Project Boussh: Reflections of the Soul
by Alison Sky and Vickie Boyd

Alison lay on her bed in med bay, her head resting back on the 
pillows.  Her hair, still wet from her shower, was curling all around 
her head.  Her robe was pulled tight against her as she contimplated 
the most recent events.

/That didn't just happen/ she thought to herself.  /He did not just 
do what I think he did./

There was a knock on the doorframe, and Alison turned to see Mirax 
standing in the doorway.  "I heard you could use some new clothes," 
she stated, holding up a jumpsuit.  

Alison smiled at the woman.  "I don't think I could fight Thrawn in 
the med robe."  She sat up, stretching her back carefully.  She was 
regaining her strength quickly, and would be able to feel normal 
again real soon.

"It's the least I can give you, after you saved my husband's life."  
Mirax closed the door behind her and tossed the jumpsuit onto 
Alison's bed.  The young swordswoman took the suit and proceeded to 
slip it on.

"I heard about your adventures," Mirax said, sitting down in a chair 
in the room.  "But I'd rather hear them from your point of view."

Alison zipped the jumpsuit closed.  It fit her a bit loose in the 
hips, and tight in the chest.  She quickly unzipped it down a few 
inches so it wouldn't choke her.  "I didn't do much," Alison 
stated.  "I hack, I stab, I get the job done."

Mirax laughed.  "Such a curt way to put it."

Smiling, Alison turned to look in the mirror.  She saw her curling 
hair and let out a cry of fustration.  "I hate my hair!"

"Come here and let me do soemthing to that mop quickly."

Alison went to Mirax's side and sat down on the floor.  Instantly, 
the Corellian went to work braiding her hair into rows tight against 
her head.

"Mirax, did you hear anything about Dia before you came this way?"

"I heard that she was injured, but in bacta and healing," Mirax said 
cheerfully.  "Don't worry, once she gets here, Face will go back to 
normal."

Alison twisted her head around.  "I didn't say anything about Face 
not acting normal."

Mirax pulled Alison's head back so she could work.  "I know you 
didn't.  We could see it while you were in bacta.  He was 
depressed... moody.  He misses her alot, and needs to be with her."

Alison bit her lip.  "What was she like when Face first fell in love 
with her?"

"I'm not the one to ask that," Mirax said, her fingers fast at 
work.  "I wasn't anywhere near the Wraiths at that time.  No, I would 
ask one of them that question."

"Do you think I'm in any way like her?"

Alison felt Mirax's fingers stop for a second.  "Why do you ask that?"

Shrugging, Alison looked at the floor.  "I dunno.  Just a thought."

Mirax nodded, then finished up styling Alison's hair.  "There, that 
should do the job."  Alison reached up and ran her hands along her 
head.

"How long will they stay in?"

"As long as you want."  The Corellian stood.  "I'm going to go off 
and find Corran.  Why don't you join us?"

Alison shook her head.  "I think I'm going to take a walk first."

"Suit yourself."  Mirax waved a goodbye, then left.  Alison sighed, 
then left the room herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Face went to one of the rampants of the castle wall, looking out over 
the ocean.  The fire was almost put out, black smoke filling the air 
above it.

/Why did I do that?/ Face thought, his eyes staring off into the 
distance.  He had learned that the direction he faced was the 
direction that New Hampshire was.  He loved Dia... always have.  Why 
was he feeling this way about Alison?  And why NOW?


Pash walked back outside after talking to Rich who was relieved to 
know that Vickie was ok. He was surprised at how well the Terran took 
her being on a Star Destroyer." After meeting two fictional 
characters, anything is possible," Rich had told him.

He moved back to where he had been sitting before. The solitude 
helped some. Being outside gave him the chance to look up into the 
stars and pretend he could see her. It was her whom he loved, wasn't 
it? He shook his head, confused.

Looking up, he saw he was not alone. Another figure wandered the 
battlements.


Anger flared in Face's mind.  He hated not knowing how to think.  He 
hated not knowing what to do.  His anger wanted to be released, and 
Face slammed his fist against the top of the wall, then instantly 
drew it back and stuck his bleeding knuckle into his mouth.  "That 
was real stupid, Garik," Face muttered to himself.

"Careful there. I'm sure you don't want to be in bacta again." Face 
turned to see Pash walking up beside him. The tall pilot leaned 
against the battlement and looked out over the ocean. "So, what 
brings you out here, pretty boy?"

