Rumi's Scifi Adventure!
Dear Diary
I have not written in you since I left boot camp, I hope you can forgive me. I have been working hard to do my part in keeping the life we've known from being destroyed. I do not say it as an excuse for neglecting you, but simply to inform you of where I've been.
The war has escalated way out of control with casualties so high on both side no one can tell who's winning. The leaders from both parties have agreed to meet this morning, but I don't think either side is ready to give in just yet. A dark cloud has filled this ship with anxiety, there is nothing to do during the sees fire but wait for news. Will the war be called to an end? Will we claim victory? Or will we just go right back to fighting till we've lost so much we can't remember what we're fighting for?
Since I finally have time to confide in you I shall fill you in on my where whereabouts and the crew I work with.
I've been assigned to a fighter ship, but the crew has dwindled so much that we barely have enough people to run it.
My unite is lead by a brave leader, Captain Hinako. She has earned all of our respect for keeping even what few of us alive going. I've never met any one who can so inspire a crowd and keep our spirits high even in the most dire situations. However there are those who question her sanity because of her unorthodox aproch and way of dealing with things. I consider her a woman before her times worth admiring.
Our ship doctor is Rai, she's been working extra hard as the ship cook and janitor. She keeps us alive, fed, and cleaned all the while with a sweet smile on her face. I do adore her and am glad she's made it through so far. I hope we can all make it out alive and go to her house on our home planet as she's invited us to use her hot tub there. She always reminds us of our promise to visit her before we go out fighting. It's her way of saying we better come back alive.
There are five fighter pilots left, my room mate and best friend, Noa, Haruka, Tomoko, Yoko, and myself. Since there are so few of us left we've all been given extra tasks.
Haruka is an ace pilot, I've never met some one more fierce in the heat of battle and she never misses her mark. However, her company is less than wonderful aboard the ship. I suppose every group is bound to have an antagonist, and ours is Haruka. But since she was made in charge of ship security she loves to push us around and use it to her advantage.
Tomoko also has a good aim, but she's better at face to face conflicts where she can use her hand gun then in a ship. She's Haruka's right hand woman and the only other person on security.
Noa, as I've said, is my roommate and best friend. She's the finest pilot in the whole universe. I've never seen a person take more personal risk to insure our victory. She's daring and a charming person as well. I could fill all your pages describing her bravery and kind deads and it would still just be scratching the surfs. Her secondary duties are working as aid to the Captain and running the communications.
Yoko is an average pilot, but she's been graced by a lucky star because she's still around. She's the most lucky person I know and I think that's partly why we're still around. Her other duties are to help Rai in the kitchen and infirmary when ever possible. However, Yoko has some how made it impossible for her to do anything but the bear minimum. At least that's how it was up until a few days ago, now she's working as hard as she can. Yoko's beautiful both on the outside and inside, but she's a bit lazy to tell the truth. But she has a great since of humor and it's impossible not to like her.
I'm the fifth pilot, I have the least experience and I'm just barely holding my own. But Noa and Yoko have been teaching me a lot and I hope I can be worthy of fighting next to them some day.
The only other person aboard the ship is Tsuki. She's the ship's engineer and second in command even though she's the youngest person here. She's a child genius who tends to keep to herself, but I've gotten the impression she doesn't much care for Yoko.
That's all for now. I hope I can write to you soon to say we've won, but we shall have to wait and see.
Your's always
Rumi
Just as Rumi has finished signing her name the door to her room slides open and Yoko pokes her head in.
"We're having an assembly in the mass hall, hurry up!" Yoko then goes down the hall to the next room.
Rumi jumps off of her bed and places her diary on a shelf before fallowing Yoko to tell the others.
In the mass hall the crew is gathered together and waiting for the captain.
"What's going on?" Rumi whispers to Yoko.
"I don't know, but I think it has to do with the meeting our leaders had this morning."
Yoko and Rumi then focus their attention on Noa, who's standing in front of them.
"Well, you must have been the one to report it to the captain. What's up?" Rumi asks her friend.
"I got the call and then was ordered to give the receiver to the captain and leave the room. I've no more an idea of what's going on than you do."
Captain Hinako then inters the room and hush falls over them.
