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[Hello Moira crew, did you think you’d be sleeping at the equivalent of roughly three o’clock in the not-yet-morning? Well, you’re not, because one of your new shipmates has decided her message is more important.

The face of a young woman with short, coppery-blonde hair and green eyes appears on the screen. At first glance, it may look like she’s resting her head against a wall, but after a couple of seconds spent working out the angle, you can work out that she’s actually laying her head on the flat surface of a table, possibly of a bar.]

Hey there. [The absent smile on her face is unexpectedly intimate, as if she’s lying next to you at that very moment.] I… don’t really know how this works anymore. [It’s unclear what she means by “this.” Maybe she doesn't mean anything. It doesn't take a genius to know that she's heavily inebriated. A hand appears to scrub at her eyes, then cover them. The smile falls from her face.]

Someone mentioned a library. Shouldn’t the afterlife have… I don’t know. All the books in the galaxy?... That sounds right. [Two fingers part to reveal an eye. It’s blue.]

What should I read? I want something… I want something where the guy dies. [She gives a short laugh.] But it should have a happy ending.

Nothing boring either. Something with action. Shoot-outs. Battles. Things like that. [Her hand drops away from her face, and her mismatched blue and green gaze wanders away from the screen.]

Where's the library anyway?

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[Zam tilts her head up slightly from the surface of the bar. She’s listening.] Alright. Hit me.

I have a cousin. And he is an idiot. But sometimes you love idiots, especially when these idiots are very good people. He is probably the most loving guy I have ever met.

But he makes bad bets, gambles, and gets involved with some assholes that can kick him around for money. Everyone has a weakness, and his is pretty girls and slot machines.

But he has a cousin that has worked for the mob, who became a soldier as a child. Roman might have not been able to raise a fist to the people that came after him, but I had no problem with it.

[Zam’s head comes to rest on her arm as she listens to him tell the story.]

Sounds like a lot of people on Coruscant, [she murmurs in response to his description of his cousin.]

Mm. Always is better when the main character’s a criminal. [A crooked smile appears on her face.] More fun that way.

But… you saved him... Right?

Now he has a child and a beautiful wife and will be a great father. I am very proud to have him as a cousin. He is the sort of peaceful man that I wanted to be.

In the process I lost someone very important to me. And now I will not be going back to see my family- even if I were not here, it would be my choice.

So I guess if I can be qualified as hero of this story, I won, there is happy ending, but also sort of sad.

[Zam nods into her arm, satisfied with that ending.] There’s a word for that. When there’s a happy ending but it’s sad… [She mulls over it for a moment.] Can’t think of it right now.

‘ts too bad you had to die at the end of it.

Sometimes that is someone's idea of a happy ending.

[Because Niko isn't particularly attached to his own life, even if he knows other people are.] But I guess it's a pretty well rounded story.

Maybe you should write it down.

How did you die in the end? One of your cousin’s enemies do you in?

I didn't die. I might as well be dead, though. I was kidnapped, and signed to a ship.

But no. I have killed all my enemies.

[He's thorough. But that might not be the thing he should say publicly. On the other hand, maybe he should. He will not allow someone to raise a hand to him or his ever again. Never. He spent long enough helpless to it.]

[Zam’s brow furrows.] You must’ve died. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.

I didn’t believe it either, but the reflections… I could see it in the reflections. [Her expression grows dark and distant.] That bantanh koudaniua didn’t even bother peeling my body out of that alleyway.

[And then she sighs, her gaze once again meeting his, or at least the image of him on her MID.] At least… at least you killed all your enemies first. That’s a good ending to have.

No. I didn't.

But I think that you might have got lucky in a weird way. The machine they pull people in with- it's got three of us from a different ship. Others from other places.

Have you run into alternate universes yet? When people leave, but then come back. They look the same, but their history is maybe a little different. They don't remember you. Sometimes two of them show up.

I haven’t run into anything like that.

[She chuckles.] I guess that does make me lucky. I’m pretty sure everyone from home wants me dead. It would probably make things easier if they didn’t remember me…

I know what that part is like. It is good to know that they didn't actually get their way, isn't it?

[Because as much as he wants to die, he also doesn't want most of the assholes that want him to die to get anything from him.] It gets pretty strange, though. And tiring, if you meet someone and then have to meet them several times. Sooner or later you do not wish to introduce yourself.

[She laughs.] Haven’t you been paying attention? They did get their way.

Don’t worry. I’ll tell the other versions of me your name so you won’t have to introduce yourself to them. [She pauses.] ...What was your name again?

Not if you're standing here with a pulse. Then what they have is a you-shaped doll.

Niko Bellic. What's yours?

A me-shaped doll lying dead in an alley… That makes even less sense, you know.

I’m Zam. And I know I’m dead. The saberdart hit me riiiight… [A finger makes its unsteady way to the side of her neck.] …here. And I saw it in the glass at the hotel.

You could’ve died and just not know it. Sniper bullet from somewhere far, far away. Or a heart attack. Or a bomb. [She shrugs.]You wouldn’t even know.

I am certain.

A recruiter asked me if I wanted a job where I could see the universe, go into space. I thought he was full of shit and said yes as a joke. Because of this, I was recruited onto their shitty ship.

Since then, my contract has somehow been moved to this one. But I am certain I was not dead then. Three of us came here from that ship, so I'm pretty sure we all have different sort of possibilities of how to get here.

So now I am on this ship instead of that one, and it's still bullshit.

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