The crate

"I've got it!" Gamnock grins from ear to ear as he waves the top lid to his consolation prize crate in the air.

I lean over in my chair to see what he's so excited about -- and if I'm in for trouble. You can never trust the damned Pirate Guild. "What did they send you?"

He pulls out a sheet of yellow padding. "Looks like a bottle of some golden liquor."

"Ah yes, that was from a Xander scene when Mr. MC got a little buzzed and did too much internal thinking. Had to cut that one and just make the conflict happen instead of him musing about what might happen."

Gamnock holds up a triangle of metal. "Why did they send me a toy Guild fighter ship?"

"You think they could have fit a real one in the crate?" I resist the urge to add 'Duh'.

"I suppose you're going to tell me why this is in here too?"

"Since you asked, sure." I'm just glad there isn't a real fighter ship sitting around here somewhere. That's all Marin, assuming he's still alive, or Nekar need to find. "That was from a scene where Mr. MC and the rest of the gang flew off to do a little scouting of the Fragians."

"Looks like a nice ship, why did it get cut?"

"Mr. MC had enough things he was relatively good at, piloting a ship didn't need to be one of them. One too many ablities, you know? Too many things in his favor, and he becomes totally unbelievable. Not to mention that it seemed silly that important people were off on a scouting mission when they have underlings for that sort of thing."

Gamnock feels around at the bottom of the crate and comes up with a paper. He holds it up and pours over the scribbled words that I can't make out from my chair.

"What does it say?"

He looks up at me with a beaming smile. "I think you know."

"Umm, nope. Enlighten me."

"You're putting me back in."

"What?" I rip the paper out of his hands. "Let me see that." Stupid Pirates and their secret codes. I have no idea what it says.

I shake the paper and sputter for a moment. "I've considered about putting you back in the sequel. That's as far as I've gone. Besides, you wouldn't be the character you were before. Not exactly, anyway."

"But I get to keep my name. Admit it, you like me. You really like me." He spins around, looking like he should be a giddy sixteen year old girl instead of a rugged Caltessian man in his late twenties.

"Stop it! That's way out of character for you. Either of you. Just stop."

"Sure thing, boss. Whatever you say." He slips the toy ship into his shirt pocket and tucks the bottle of liquor under his arm.

"Don't get all exicited. I only said I'd think about it."

Gamnock vanishes.

Ah crap. I guess thinking about it is all it takes.