"Today an impotent meeting took place to decide the end of the war. It was decided by our leaders that the bleed shed must come to an end, however they refused to give in and allow those rebels to change the way of life we've always known and enjoyed because of their selfish reasons! Since neither side wished to keep up the senseless fighting but neither was ready to give in to the other it has been agreed that one fighter ship from each side would be chosen that these two ships would face each other off and the last one standing would claim the victory of the whole war.
Ladies, I know you've been though much in the last few years. We've seen a lot of things we wish we could forget about. But we've kept fighting though it all and we've managed to get so far, I'm so proud to have worked with you." Hinako takes a deep breath and wipes a tear from her right eye.
"It pains me to ask more of you, but I couldn't truest the fate of the war to any one else and their for when our leaders informed me of this agreement I volunteered us for it. Please, will you fight with me once more to finally bring victory!"
All seven of the girls started clapping and cheering.
"We'll send those punks to H!" Haruka shouted out.
"That's right. They ain't gonna win against us!" Tomoko echoed.
When the shouting settled down Hinako gave them the rest of the details.
"We are to start travailing to a distant spot where it has been agreed we won't harm any one else. When we've beaten our opponents we'll radio back to base and the war will be over."
"What if it's a trap?" Rai asks from the back.
"Then they forfeit and we win," Hinako says simply.
"What?" Every body is a little confused.
"Cheaters never prosper, if those men cheat in the games we'll automatically win. And I won't stand for any cheating from you either." She looks pointedly at Hinako and Tomoko.
"Games?"
"Has she lost it again?"
"How can we win a battle if our Captain is this loopy."
Everyone murmured and questioned the person next to them.
"Enough, I have all of my marbles! When we get to the meeting point we will receive further instructions from our leaders outlining the rules for five competitions, the best out of three wins. Now, Tsuki head the ship for these coordinates!"
Later that day Rumi is walking through the lunch line with Tsuki ahead of her and Noa right behind, taking turns for Rai and Yoko to put their rations on their plates.
"Games? We're having the future of our race decided by games? It's the dumbest idea I've ever heard of!" Tsuki says with total disgust.
"Our leaders must be off of their medication again," Haruka remarks from her spot just ahead of Tsuki.
"Some times I wonder if any of this is worth it. I mean it all got started just because a hand full of men wanted to make a few changes to the laws. Why did we have to let it get so bad? Why couldn't we have just compromised back then?" Rai says in puzzlement as she places a spoon full of rice on each plate as it's presented to her.
"Now look who's off of her medication," Tomoko says shaking her head. "Their's no compromising with men, if we'd given them an inch they would have taken over. We can't let them win this war. The whole balance of nature would be ruined."
"Are you so sure that allowing men a few freedoms would lead to the destruction of civilization?" Rai persist.
"Of course it would! Just look at all of the history books. For cry out loud it was the men who started this war in the first place." Tomoko refused to budged from her point of view.
"Well... Even that's up for debate. If our council women hadn't decided to arrest the men who wrote the petition and sentence them to hard labor then the rebels wouldn't have broken them out and killed those officers that started the whole mess."
"Bah! Rai do you realize what those men wanted in the petition? They were asking for all men to be set free and no longer be in slaved to their women owners. Do you have any idea how much money that would have cost the government and how that would have effected society? Those men were claiming that they could live in harmony with us without being under our thumbs, but history proves that not to be true."
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Tomoko," Tsuki spoke up. "Though we all have our failings it is always much safer when the women have control. For those men to make such demands was a declaration of war against civilization and the peaceful life we were living."
"But what about the cruelty some of them were suffering?" Rai said still pushing it.
"That's what the MA corp. is for, if they had been abused they could call a 1-800 number and gotten and maybe found a new mistress. Rai, are you a rebel sympathizer?"
"No! I'd never betray my government or endanger the members aboard this ship... It's just. I miss my dad..."
"We, know. I miss my dad too." Noa said with a sigh.
"I'd be more worried about Noa turning traitor than Rai." This came from Haruka as she headed for her seat. "After all, her father is one of the rebel leaders. For all we know it could have been her that told the rebels where they were being held. The death of those cops could be on her conscience."
