The Snake Flag 2

To my dearest,



         Today is the first time I’ve been on Earth since I kissed you good-bye three years ago to leave for Anchorage. As I’m sure you know, I never made it. I don’t remember what happened, but somewhere along the way I was kidnapped. What I do remember is waking up aboard the vessel on which I now serve. Morlo, the only other person aboard the ship is what you’d call my master, although he prefers the words “Captain” and “Handler”. He assures me that he had nothing to do with my abduction, and claims that he knew nothing about me until I was “issued” to him about a month after I was taken from Earth, still unconscious. In the years that have past I’ve gotten to know him well enough to not think he’s lying, but the horrible truth remains: I am a slave.

         He uses a device that inflicts a kind of mind control on me, making his orders seem to my subconscious to be more important to survival than breathing it’s self. I hate life. I can’t fight him, I cannot disobey, I cannot lie. I cannot even kill myself to end my suffering, to carry through with “live free or die.” The only reason I can leave this for you is because he won’t find out about it until we are both lightyears away. I love you Sandra, please tell my daughters that I love them as well. Should they ever need to defend their freedom, the answers they seek are mixed in the pictures and music and personal files I always had kicking around here.

         I will never give up trying to find a way to escape. I still have my will where so many others have lost theirs, so I still have hope, even if it is very, very dim. I know as I struggle towards the light that there is little chance of me making it, of me ever returning home, so if you feel the need to find someone to help you raise our two lovely rascals I hold nothing against you.



         My time is short. I may never get to see you again, or even let you know I am still ok. Even though I hate him for being my master, Morlo is a fair man. I trust him, and even though I try my best to fight him tooth and nail, he never takes it personally. I love you Sandra. I miss you now and I’ll miss you always. Please don’t worry about me, because even if I can’t be free, I’m in good hands.



-Lupin Ram



    Morlo set his PDA back on his console in the cockpit, and sighed. Max had been right, nothing sensitive had been given, but Morlo wasn’t surprised. He had scanned the code of the entire package, but nothing came up as being malicious. He had translated all of the typed documents, and had started reading them. A few were boring, clearly mundane business things that had no further meaning that he could tell, and Morlo was quickly leaning to distinguish those from the stories, writings, and other things. The pictures ranged from poorly taken shots in bars to beautiful scenery to groups of pictures that seemed to feature Max and others who wore a dark camouflage uniform.

Most of Max’s music was hard on the ears. The sounds themselves seemed angry, and Morlo wondered if Max had simply always been an unhappy person.