Dana's Journey

She felt cold as she huddled out of the rain. Pulling her jacket tighter around her waist she shivered. She knew she was underdressed for this type of weather, but hopefully she would be out of it soon, she thought to herself. She fidgeted as her eyes scanned the crowd that managed to press into this place despite the weather.
Dana Malestrom was looking for someone she'd never met, a complete stranger, but someone like her. Someone she knew should be here. Someone who would help. Someone else in her clan. It amazed her how the rain barely slowed things down. 'It must rain here a lot,' she mused as she watched an old man on a bicycle threading his way through the chaos. A young man passed her, carting his luggage, eyes wide at the scene, he looked fresh from the frontier. She wondered how long he'd last.
Eventually her eyes fell upon a figure across the way, sheltering under an overhang where he could survey the entire docks, a position similar to her own. Soon he looked at her. His smooth face bore the tattoo of the Dragons. He was an ally. His jaded eyes lingered on her for a second, then resumed their vigil.

Relying on her kinsmen was the last thing she pictured herself doing when she set foot on Osirsis six months ago. She allowed herself a small chuckle as she thought of the day she stepped off of the transport into the bright sun. In retrospect, she must have looked like that young farm-boy that just passed. For a moment she was there on that day, the cleanliness of a core world, the affluence. She had run away from home to make a name for herself, to find her place in the 'Verse, to prove that she could be more than merely her father's daughter. Of course it wasn't long before she was just another beggar haunting the fringes of the black-out zone, living hand to mouth.

Crossing the square towards the stranger whom she hoped would soon become her savior, she reflected on what a menacing countenance could do for maintaining respect and obedience. The Dragons have always assisted with trade on the border worlds, and the rim, finding suppliers for the merchants, and merchants for the buyers. Facilitators for those that might not be able to establish their own client base, willing to look beyond the tight restrictions that the Alliance might impose upon free trade. As she moved forward she felt the dizziness return, for a moment, then subside. 'Not now, please not now' she thought as she paused to regain her balance.

Asa glanced at Dana as she paused in the throng, his face impassive. She obviously presented only a minor threat, if any at all. Her stance betrayed that she had martial training, but her mind was clearly dealing with some internal conflict, some force within her that she was suppressing. As she came closer he hoped it was not contagious. Watching her approach he kept his expression unmoving, and when she made eye contact he was as still as a statue. Dana made a small gesture with her fingers, then pulled back her left sleeve, enough to show the small tattoo on her fore-arm. Asa's eyes shot to Dana's forearm for a second, then he nodded and spoke into his comm-link. Another Dragon would soon arrive to take up his vigil. Asa took off his jacket and draped it over the shoulders of the soaked, shivering young girl. The young girl who bore the mark of a lord. They left the New Baltimore Docks, and the appalling weather.

