Day 12: 6065 (9401 book/126,486 total)

The count is good enough considering what a lousy day it was other wise. Chances are good that I'll drop out of NaNo by the end of next week. Real life is going to take a drastic change about then, and I really don't see how I'll have the push to do something fun like NaNo. We'll see.

Here is today's stuff:

Zerod took the first path that headed toward the compound. It did not go straight, unfortunately, and he found himself in the dark depths of some overgrown garden. Catrina Park, the sign had said, dedicated to the woman who had been the founder of the first colony, and for whom the entire world had been named. She had not been a Felisa, but she married one when he arrived a few years later. They'd done well. The world had not looked to be so promising, so they built their empire outward from it, and made Catrina the hub of activity. Most of the first generation they'd mined the lesser worlds nearby and built up supplies of minerals and metals that new settlements needed.

Profitable and wise.

Other companies had come later to the fringe. It was wide enough that for five generations they didn't do more than barb at each other on Newsline, or try to out maneuver the other in some deal. It was only in the last twenty years that things had gotten darker, and the new generation of owners was greedier than the previous groups.

Soulless, Zerod thought, trudging down the path, trying to ignore the ache in his hip and how he couldn’t clearly see where he was going. He stayed to the path. He could feel how people traveled along here every day, none of them worried about the huge trees that stood over them.

Sounds came from those trees. Birds and things, he supposed. The world was earth-like enough that they probably imported a number of such creatures. People tended to like them. He didn't know why. He'd even seen some on occasional domed colonies. Maybe it was just that primal instinct to have something from the Mother World that tied them back to her.

He didn't know. He didn't feel it.

The trees parted and he was within a few steps of the compound. The guards were on duty. He had no more trouble getting past them this time than he had the first time. He had the pass, and even if they looked at him oddly, they didn't question it.

He hiked up the hill, cursing silently. He wanted to get back to the ruins. He wanted to see if he could pick up anything of whoever had tried to kill him. It might be a quick end to this case. And then he could get on a ship and go back to Desmona Prime, stay in his apartment and read, and hope not to have another case for a year or more.

There was already someone up by the ruins. She stood by the barrier controls, slightly illuminated by the rest of the building that curved in a slight circle around them.

He could tell Cailin wasn't pleased to see him before he even got close enough to feel it.

"Are you stupid?" she said.

"That's not something I can judge."

"Well then, let me tell you -- you are an idiot. You shouldn't even be out of the hospital. When the gate guards said you were walking up here, I thought they were crazy."

"Crazy was not the question. Stupid was."

"Excellent point. I'll add crazy. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I want answers," he said. He looked into her face and saw just a slight softening of her anger. "I want to know who did this, and why. I can't learn that in the hospital. Besides, it's not wise to stay there, knowing someone is trying to kill me. You should contact your guards and tell them to go home."

She started to say something, and then stopped and grabbed out her commlink, glaring at him again -- though that passed to something closer to humor.