Seeing the familiar outcropping of boulders jutting up from the notum rich ground as if they were reaching to embrace her, filled her with calm. She’d been coming here, to her sanctuary, since childhood. Back then it had been a remote location; now the area was littered by cities.
To the casual observer this outcropping of rocks were no different than the countless others found all over Rubi-ka. Should someone with a critical eye have taken notice, they would have observed that it was smaller than most and formed a perfect circle. They may also have heard the peaceful sounds of the cascading waterfall hidden within. Should they have explored further, they would have discovered that nestled protectively inside was a small island of warm notum sand enveloped by the cool water from the waterfall feed by a natural spring.
She’d spent countless hours laying on this tiny island soaking up the warmth of the notum sand and lost in the peaceful sounds of the waterfall. However, this was not where she intended to spend the night - well not exactly. As she crested the peak of the outcropping she headed directly toward the waterfall in what appeared a suicide dive. Prior to piercing the waterfall, she cancelled the Phasefront Banshee nanoprogram and was unceremoniously disembarked. She found herself slightly wet, but on the underside of the falls, and her destination. It was as she remembered - a small cozy cave, fragrant with the mingled smells of spicy notum and fresh spring feed water. Soon, too soon, it would be plunged in darkness, so she needed to hurry. Doing her best to cover her tracks she headed to the furthest corner. Here she knelt down beneath an overhang and began to dig in earnest. She was so intent with her digging she failed to see the leet her activity had attracted before it was too late.
She was startled from her task when she heard “Lub j00! Lub j00! Lub j00!” being chirped behind her.
She whirled around and blasted off a round of DOTs before she realized what she was attacking.
The leet yelped in pain and took off.
“Damn it!” She cursed and began tracking the animal.
Leets are harmless creatures found only on Rubi-ka unlike some of the pest that had been imported to the planet. Leets however were annoying. They multiplied rapidly and would mimic anything they heard.
When she found the leet, it was pitifully saying “Dam nit” and close to dying. She cast the needed programs restoring the leet back to full health. The creature shook itself, looked at her with its huge soulful eyes, blinked once, said “Lub j00 Dam nit!” then took off.
Cursing under her breath she headed back to finish what she'd started. She tried once again to cover her tracks, but the Suns had now set making it impossible to see. She was tempted use a light source, but felt it best not to. No telling what else she'd attract. Fuming at herself for letting her guard down, she focused once again on completing her task. This time she was more diligent on watching her back. "Try that again Mr. Leet and I'll barbeque you and eat you for dinner." She growled.
Subject: Chapter Ten: Lub j00 Dam nit! 
Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:54 pm
