By @leopard - TW: Cat Death

I sat beside my mother, the little home cage empty except for me and her. My littermates’ scents lingered, but they were long gone. Nobody wanted me, the little jet black kitten. The humans said it was because of a belief that black cats were bad luck. I was the only completely black one, and that fact seemed to burden me.

The humans agreed– to find me a foster home. Our ears perked at the idea. Foster homes were places for cats to go be cared for temporarily until the humans found them a willing forever home. But would even a foster home take me?

My mother and I shared tongues once more before the humans herded me into the little cat carrier. I mewed a sad goodbye and was lifted away.

I eyed the world outside from the little carrier. A blue sky splattered with fluffy white clouds was high up above. The sun shone as it was at its peak– noon, so the humans said. They put me in the backseat of a car, they called it. It moved along with us inside– rather fascinating, if you ask me.

They stopped at a small brick house and carried me out in the carrier. A pleasing-looking family of humans stood there. The adult male frowned and spoke, “It’s a black cat?” He looked at me through the bars, skeptical. “Don’t you guys know the rumor around these things?” The father spoke. After a few minutes of speaking, the family still agreed to take me in, but the father was still slightly skeptical.

I was turned over to the care of the foster family. They took me in somewhat reluctantly, but welcomed me. They let me out of the carrier to explore the small room they were situating me in. It had various cat toys and objects inside, to keep me entertained.

…………..

The father of the foster family still didn’t quite like me. And throughout my first full week with them, it’s like they had a case of bad luck. But not from me, right? From the kids having a bit less than decent grades to the dad getting a speeding ticket…

He blamed it on me, the father did. “It’s that damn black cat,” he’d growl to the mother. “You know those things are cursed!”

……

By the first day of the next week, the father was done with being irritated by bad luck that supposedly was caused by me. He sent me back to the shelter, and.. There wasn’t much else they could do– I was getting older and less adoptable. With sad tones, they spoke to me, “Dear kitten.. We’ll have to send you off. We need room for more animals, and nobody is adopting you. It will be quick.” I understood– in order for them to care for more, I had to go.

They bought me into the room with the bright light. Sorrow shone on their faces and they brought over a sharp object. I looked on as they struck me with the pain, and away went my vision– fading to black.

I've never won but I did meet you.
Thank you for everything you do.

By @Nani

Today was not a good day. It was Friday the 13th, the unluckiest day that pops up a couple times a year. Mia couldn't stand the hype behind Friday the 13th.

In the morning she knocked over her coffee, completely frying the motherboard the day before a major essay was due, then the bus was late which led her to completely miss her transfer and her class for the afternoon. And the piece de resistance, she fell down the stairs, nearly breaking her ankle. Fortunately, at the clinic it resulted in a nasty sprain, but no worse for wear. She pulled out her phone to call Liam, who hopefully was out of work by the time she called.

“Hey Mia, how’s my favorite girl?”

At the sound of his voice, the tears couldn’t stop. She lasted half a breath before she bawled over the phone. At her incomprehensible words , Liam’s brows furrowed in both confusion and concern but he booked it to her college. She managed to give her location for him to pick her up . He immediately hugged her the moment he saw her in front of him. This in turn accidentally made her bawl once more, but this time was less of stress and more relief that her favorite person was there with her.

Once they made it home, she explained what happened, making sure her leg was lifted. “It’s today I tell ya! Today was cursed!”

He chuckled while she gave the explanation of what happened, in the meantime, he grabbed her favorite ice cream from the freezer with a ton of whipped cream and two spoons. She definitely deserved it tonight. “Well, whatever it is, today is over. Now we feast!”

She smiled at him. He always knew what to say to make her feel better. Ice cream for dinner? Definitely deserved tonight for the two of them. She grabbed a spoon and scooped some while lifting it for a toast.

“Cheers, and screw Friday the 13th!”

“I’ll cheers to that. And ice cream!”

Clink

Mia loathed Friday the 13th, but with Liam there to help her, maybe she can survive it. She was definitely lucky to have him.

_Report _ Fleet Valkyrie, 3rd Expedition Force Primus._
_SECURIYTY. FLAG LEVEL_

13 ships broke orbit of Legus Prime.

One failed To make orbit. Crashed into plains North East of traitor capital. [Special notice in report ground command.]

11 DESTROYED in void.

1 ESCAPED. Assumed target primary. Escape vector listed in attached charts.

Thought of the day.
Vigilance is a Virtue.

_REPORT ENDS_

…

It was a broken man who looked out back over the burning lower district of the city as they broke orbit from the careful concealed ships under the former drill yards of the governor's guard. Explosions rippled as the covers and buildings fell into the pits created in deepest secrecy. That rubble disabled the engine of the Tradesman13, luck was not in its favour as it fell away from the group and the blast wave shook the very air as its engines plowed into the ground with force that the simple transport could never withstand.

His shadowed and lined eyes watched the lights blink in the stars, hundreds of them and everyone was an enemy. They had demanded more and to take less, to allow them more of the great tithe…

Negotiations ended the day one of his zealous “leaders” crossed the line. He was messy, maybe they had a hope then they had none. One Fleet grew to 5, strangling inwards like a coiling snake as his ships burned and planets fell one by one under the guns of the 3 bitchs of Mars they called them. One was technically the daughter but since they looked alike the propagandists had a field day.

He watched ships burn even as they made the final jump with Frigates with their distinctive pink flashes belonging to the youngest of the three as they had worked out, bionic eye and scars on her face that his allied caused and turned her from a minor problem to a major threat as she got creative and applied that drive the Young possessed to prove themselves.

…

Unknown Hab Block. City Octus, Planet Gelomorth.

…

Storms raged about the ocean world's endless seas as the great city anchored to the bedrock of the planet, they were on the 3rd such location as the sounds of loud aircraft engines competed with the noise of the storm. In the short time since his once ground dark hair had turned grey as they ran, he had sent the family away and was now aboard the dubbed lucky 13 heading away from the system under the cloak of a priority medical trader to another sector.

He laughed, either he was lucky or he was unlucky as the sound of distant thuds were coming that no one could stop. He had lost but he smirked as he looked out at the stars.

…

It was a mess the investigation Team found in suite on the night of Friday the 13th. Blood, skull fragments and such matter where scattered across a floor turned brown with time and cold. They had been delayed as the area's power grid was cut and jamming had turned the area black in multiple ways.

The footage they had captured showed a female figure in armour, her helmet was fully reflective in deep grey but her escort of 5 power armoured figures in a shocking pink was a bold statement. They were not stopped and moved like they knew everything ahead of time.

A hidden grainy camera in the room they found showed an angle that answered the questions they already guessed. A red eye glowed in the darkness and was starkly lit by a storm of lighting as they stood, raised her pistol and fired a single shot with a shape of a long blade across her back. The woman barely broke step as she was handed a helmet by a companion showing long blonde hair tied back and a message They did not pick up.

…

Deep space Lucky 13 passed the warship with oversized engines and running lights on with a deep pink flash along its superstructure without notice. The ship began to descend as they passed With a shudder across the cargo vessel as vastly more powerful engines than their own lit bright blue stars of artificial Light in the void.

The cargo ship passed freely through every step without a flaw or mistake. “Space Traffic control copies, safe voyages Lucky 13. Watch out for the wake, Frigate left A churn coming in hot.”

“Copy. Lucky 13 out.”

…

_FLASH MESSAGE_
_SECURITY SPECIAL MISSION_

Done. Valkyrie out.

_MESSAGE ENDS_