, even smiling ruefully as she spun the pilot's chair around and sat down, facing the stranger. "That would be the safer choice, would it not? Take a shuttle, fly to a starbase and report everything, or at least just fly away and hide. I have considered it. I think that most have. This mission is suicidal, insane, and almost guaranteed to fail. We are but one starship against all of Starfleet. It is madness."

She paused, reclining back in the seat to soothe her backache. "Even so, this mission is real. There is proof of it. Monsters control Earth. They could even control Romulus, for all we know. It would explain some things, like why the warbird I was assigned to was conducting such dangerous experiments in the Neutral Zone when those experiments could start a war with the Federation. It would explain why the Empire is in such chaos right now."

Lillee frowned in realisation, her eyes flicking down to the girl. "They could even have infiltrated the Remans. It's not out of the question. Even here, on this vessel, one of the beasts was a senior officer for months, the chief doctor. The man operated me after recovering me from stasis, and later he...he removed some scars." She shuddered, her hands clenching into fists. "I lay on the biobed as he worked. I can't...I can't even imagine what the beast was tempted to do, with me so exposed, with us alone in Sickbay. And I had no idea! He just seemed so charming and kind, a perfect gentleman!"

Lillee took a purposeful breath. "So why? Because knowing the truth, any other choice is cowardice. I could run, I know. I might even be able to reach Earth, recover my children and flee Federation space, but I would never be able to look my children in the eye again. This battle, this war, this must be fought. That is the simple truth. I will do whatever I have to to ensure that the galaxy is a better place for my children, no matter what I must do, and that means winning this war.."

Then Lillee leaned forward, making eye contact with the girl. "I don't know your name sa-Rihanna, but if you have any sense of duty, if you care for anyone besides yourself, then this is your war too."

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #11 – December 08, 2019, 03:01:27 PM

The sight of the Romulan sitting in the Apache’s pilot’s seat, her seat, almost made Samala want to change her mind and return to spilling her green blood across the black deck. But she had asked a question and Lillee was answering it, so she stayed her hand and listened to why the Romulan kept her word and went against her species’ traits. And it was quite the tale.

“Monsters controlling Earth, apparently quietly infiltrating it so that no one would be the wiser. Sounds like some sort of holonovel,” Samala mused, not believing what she was hearing. But the notion, the idea that the Romulan might be right wouldn’t leave her. Samala couldn’t think up a reason why everyone on this ship would do what they have done so far and still be willing to go on. The personal coast to them, their families; what could make a crew so loyal as to put all of that in danger. And continue to do so when there were other options available.

“I have a duty to free my Reman brothers and sisters. So, I’ll decide what war I get into, Romulan,” Samala declared, her voice taking on an edge at being told how she should feel. “My name is Samala, and you, are in my seat.”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #12 – December 17, 2019, 03:16:25 AM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

"Well met, Samala," Lillee said politely, briefly bowing her head. Knowing better than to provoke the girl further, she stood and moved slowly to the side of the runabout, her hands open and non-threatening. Flying through a Borg cube in a Valkyrie was one thing, but dealing with an angry (and armed) postpubescent killer was quite another. Offhand she wondered if Samala had a talent for telepathy, as some Remans did. It was an unpleasant thought. Lillee hadn't much enjoyed Drauc plumbing her mind, even if there had been no intent to violate.

Still, it was time to go. As much as Lillee wanted to examine the Reman craft and its intriguing design, her presence was clearly unwelcome. "I take my leave," Lillee said softly, moving to towards the exit, but she paused as she reached the ramp, then sighed as she looked back. "I do not know what has transpired to make you hate my kind so, but please know that I have done nothing to you or Remankind. We had no slaves on my world when I grew up, nor did I use slave services on Romulus while training. The entire concept is abhorrent. I am glad that your kin are fighting for freedom."

She smiled weakly, then winced at a jolt of pain through her back. Her next stop would be Sickbay, apparently. "For what it is worth...I know that many Rihannsu have silly ideas about racial purity. I do not share those views. My own children are half-human, so I will not discriminate against you, sa-Rih...Samala. Perhaps that bears no weight, if you hate me so for my species, but...it is said."

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #13 – January 07, 2020, 02:57:42 PM

Samala kept her gaze fixed on the Romulan pilot as Lillee edged past her and headed back down the passageway. The Starfleet officer kept her movements slow and obvious, her hands in sight at all times so that Samala could not justify assaulting her. Of course, she was a Romulan that Samala didn’t trust, which to her was almost enough cause to open her throat to the air they were both breathing but that would not be helpful right now if Samala wanted to be able to leave the ship when the Apache was repaired.

Lillee speaking again brought Samala out of her murderous reverie and back to the present and the hybrid listened as the pilot spoke. Her words almost made Samala reconsider her opinion that killing now would be a hinderance. Surely removing someone, a Romulan even, that couldn’t understand why a Reman would hate a Romulan, would be a benefit to everyone. What else could this pilot misjudge?

“I don’t hate all Romulans,” Samala declared, glaring at the pilot as if she was the fool she spoke like. “How could I? My own mother was Romulan and I loved her dearly. I only hate those Romulans that I do not trust. Like those that killed my mother,” Samala revealed. “And it doesn’t matter if your children are hybrids or whether you have or used Reman slaves. What matters is that even though you are ‘glad’ that we Remans are fighting for our freedom, you have don’t nothing to help. Instead you joined the people that subjugate us.”

“You wish for me to stay and fight for the survival of your people. Why should I do that when you wouldn’t even fight for the survival of mine?” Samala wondered, her voice hardening. Her anger was rising and she knew that if she stayed around this woman then one of them was going to end up very bloody. “Now, if that was all, I have work to do and you are interrupting it.”

Re: Day 06 [1410 hrs.] "What Course Shall We Set?"

Reply #14 – January 18, 2020, 03:06:00 PM

[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Main Shuttlebay | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Stegro88

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Lillee knew better than to say anything more. She didn't even know what to say, It was deeply off-putting to actually meet a hybrid, a child of a slave. Samala was so rebellious, so lacking of deferrence to her superior, so different to what one might expect given her heritage. Few Romulans liked to think about that dark aspect of the Empire, after all. It was all neatly set aside, far from the gleaming cities on the capital or the countless beautiful worlds that made up the Empire. How did one deal with someone who despised Romulans so much? And with such good reason?

The answer was logical, if irritating: it wasn't Lillee's place to do so. Thus she simply left the shuttlecraft, walking (and not quickly either, no need to appear to be fleeing) past the other shuttles to the bay exit. Her back ached, but nevertheless, Lillee's thoughts were disturbed. She was annoyed by the girl's unthinking threat; what kind of fool needlessly attacked someone like that? But her reasons, her past...what was a girl like that even doing on the Theurgy? Why stay?

If she hated Romulans so much, could Samala hunt her down in the days to come? Walking to Sickbay, that thought burned Lillee's blood. It was, she was forced to admit, not impossible. The girl was on a hair trigger. It would be insane, and she'd be caught, but it would hardly matter if Lillee was dead by then.

No. Avoid the fool girl and continue about life. With luck, nothing more would come of the incident. If not...well, Lillee would simply have to sleep with a dagger. Just to be sure.

- FIN