Journal and locket

Dear journal,

It is the twenty third of august which marks my fifth year in this backwards town. Next month this time is what the town thinks is my twenty first birthday. Oh, if only they knew that “Paul” was three years older than they think they would not be congratulating me on my reaching adulthood quite so much. Sadly since Dr. carver passed from a stroke these two years past I have been fulfilling his duties to the town. The difference shows though. I know nothing about the plants in the wilds of this forgotten colony and as such am unable to replenish our dwindling medicines. How a man of Dr. Carver’s caliber ended up in this god forsaken pirate run town I will never know. I do my best but I was always better with the animals rather than working with the people. Last night Peter Sr. our main wheat farmer passed from a severe heart attack. While I was able to arrive in time to perform cpr I was not able to do more than delay the inevitable. Then as I write this I am also preparing to attempt to run back into the wilderness that took my parents all those years ago. Sadly I do not expect to survive I give myself 5 to 1 odds of surviving the week. But those odds are better than those ill have in town once Simon, the drunken snitch, delivers what he found in my home to the pirate captain. Most of the adult women bear the marks of Caliste’s attentions. She as grown bored of her last captive and I’m sure when she finds I have been hiding under the assumed identity of a boy she will want to address it immediately. The sadistic bitch may even do her work publicly as an example. My preparations are done and as I expect this to be my last entry I will go ahead and leave this to be found by the pirates. Little more than thumbing my nose yet an act of defiance is an act of defiance.

And if you are reading this you sadistic pigs yes the locket is mine even though thanks to Simon I have lost my last connection to my family to you feel free to mount it as it is likely the last you will see of my name. I can even remember the engraving to this moment I have read it so often. And I am sure as my parents wished “may heaven always smile wit you Catherine” heaven will always smile with me.

P.S.- I have destroyed the last of the medicines so now you cant torture anyone else unless you find a new doctor.

Dear journal

I myself am surprised to be alive to add to this journal. Who could have known the reason the pirates always escorted the town residents outside the walls of the town wasn’t to keep people from running but because of the cloaking field over the town and the pirates all have personal cloaking fields to avoid detection from Terran Federal Marines patrols catching them on thermal scans. This planet, Aphrodite if memory serves, was still being terraformed when our colony ship was hijacked by the pirates. None of the native creatures have warm blood so in thermal scans only we and other warm blooded creatures show up. Yes yes I now I need to stop rambling and get to the point. Well a week has assed so that makes today the thirtieth of august. And not only have I escaped a horribly painful and humiliating fate but, I have found my escort for my daily rounds, Kilo the brave fool, had not only known my secret but was risking himself while I was running to throw the others off my trail. When the marines found me I was still delirious but I was alive if bloody. That giant centipede thing almost killed me. When I had recovered enough I guided the marines to our town with only one or two wrong turns. So her we are now Kilo has been pardoned in exchange for testifying against his fellows. The townspeople still are in the recovery stage and don’t completely believe the marines wont try and force them to turn over live stock and grain. The women still flinch when a male marine comes too close. But I think since the marines have female members as well as men and all treat the towns people with respect they are beginning to come around. The trail of the pirates is next year and I will be asked to testify but for now it is back to a somewhat normal routine.