“Where did you come from?” “I was in the tree,” she replied pointing over her shoulder. Gigi looked up and saw a backpack hung from a branch u... high. She sure looked the type. Pale skin with a short, curly bob dyed light purple. Black eyeliner, nose ring. Strapped black boots capping torn leggings under torn jean short shorts. Black biker jacket over a band t-shirt Gigi's never heard of. Definitely the type of girl you'd expect to be hanging out in a tree reading a book. The complete opposite. The Wrecked Deck was another Decker hangout where deals could be made if you had something to let go. I had picked up parts there in the past but this would be the first time I was selling.We got there before Dee so I looked around at what was available in case there was something that I wanted. One thing I needed was chips, as I was running low on blank chips. I have never been able to walk into a place like this without buying something. I picked up a few things and was looking at others when. We reloaded the pickup and drove back to the houseboats. Of course, the moment we arrived, everyone else wanted to know the results of our investigation. We had a quick supper and held a meeting to discuss the prospects of moving and the problems we might face if we stayed where we were. This meeting lasted well into the night, and everybody, including the kids, was given a chance to offer an opinion. Finally, we decided to take everybody to see the cave before we reached a final conclusion,. ”“We probably ought to report it.”“If they didn’t notice the noise of the explosion at the gate, they aren’t going to hear us on the radio.”“That’s true. Still...”“I’ll call them.”President DePaula of Itan took the news that the forward base had been taken by the Jade Empire without any display of emotion. He just sat there staring off into the distance with a thoughtful expression on his face. Those who knew him knew better than to disturb him. President DePaula was a rationalist in the truest.