Hey Everyone! There are few things to be aware of before you start reading this fic.
1) This is NOT a continuation of Ask America, but it is based on the events that transpired in said fic.
2) This story contains/will contain YAOI. This is a fair warning.
3) Much like Ask America, any time there is a random phrase in italics, it is Kiku's thoughts.
That's about it. I hope you enjoy it!
In the year 2034, the nations of the world clashed in what was the longest, bloodiest war in history. When the ashes settled, the world was controlled by six major powers: the Empire of the Rising Sun, based in Japan; the European Union, based in the UK; the Arab League, based in Turkey; the Latin Federation, based in Brazil; the African Union, based in South Africa; and the Red Republic, based in Moscow. In the year 2341, these great powers set their sights on the stars, starting the first ever space colonies. Each entity's power grew immensely. In the year 2445, Chinese engineers discovered an element that could be transformed into any element. It was dubbed "Element Zen." The Red Republic attempted to keep this discovery secret, but British spies quickly sniffed it out, revealing its discovery to the world. Within months, humanity had begun the largest land grab the in human history. This "gold rush" led to conflict after conflict, dividing the six factions with deep-run resentment and mistrust.
It is the year 2772. The Latin Federation has been consumed entirely by the Red Republic. The Arab League and the African Union have fused in order to prevent them from facing the same fate. The European Union and the Empire of the Rising Sun are more than strong enough to hold their own against the Red Republic, but the emperor is not willing to chance his legacy being consumed. He commissions an exploration corvette, the ISS Yami, to find a habitable world beyond the Void, the massive emptiness between the Orion arm and the Perseus arm of the Milky Way. His hopes are that if the Red Republic's ambition should get out of hand, he will have a place to flee with his people.
The ISS Yami, a relatively small vehicle, has crew of only 27 personnel. 17 of them are true crewmembers while the remaining ten are space marines, one of which is a young man named Kiku Honda. On September 3rd, the ISS Yami sets out from the imperial flagship, the ISS Amaterasu. It sails for nine days before reaching the threshold of the Void.
"Ensign Soo, status report," orders the captain.
"All systems are green. We are ready when you are," replies Soo.
"Lieutenant Kaoru, raise the Amaterasu," orders the captain.
"Yes sir," replies Kaoru. The Admiral appears on the communication screen.
"This is it. Due to stealth precautions, this will be our last transmission until we return from the beyond the Void… That is, if we return," says the captain.
"Understood, Yami. Take heart, for this is a noble voyage. May the goddess watch over you all. Amaterasu out," replies the Admiral. The screen goes black.
The ISS Yami continues on into the Void. The captain walks throughout the ship, checking on his crewmen. Ensign Soo is listening to his favorite Korean pop band, mouthing the lyrics silently. Lieutenant Kaoru is playing mahjong on his PHI (personal holographic interface). The space marines are sitting around, telling stories about their girlfriends back home. All of them, that is, except Kiku. Kiku is off sitting in a corner, reading a book. The captain notices this and approaches Kiku.
"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" asks the captain.
"Friend and squad mate are not synonymous, captain," replies Kiku.
"I see… What are you reading?" asks the captain.
"It is a historical account of a powerful empire that existed on earth long ago," replies Kiku.
"Is that so? Tell me about it," says the captain, taking a seat beside Kiku.
"Well, in the year AD 1776, a group of thirteen colonies on the eastern coast of the North American continent rebelled against the British Empire. They were successful, establishing a new nation called the United States of America. This nation became very powerful, but they did not wield their power wisely. Many nations grew to resent them, mostly because no nation ever defeated them in conventional warfare. Eventually, the United States realized that they were universally hated. In response to this, they built thirteen dreadnought class starships, loading the best and the brightest Americans to be taken from earth. In AD 2026, the dreadnoughts left earth, never to return. There are many different theories as to what happened to them, but most scholars think that they were wiped out," replies Kiku.
The captain smirks. "Are scholars always so pessimistic?" he asks.
"I couldn't tell you," replies Kiku.
After a few moments of silence, the captain speaks. "You want them to still be alive, don't you?"
"Yes… Yes I do," replies Kiku.
The captain smiles and puts his hand on the young marine's back. "We'll see. Who knows? They may be waiting for us just beyond the Void!" he says with a cheesy smile.
"Not likely, captain," replies Kiku.
The captain smiles and pats Kiku on the back before returning to the bridge.
The voyage continues on for eight more days. The crew is becoming restless as they ran out of things to do two days ago. Kiku, however, is surprisingly calm. He brought a large stack of books with him. He is not even half way through them. As he is flipping through one with pictures, he comes across an American flag. He crinkles his nose and smirks at the sight of it. What a funny looking flag. He flips a few more pages until he stumbles upon a picture of Americans from the year 2013. The men are quite handsome, especially the ones with blonde hair. He flips a few more pages, stopping when a food item catches his eye. It is a hamburger. What a disgusting looking sandwich! Kiku is thoroughly amused by the prospect of "America."
20 more days go by. Kiku has finished all of his books. He now spends his time looking at the pictures, especially the ones of blonde American men. On the 28th day of the voyage, Kiku is sleeping in his rack when his squad leader bursts into the room. "All of you, to the bridge, now!" he shouts. The marines scramble to make their way to the bridge, some still in their boxers. Upon arriving, Kiku's breath is taken away by the sight. There is a beautiful jungle world before him with lush green continents and deep blue oceans. "Men, we have traversed the Void!" says the captain triumphantly. The crew cheers. Kiku gives his trademark soft smile and tilted head, his imagination running wild of what they might find on the surface.