"That's not true!" Rumi burst out as she slammed her tray down on the counter. "Noa's a faithful citizen. Besides her mother is the Captain!"
"Right, how could I have forgotten that fact. After all, it's the only reason why she's even aloud to pilot a fighter jet when she's below average."
"Liar! You're just jealous that she can fly circles around you any day!" Rumi has steam shooting out of her ears and she looks ready to throw her food at Haruka.
Noa touches Rumi's shoulder. "Forget it, you know she always says this kind of crap before a big mission."
"Right. As much as we may not get along with her, we need her and you for our last assignment." Yoko said as she put some jello on Rumi's tray. "Besides it'd be a waist of good food. I made this my self." Yoko smiles.
"OOOH! Green jello, my favorite!"
Rumi, Noa, and Tsuki sit down at a table on the other side of the room from Haruka and Tomoko.
When every body else has been served Rai and Yoko sit down with them. As Yoko sits down Tsuki gets up and leaves. "I need to talk with the security officers."
"What's her problem any way?" Rumi asks as she watches the little girl sit down with Haruka and Tomoko. "She wouldn't be half bad if she were just a little nice to you, Yoko."
"No biggie, she just needs to grow up," Yoko replied as she snaps her chopsticks. "How'd you like the Jello?"
"Yummy!" Rumi giggles. "It was the best yet."
At that moment the Captain comes in.
They all stand up and salute her by using the index finger on their left hand to touch their chins and then hold their arm straight out until she returned the jester.
"We've received word from our leaders. We are to meet our opponents face to face and shake their hands before the first competition rules are announced.
Are ladies ready?"
"Aye, Captain!" they all shouted in one accord.
"Very well. Yoko and Tsuki, I need you aboard deck to land us on an asteroid."
Tsuki and Yoko fallowed the captain out of the mess hall.
They are hovering over an asteroid.
"What do you know of this place?" Hinako asks Tsuki as she watches the screen to get a good look at the battle ground.
"This was once a mining field for minerals. The miners were all men who abandoned it when the war broke out to join the rebels. It's still has living corders and shows signs that it's safe to live on for a while. I'd have to get a good look at the oxygen tanks to know for sure how long we can stay there."
"I don't like this. The rebels will know this place far better than us."
"I understand. But remember, if they cheat at all we win with out having to do anything." Hinako leans forward in her seat. "Are the rebels already here?"
"Yes. Their ships is just a few miles from here close to one of three entrances. Life readings show there are seven life forms already in side of the asteroid."
"Check the testosterone levels."
"Yes, ma'am!" Tsuki went back to her control panels. "Wow, it's off the chart! Unless they're taking steroids these are definitely the rebels."
" What are you're orders?" Yoko asks from her station.
"Land the ship." Hinako gives sigh. "He's here. After so many years of chasing him during this war I'll finally see my Keitaro-kun again." Like a silly school girl Hinako starts giggling and waving her hands up and down.
A door slides open and the rest of the crew board the main deck.
"Is she okay?" Rumi whispers to Noa.
"I'm not sure..."
Later that day the crew fallowed the captain off of the ship and onto the asteroid center, where Tsuki says the main living for miners where at.
There they lay eyes for the first time on the enemy, but Hinako prevented them from making their presence known right away.
Five young men are lounging in chairs talking.
"I hope one of the games will be volley ball or mud wrestling. What I wouldn't give to touch a girl again." This came from a young boy who had cut the sleeves off of his uniform and was using his tie as a bandana.
"Shuichi, how could you talk like that?" a boy sitting across from him pushes his glasses up his nose. "It's primitive talk like that that gives women the falls impression that we could never be equals with them."
"Besides, till we've won, they are our enemy and must always be viewed as such." This was said by one who was standing against the wall with shades on.
"When we win we'll be able to set the terms for the first time in... in... well a long time. I hope there are a few hotties so I can have them grape me or something." Shuichi said with a dreamy sigh.
"You two sound so confident," a strawberry blond spoke up from his seat on a couch.
The boy with black hair sitting on the other side of the couch nodded his head. "Why shouldn't we? This war is going to be settled by games after all."
"So?" The blond replied.
"Asaba, explain to him what you told us about games."
