Project Boussh: Epilogue: Lost In Space
by Majick

Mike had kept silent on the journey back from the
battle. The loss of Alison and Josh, along with many
of the NR and Mendellian fighters, had sobered his
exuberance at surviving. Learning Josh had survived
had revived his spirits somewhat, but he was conscious
of the pervading listless spirit that had spread
through the group.
Emily and Kirney were especially distraught, for
separate, but linked reasons. Mike had no idea what to
say to either of them. Instead, he left them to the
care of those who knew them better.
With Josh still in the medbay, though, and Nick still
Lord alone knew where, there was another problem that
could have led to a far bigger battle than the one
that the Boushhers and their allies had just survived.
The crew of the Red Home -Mike, Sharon, Kolot,
Elassar and Decras- had decided to collect the
castle's sound system in preparation for the party.
Approaching the music room, they'd heard an ominous
pounding. A kettle drum was having the resin pounded
out of it. Mike looked at Sharon, and realised they'd
reached the same conclusion.
"Only one species would do that," Mike murmured under
his breath. Kolot's bouncing from one foot to the
other, yubbing quietly to himself, only served as
further confirmation.

The door to the music room swung open, and the noise
was incredible. Belatedly, Mike realised that the room
had been soundproofed, and still the noise had gotten
thrugh. Elassar and Sharon clapped their hands over
their ears, while Kolot vanished into the mass of
furry muppets. Mike sighed as he watched Ewoks
torturing the musial instruments that had survived
their earlier concert. 
Reaching out, he grabbed a guitar from one of the
Ewoks and used it to throw the furry critter into the
music room wall. the *THWAPP!* temporarily silenced
all but the most frenzied of the yubbing, and all eyes
focussed on the intruders.
"You have a plan, right?" Elassar asked.
"Playing it by ear," Mike replied. Sharon groaned at
the pun.
"Listen up," Mike continued, raising his voice. "We
need the instruments for the party, you understand?"
A frenzied mass of yubbing met his words.
"Look, I'm not Nick, nor Josh. I don't understand
your language... Kolot, where are you?"
The genetically modified Ewok stepped out of the mass
of his brethren, and nodded to Mike.
"Can you translate for me?" Mike asked. Kolot nodded
again, and Mike sighed.
"Any ideas?" he murmured under his breath.
"We're following your lead, Bantam One," Elassar
replied.
"Oh... I think I know how to do it," Mike said.
Reaching inside his shirt, he felt the Ewoks eye him
very closely. Slowly, he pulled a key on a chain from
around his neck, and threw it onto the floor in fornt
of Kolot.
"Kolot, if you and your mates will leave this room
now, you can have whatever you want from the room that
key open, okay?"
Kolot and the other Ewoks engaged in a brief
discussion, before Kolot looked at Mike suspiciously.
"What room?" he asked.
Mike took a deep breath, and prayed no-one would ever
find out about the pact he was about to seal.
"It's the wine cellar," he said.

The party was in full swing. And Mike did mean swing.
Regardless of the music, Becki and Thayer had been
waltzing for a long time. The Ewoks were yubbing
loudly as they spund each other around drunkenly.
Behind him, Whistler was tootling happily, and rocking
from side to side, as he scanned in Sci's Hitchhiker
books. Pash had been dragged onto the floor by Kelly
and Vickie, while Face and Dia were, as with Thayer
and Becki, moving to their own music.
Mike beckoned Gate over to the DJ console.
"Keep an eye on things, okay? The next few songs are
keyed up already, and I should be back long before
they finish."
The droid bleeped happily, and Mike took his leave of
the party. He made his way up the tallest tower,
stopping only to collect a case from his room.
Reaching the tower's top, he stepped out onto the
battlements, and set the case on the ground. Opening
it, he pulled out a guitar that he'd rescued from the
music room.
He sat on the edge of the wall, and looked up into
the sky, watching the inpromptu meteor shower caused
by fragments of the Admonitor burning up in the
atmosphere.
His fingers played gently over the strings, not
playing a particular song, but instead folding chords
into one another, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes
not. It was, he felt, a good metaphor for the mission
as a whole.
He turned as he heard someone step onto the
battlements. Elassar and Sharon stood either side of
the door, flanking a third figure. Someone Mike hadn't
seen in what seemd like a very long time.
Shalla stepped from the doorway, and moved gracefully
towards the battlements. Her medieval-esque dress,
borrowed from Thayer's museum, billowed around her as
she walked over to where he sat. Mike layed the guitar
aside, and took Shalla in his arms.

The four friends made their way down to the party,
where Mike resumed his duties as DJ. Elassar and
Shalla hit the dance floor, where their energetic
style left them alone in a circle that kept them  from
harming anyone. Sharon was led onto the floor by Kwah
of the Graces. Mike could also see Myn and Kirney
dancing together, a little way apart from the rest.
Looking around, he still couldn't see a number of the
Bousshers on the dance floor. While most of the NR
were there, where was Sci? And Kristy? And all of the
others? Time to fix that...

"Vickie and Kelly to the DJ booth, Vickie and Kelly
to the DJ booth, thank you!"
The semi-twins broke off their twin assault on Pash
Cracken to join Mike.
"Look," he began. "None of our lot are dancing. Grab
them, get them to grab each other, and let's get this
party jumping *properly*."
"Some people..." they began, before looking at one
another and laughing. Vickie began again.
"Some people just won't feel like dancing," she said.
"And?" Mike asked.

Josh was trying to look after his wounds. Though the
bacta had taken care of the worst of them, he still
felt a little tender. He and Ooryl sat in
companionable silence by the makeshift bar that Reth
and Fir had set up. They'd reported a curious lack of
alcohol in the wine cellar, but there was still enough
to supply the party.
Suddenly, Vickie appeared in front of Josh.
"Dance with me, Crispy?" she asked, holding out her
hand to him.
"No way!" Josh began, before being yanked from his
chair and onto the dance floor.

Josh Cochran, dashingly handsome in his borrowed RMAF
uniform, was prodded into leading Morwen onto the
floor, on pain of having his X-Wing flight time
truncated. Kelly felt she could use Pash's influence
to swing it with Wedge, and, when all was said and
done, it wasn't as though Josh particularly objected
or anything.

Pol and Plourr took little convincing. Only a minor
confusion over who would lead delayed proceedings in
their case.

Brad and Dorset danced as well, but mainly they
talked. Brad, as ever, was fascinated by Dorset's
starburst tattoo, and showered the Polearm with
compliments.

Sci and Kristy danced, as well. As Terra Lead and
Terra One, they felt obliged to show the troops
exactly how this whole 'fun' thing was done.
Besides, Kristy, like Shalla, had raided the castle
museum, and was keen to show off her navy and white
outfit.

The party continued well into the night. Toasts were
offered at regular intervals, the Ewoks got roasted,
though not in the manner that many of the Bousshers
wished, Becki and Thayer remained oblivious
throughout, and Pash escaped from the Jedi ladies with
nothing worse than a not-immediately-visible love
bite...