She already knew that it was great boiled, made a great sweetener, and increases heart and respiratory, and circulation. Potentially containing unsubstantial doses of Prozac. She was doing so well in the class. She didn't even have to pay attention as the teacher hit her over the back of her neck with the metal ruler. She didn't feel it, and her friends knew it and giggled. They were so trained in that they didn't feel it anymore. She wondered the day when she could feel her body again and know how the grass felt under feet. She wanted to feel the breeze and know what it was not to be floating outside your body trapped. She didn't want that anymore. But it was better than being a flower designer. Much better. Maybe.

She left the classroom, and walked down the marble floors, the air and ground filled with her kind. Maybe training was next. She wanted to stretch her wings and aloft higher than the others. She listened to the sad music playing in the background, accompanied by a rock band. Literally. The damn same tones of hollow stones rang through the halls as the band played. Their mellow tones made your tan-tien shake inside you like a tennis ball. That's the way things were. That didn't change for shit.

But like all things she made a mistake and that was the end of that. Recently she had a program into her computer, which was actually a bug from a rival hacker. The computer crashed while she was away, and the police found her.

The street was barren except for the occasional shopper. Her gray coat was perfect for the cool weather. Life was good. She had plenty of food. The store had a great new gun in, one that would certainly get good use in her hands. There was a tall male over by the coat store, walking very casually. Several others of his kind escorted him, and they were obviously heavily armed. She could tell, she had the training. The male had blonde hair, picked up some sort of phone, and began to talk cheerfully. He walked over, strolling casually. He looked at Misuka, and smiled an odd grin. Misuka smiled back.

"Hello there, Miss. Might you tell me what street I may be on?"

"Yeah...this is...um..."

The man smiled. He ran his hand over his chin. "Actually I'm here on vacation. What a powerful nation you have here."

Misuka snickered under her breath. "This nation? This planet? Oh come on, we are a bunch of fucking pansies. They all went pacifistic except for the army." Misuka held up her badge for the tall man to see.

"I see. I thought this planet was...um...more hostile..."

"Aw, hell no. Not anymore."

The tall Nordic man smiled, and shook Misuka's hand.

"Thank you. You will never know how much of a help you have been." He smiled a large toothy grin and walked off with his guards into the crowed. Misuka stood there quizzically, wondering what he meant by that.

Misuka bought the gun. Her gun was black, solid. It was beautiful, amazingly. Such power in the hand. You didn't fear shit. You stood there in the mirror posing, watching how your useless self, your loser, ugly self esteem drained away as the gun enhanced you to the point of being the pinnacle of cool. No matter how you held it, it was cool, sexy. She loved it and wouldn't let it go, it was one of the few things she had.

Back at home, her family was being beaten by the police and being asked questions they didn't know the answers to. They didn't know what their daughter did. They were killed for their incompetence. The police moved out, and flew into town, the large swarm of them.

Artieo ran next to Misuka. He was a year older, but that didn't matter. She wanted to stay with him forever. They were so good. It was like the way things functioned like a well-oiled machine, they could work together. He smiled and held up a box. It was intricately carved. It had a small music box inside. There were two Ranecs, in an aerial dance. She smiled.

Time stood still. She could still see the smile, and how the sky darkened with a swarm behind him, and how the flapping was heard, how he turned, and then he turned back and his eyes were wide with fear as his blood fell on Misuka's face body hands. He fell as the bullets ripped his body; they were attempting to get a shot at her, the bitch. Screwing up others computers, their lives. For a living. Kill her. Make her pay. She doesn't deserve that. She was supposed to live in the ghetto her entire life.

I looked at my hands. The blood flecked them like skin spots, and they trembled. I ran. I couldn't see right. The sky spun oddly, and I couldn't see. What had I done? I had hurt those closest to me. It wasn't my family that I cared about, they killed Artieo. He was everything; the only think that kept me happy.

She ran to her ship, and got off the planet. As fast as she could. She was off crying so dishonorably. She was a killer, she deserved to die. She wasn't supposed to live. She was horrible.

It all began of a call over the radio. It was horribly fuzzy and cryptic, and there could be nothing made out of it.

"One...and two...you are under arrest...Two...please respond or we shall be ordered to shoot!!!"

The voice was strange.

"Stop the vessel. Now. Or we will open fire." Misuka turned to the speaker, and regarded it strangely. It was funny looking. It didn't have wings. Maybe an odd-born? No, it was like the one I saw in the market. Maybe he wouldn't notice that I'm covered in my friend's blood?

"We will open fire!!"

But my species didn't attack ships. That wasn't like me.

Misuka walked over to the microphone, and tucked her wings behind her. Her visage appeared over the telecom.

"Yes, I heard you. What do you want?"

The being seemed stunned. Misuka grinned.

"Um...I was not told that a human was running the ship..mam..."

Human. What a strange name.

"Yes. Well..no harm done. I'm just passing through. Continue on." Misuka shut off the screen. What were they doing in their air space? This was their land's space. What was with the ships?

And then she saw. The bright lights as they descended onto her planet and disappeared. They were not here for tea.. She saw the explosion cover the land, and saw the sound rippling through the empty space as the nuclear explosions killed millions.

The blonde man walked swiftly though the ship. He was tall and good-looking by his standards. Yes. What a fine day to take over the galaxy. He would be promoted soon very far up, once there was no more Ranecs to speak of. Thanks to that girl in the market, he would have no problems. Mr. Galzinn looked out the window. A small pearly white ship hovered nearby. He narrowed his eyes. That meant that he had missed some. He pressed the small yellow button for the intercom.

"Yes. Yes. You missed some. Nearby. They should be no threat. Just send out the fighters. They will be no problem. Just kill them all. May god be with you."

Galzinn grinned as the smaller ships pursued.

Misuka couldn't see strait. It was all terribly wrong. That wasn't right. There was nothing she could do, millions gone, and it was her fault. Maybe. She couldn't do anything. What could she have done? She could have done something, as she ran for her life and crashed on one of the nearby moons.

The moon Experella was very lush with plants and generally inhospitable for a species such as the Ranecs whom loved open spaces such as fields. She could repair the ship. How dishonorable. How cowardly. She was a shame, and if her species ever found out that she ran from a battle, she would be shunned.

What the hell? Either way she was screwed. It was go back to a space station to save her own hide, then be found out and imprisoned for cowardice. She could only run. Yes, there had to be another planet where they wouldn't care. And they could tell her about these strange humans.

It was far, far away. Maybe half a years travel. Misuka didn't know, she slept to hide the shame of running from a battle. She wouldn't lose again and maybe they would take her back in as one of their own, maybe. It was a dusty planet with a small rebellion. Against the humans. She joined. There was nothing here except others with painful memories. She didn't stick out. She was one of them. And that was fine for her. She could drown herself in her liquor and not think about it, that was fine. She could grab a beer and sit outside, watching the others with others of their kind. And not have to worry. Sleep. Train, and keep the gun nearby. And maybe luck might come, and maybe she might see her land again. Misuka then remained to mostly herself, not letting herself get pinned down by anyone and just remaining to herself. Maybe one day she would meet someone who would understand what had happened.