A Scripta

I want to slap her upside the head.

Violence solves nothing.

Neither does placating her.

They showed you patience.

Yeah, I blazed the trail so now whatever patience they would have had for her they wasted it on me.

They thought it was worth it.

Why can't she just stop doing stupid stuff?

How did you stop doing "stupid stuff"?

I trust them, all of them. Even Fyre.

It's because she got you out of prison, right?

Don't you start sounding like E.

I'm making sure your loyalty is not because of an obligation.

It's not, all right? She started to trust me again after I earned it. And I need to keep earning it, Jack - Star's not even trying to. She still rushes in. She still doesn't listen. She offers up crazy tactics that no one listens to -

She is an anachronism.

Huh?

She has been locked away for a very, very long time, Nate. Whatever training may still be in her mind is thousands of years old.

Thousands?

The Nictus had just begun scouting Earth for potential and I was one of the very first Kheldians here.

You've told me.

I was here for just under a thousand years and returned to the homeworld to teach others of the Earth and the human art of war. I returned to Earth just as Sparta gained the upper hand during the Peloponnesian War.

I know.

I knew N'shta then. N'shta believes Star is older than her.

She's over 3000 years old, then.

Yes.

They why won't she act it?

Because N'shta is holding back memories of the torture.

Can't she pick and choose which memories? Like when Star was a commander and knew what she was doing?

I believe it's more complicated than that.

She should just let the memories out and let Star deal with it, instead of coddling her. Thad pulled out my memories and I dealt with it. E's got the memories of his hell and deals with it. Most of the time.

It may be because of her Aerian race.

Yeah, okay Em.

Ha.

What do you know about Aerians?

Their joinings are not looked well-upon. It's considered either the highest martyrdom or suicide.

How come?

We can separate and live. They cannot. Aerians are very stubborn and private people.

Stubborn, eh? So that's an excuse for her, that they're Aerians and they're supposed to be stubborn? So it's okay for a stereotype to define them?

No.

Then what's her problem?

You'll have to ask her.

She doesn't freakin' know! And N'shta won't let any of the memories out to tell us!

The memories are there but difficult to assimilate.

What gives N'shta the right to hold them?

She is trying to protect her host. And maybe herself. If their joinings are that close...

What would drive Star mad would drive N'shta over the edge too.

We might lose them both, Nate.

Well, I'm sick of waiting.

You will be responsible for whatever happens.

What's another death on my soul, Jack?