“Well you’re bigger, tougher, meaner, rougher. Dirtier and uglier and sneakier and trickier,
You wanna shoot me with a gun, cut me with a knife.
Take your bare hands baby rip out my eyes. You knocked me to the floor then you bit me in the neck.
Well, hit me again cause I’m not dead yet.”
– Styx, “Not Dead Yet”

11.6.yc119 J123746 < D-C00206 < D-R00021

((OOC: Sorry for the long delay between updates. It’s summer time now, at last, and hopefully that means real life commitments will ease up and give me some time to post a little more often. I’m going go for at least once a month updates, if nothing else.))

“Katia, that makes your six-thousandth system explored”, Aura stated in her monotone voice then paused. “and you are not dead yet.”

I raised an eyebrow at Chester, my slaver hound, who only looked at me with indifferent eyes, while his head rest between his massive paws spread out in front of him laying down on the cabin floor. I continued to stare, which only provoked him to raise his head, with what seemed like a smile on his face, until he realized there was no treat involved from my look.

Dumbfounded, I replied, “Aura, are you developing a sense of humor?”

“Developing would imply growth, evolving, a period of time to study and become better at a given task.” Aura continued in her iterative explanation. “I assure you, I need no such process.”

I chuckled, mostly to myself, even though Chester cocked his head, dropping his jaw into a pant, in anticipation that a treat was forthcoming.

“Katia? I fail to see the humor in your reaction.”

“Exactly!” I proclaimed. “Which tells me all I need to know.”

“Katia, if I may…” Aura persisisted.

“No, you may not.” I grinned as I knew if I didn’t stop her now, she would never cease to explain. “Six-thousandth system, huh? I guess this does call for a celebration.”

Now it was Chester’s turn to raise an eyebrow my way as I reached in a drawer behind me and tossed him treat.

“Congratulations Chester, we’re not dead yet.”