The word on Osiris was that a quick way to make some silver was to give blood at the local clinic. Soon it became routine, and Dana visited as often as they would allow her. After a few weeks, a friendly man appeared at the clinic and talked to Dana as she was hooked up to the IV. He informed Dana that the Medical Academy was looking for subjects for an upcoming study, most of which were probably going to be a control group, simply housed and fed in their luxurious facility, and treated the same as the real test subjects. It meant three weeks of a clean bed, hot showers and warm meals, in addition to pay. "That's right," the researcher informed Dana as his eyes lingered on Dana's forearm, "we'll pay you to simply be our guest for a few weeks." It was an offer Dana couldn't refuse. And now, while soaking in her first hot bath since leaving Osiris, she was convinced that it was the smartest choice she had made in her life.
The time in the clinic was pleasant enough, she had a room with a bit of a view of downtown, there was a cortex server and a gym. The meals weren't bad either, all she had to put up with, after the initial examination, was a series of injections and the constant monitoring. Oh, and the sessions.
Dr Miles was this nice woman that met with Dana every afternoon to talk. Dr Miles explained that the sessions were to see how subjects responded to the drugs they received, so she patiently but persistently bombarded Dana with questions to establish a 'baseline', although they didn't seem to be about her health. "Where did you grow up? Did you have any close friends as a child? What kind of activities did you excel at? What was your favorite class in school?" At first Dana was reluctant to reveal much about herself, but Dr Miles did not press when Dana did not want to respond, and she put Dana at ease with her easy and relaxed manor, so unlike most doctors.
Eventually Dr Miles broke through the shell, and Dana opened up, telling about the pressure to be strong like her father because someday she would have to take over for him, and how it seemed like her whole life was planned out for her, and she had to run away. She only mentioned that she felt she had to leave the family home on Newhall. The island they lived on was too confining, she said.
She never mentioned the fact that her father had built an empire in the underworld of the Hera system, using the chaos after the war to establish business connections with some of the seedier purveyors of contraband, drugs and slaves. He would make an offer, and if they refused, they would find something they cherished 'accidentally' destroyed, or, if there was someone else willing to cooperate operating in the same market, the accident might be of a more personal and permanent nature.
Dana always did like the times they brushed on genetics in school, and she pretended that biology was her favorite class, even though she would often stare out the window waiting to get out of there, and to the dojo. Dr Miles seemed quite happy to talk about the test Dana was involved in, and everything she mentioned about it always left Dana asking more questions. Dana came to learn that the Medical Academy was experimenting with encoding a person's genetic sequence, their DNA with information that could be retrieved later. The process would only re-sequence a small portion of the genetic code, but it was of a temporary nature. After a few weeks, the natural genetic code would reform. What would be encoded? Well, all sorts of things, possible genetic mutations, for example, or data that could be moved from one place to another without detection by the most sophisticated scanning devices. A single drop of blood to the receiving party, before the encoded information degrades, and the message is delivered. Dana never thought to look at the explanations she was given with a critical eye. This was the Medical Academy, at the cutting edge of science, and people like Dr Miles wore white smocks and spoke with authority about such things. Besides, why would such a nice lady lie to her anyways?
When the three weeks were up, she was taken to an office where Dr Yoshikawa, the man that found her at the blood bank told her the experiment was a success. He marveled at Dana's youthful stamina and the compatibility of Dana's genetic code to the technique they were refining. He also asked if Dana had any plans after leaving the clinic, and if she might consider 'field testing' the process. He offered more pay, and a comfortable berth on a passenger ship to the frontier. She would, if she desired be given a round trip ticket.
Dana accepted the offer.
As she was being prepped to receive the injection that would begin to alter her genetic code, Dana was given a lot of forms to sign. Non-disclosure forms, hold-harmless forms, the list went on. In the process of dealing with the paperwork, Dr Yoshikawa left Dana alone in his office with a tablet containing her file. She snuck a peek. The code they were imposing on her own was a template for enhanced human abilities. If she understood things correctly, an embryo treated with this code would grow up to be more than human. This was big. Why they were sending her to the rim with this template printed in every cell of her body, she had no idea, but it was clear that this was no simple experiment. She immediately thought of her father, and how proud he would be if she presented him with this.
As she was packing what few items she owned for the journey, she was supprised by a visit to her room by Dr Miles, who wished her a safe trip. As she was leaving, she discretely placed a slip of paper in Dana's hand. It contained a cortex address and the simple message "Call me!" She stuffed it into her pack and quickly forgot about it.
The trip on the transport was uneventful, Dana spent her days working out and planning how to jump ship and get home to Newhall. A dizzyness would sweep over from time to time, causing her to stumble on the treadmill, or stop her kicking the punching bag. She suspected there would be a welcoming committee on Beylix, and wondered what they needed uber-men for on that god-forsaken rock. Jumping ship was merely a matter of walking down the gangway when it made it's first stop on Jiangyn. She cursed at the rain as she disappeared into the crowd of the New Baltimore Docks.


"I hope you're comfortable in there, I've got some dry clothes about your size coming, my sister Kamiko is on her way." Asa said from outside the door. Asa was an up and coming Dragon, at 25 he had already become in charge of the New Baltimore docks, a responsibility he took very seriously. Asa wasn't directly related to the head of the Jiangyn Dragons, the mark on his face there as a constant reminder of his oath of loyalty. He had to be sure that whomever this young thing soaking in his tub was, she would speak highly of his courtesy and professionalism.
Dana eventually emerged, sheepishly wearing Kamiko's sweats. Asa smiled as the two girls explored his kitchen, and as they found it only contained tea, he suggested a delivery. After a warm meal and a cup of sake, Asa patiently waited for Dana to tell her story.
Dana explained that she carried within her something very important, something that would give the Dragons a great advantage, and she needed contact her father, Heir Maelstrom. Asa arraigned a
secure wave, and as Asa and Kamiko watched, Dana was reunited with Heir via video link. Heir expressed gratitude to Asa, the finder of his wayward daughter, and asked him to find quiet transport for her back home to Newhall.
Asa was so excited about the opportunity to please a Dragon lord from the border worlds, that he enthusiastically found a ship and made the arrangements using an admirable level of discretion. When everything was set, he came home and informed Dana and her new friend, Kamiko, of her itinerary.
What nobody in Asa's apartment knew, however, was that Kamiko's new boyfriend was a member of a rival gang, the Tigers, and the new bracelet he had given Kamiko was in fact a listening device.

The journey from Jiangyn to Paquin aboard the cargo boat Ophelia was quiet and unremarkable. It isn't until Dana is repacking her belongings as the boat is nearing the rendezvous for the final leg of her journey, that Dana came across Dr Miles's note and cortex addy. Using a private terminal that Captain Able kindly provided, she contacted the good doctor. Dana was pleased to see Dr Miles face again, but the happiness soon faded.
"I had hoped you would have contacted me much sooner, there isn't much time. You must come see me at once! Lives are at stake! Your life is at stake! What you are carrying is very dangerous, and the academy and Dr Yoshikawa have misled you!" The doctor's words confused and alarmed Dana. "Thank the heavens you are returning to the Border worlds, before you go home, you must see me. I will make my way to Beaumonde, contact me at this address when you are near, it is very important that you see me!"
The conversation is cut short as the link is severed, stuffing the paper in her pocket, she emerges from the Captain's cabin to find the crew in a high state of anxiety. They are being followed, and the other ship is demanding Ophelia to power down and hand over their passenger. "Me?" she asks no one in particular, as Captain Able orders a hard burn. Bracing herself from the sudden acceleration, Dana reaches for the closest hand-hold, a latch to an escape-pod hatch.