The boy with glasses willingly complied. "Simply, with out getting into too many details, games were first invented as a way for males to show off their man hood and compete against one another. Sports were further developed as time pasted, but they were still made with men in mind, so no matter what five games they chouse we still have an edge and advantage."
"But I've never played sports before." the blond said with some concern.
"Don't worry, Shirai is a sports guru who can explain things to you. Suoh and I are the muscle and Asaba is the brains with the strategies. Those women don't stand a chance," Shuichi said looking very pleased.
"What about the Captain and Makoto?" the blond once more asked.
Shuichi shrugged. "I'm sure we can find something for them to do."
At that moment a door slides open and a man with another boy enters the room.
When Hinako sees the enemy captain she runs to him. "Keitaro-kun!"
The captain sees Hinako and runs to her. "Darling!"
They meet in the middle of the room and start hugging.
"Oh, I've been so worried about you. I thought for sure you'd be killed when you were first arrested and then when you escaped with those rebels I had the hardest time keeping track of you."
"Sweet Mistress Hinako! I'm sorry to have troubled you. But when they asked for my in getting more men to sign the petition I just had to do it. It's not that I didn't like being your husband-slave, but I could no longer watch other males suffer from cruel mistresses who weren't as wonderful as you. But what are you doing here now?"
"The only way I could keep track of you and make sure no one killed you was to join the army. I moved up in rank as quickly as I could and kept volunteering to go to the front lines when ever I knew your ship would be there. I tried to capture your ships and once had succeeded but you had already escaped in a pod."
"If only I'd known it was you! I would have gladly surrounded while the rest of my men got away."
"But now we're together again!"
They kiss.
"Yes, just the two of us..."
There's a few coughs and tapping of shoes while the crew from the two ships watch them caring on.
"Right, we have orders to formally great each other and wait for the instructions of the first game to come in." Hinako slowly pulls out of his arms.
"Of coerce." Keitaro gives her one more kiss on the cheek before turning to his crew. "Fall in!"
All six of the young men get into a line.
"We were told that our opponents were short on crew so we left most of our men behind and only brought the finest here to compete.
Haruka gives a snort. "If this is there best we should have kept fighting, this war is as good as over."
"No kidding, it looks like they just drew straws to see who'd come along," Tomoko whispers back.
Over hearing this a few of the boys blush.
"It was rock, paper, scissors," the boy with a chief hat who had walked in with Keitaro mutters.
"Shh!" a few of his crew mates glare at him.
"This is Shuichi, our top fighter pilot." The boy with tie around his head smiled and nodded his head.
"Shirai here pilots the ship." The black haired boy known to them as the sport guru also smiled and nodded his head.
"Kimoto is the ships navigator." The blond waves his hand.
"Asaba is a genius and engineer." this boy is once more pushing his glasses up.
"Suoh is in charge of security." The boy with shades doesn't bother to move at all.
"Makoto is our top cook, brownies are his speciality!" The boy with the chiefs hot also waves and smiles.
Hinako then preceded to introduce her crew, the last one was Noa.
"Our Noa?" Keitaro says in wonder.
"Yes... she's our baby girl." Hinako says with a sigh.
Keitaro pulls Noa into his arms and hugs her. "You're so beautiful. You've turned into a fine woman, I just wish I'd been around to see you grow up." Tears start to fill his eyes and Noa can only pat his back as she tries to gasp for breath.
"You're... hugging too hard..."
Keitaro lets her go and sighs. "Sorry about that, princess. I can't wait till we win this and then the three of us can go home and live happily again."
"You win it? Don't you mean when MY team wins and you all go back to where you belong?" Hinako says.
"Pardon me, my sweet mistress, but you don't stand a chance!"
"Hoohohoho. That's where you're wrong, my love!"
"Oh, yeah? You willing to bet on it?"
"Are you?"
Keitaro and Hinako are once more holding each other in their arms when their space phones on their belts go off.
"Excuse me!" they say simultaneously and take a few steps away from each other. With their back to each other they each answer their own phone.
The two crews are once more left to look around and scuff up the flooring while they wait.
"I've just had word from our leaders!" Hinako says as she turns off her phone.
"As have I, we will have our first competition tomorrow."
The two captains join hands and say at the same time, "A jar opening contest!"
To Be Continued