"Just thinking," Face said around his knuckle.  He pulled the hand 
out of his mouth and sighed at the skin that was already turning 
purple.  he laughed to himself.  "I just can't win, can I?" he said, 
showing Pash his hand.

He chuckled and turned over his own hand. The palm was scraped and 
blue. "Never hit rock flathanded"

Face laughed.  "Rocks don't make good punching dummies, do they?"

"No, they sure don't,"  he replied quietly. A sadness came to his 
face. He looked back up in the sky.

Face saw the faraway glance in Pash's eyes, and reconized it as 
matching the one he probably had just sported.  He sighed, then 
leaned beside the wall, imitating Pash.  "Girl or homesickness?"

"Am I that transparent," he asked. "Girl... I think."

Sighing, Face nodded, then shook his head.  "No... it just takes the 
mirror to reconize it's own image."

He turned and looked at the former child actor. Yes, the faraway look 
was there. Face was just as deep as he was. He snorted. "I'm so damn 
confused. Everyone who talks to me just makes it worse."

"That's why I came up here... to avoid everyone's advice."  Face 
turned back out to look over the ocean.  "I don't understand what I'm 
doing, why I'm feeling the way I am.  It's not like I want to hurt 
her, or Dia.  I'm just so damned confused that I'd be a drooling Hutt 
if I can figure this all out."

"that's an interesting analagy." Pash turned around and leaned 
against the battlement. "Hobbie is trying to convince me I am in love 
with the character, not the person. I'm not quite sure that he isn't 
right about that." He slowly shook his head. "But isn't the character 
the person?"

"Yeah, ask the actor..." Face grinned for a moment, then sobered.  "A 
character is an extension of the person.  In the character, the 
author is able to make them do things they never thought they would 
be able to accomplish.

"Authors write about putting themselves in places of great danger, 
big romantic love triangles, and impossible situations, and work ways 
to get themselves out."  He looked Pash in the eye.  "Things that 
they would never have to ability or skills to do in real life.  Show 
feelings that they wish they could feel, but know aren't true.  They 
live their dreams out through their characters."

Face let his mind scan what he knew of Pash.  Kirney had quickly told 
him about how the Ace had come delivering food to the bago after he 
had been taken.  But he didn't know who he was talking about.

"If she's written about you, Pash, it's because to her, just like the 
rest of us, we're all characters to her.  Ones that have come real.  
And she probably feels that she needs to be her character to compare 
with you."

Pash turned back around and leand forward on his elbows, placing his 
chin in his hands. "How could someone who thinks we all are 
characters in a book feel so worried about us? When she found out you 
had been kidnapped, she wanted to do whatever she could to help.

"You've never met her. I doubt you've read any of her stories. 
She's..." he paused, trying to find the right words. "You know, she's 
a damn lot like Alison."

"And you're still alive?"  Face grinned.

He had to chuckle. "She doesn't have a big mean sword. Vickie has a 
big mean lightsaber. She's Terra's first ever known Jedi."

"A big accomplishment... and  big responsibility.  Does it make her 
more into her character that she created?"

"Makes them almost identical. She is so confusing sometimes." He 
stopped at looked at Face. "Here I am going on and on about a figment 
of my imagination. I should be asking you what I can do to help you."

Face sighed, smiling a bit.  "You ever miss one person so much you 
start to see their refelction in another person?"

"I wish," he said very quietly. "I'm sure Dia is ok."

"I know she is.  Dia's a fighter."  Face sighed.  "No, it's her 
reflection I'm more concerned with.  I mean, I've known Alison for 
awhile now.  We've been friends and everything.  But now...I dunno.  
It feels so right... and I know it's wrong.  My heart belongs to 
Dia.  But Alison..."

"..is a very good friend. Good friends are hard to come by. I just 
hope I don't ruin my friendship."

"Same here."  Face turned to stare at the red-headed man.  For an 
instant, Face could imagine Pash as being his twin, not identical, of 
course.  But he shook his head and sighed.

Pash let a sly grin appear on his face. "I was told Atner has an 
extensive wine cellar. Want to go see what kind of trouble we can get 
into?"

Face laughed aloud.  "Drinking won't solve our problems.  But what 
the hell.  I've been kidnapped, drugged, cut open twice, bashed, and 
basically had my butt kicked from one part of this force-saken land 
to the other.  Getting drunk won't make things any worse."