Starchild
I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters.
Chapter Nine: One of the Three
If there was one thing in her life as a pilot for which Eirika had an irrational dislike- as opposed to the perfectly rational dislike of being wired up with medical sensors, or of having to go to the bathroom under the most awkward circumstances ever conceived- it was her monthly status meetings with General Selena. The subject matter was always banal, though if Selena did detect that something was going wrong with one of the pilots- too much drink, not enough sleep, the general sense of hopelessness that came with bleak desert winters- she acted immediately to resolve it. So it wasn't Selena's fault, really, that Eirika resented the meetings to the extent that she did.
Or perhaps it was. Eirika spent that meeting trying to determine what exactly it was about Selena that caused this feeling, and finally she decided that she didn't like Selena's bright-red lipstick. Everything the general said was undercut by the cheap look of her mouth. Someone in her position, with such responsibility to the Programme, should have been more discreet.
-x-
The thirteen of them, arrayed around an elliptical table, waited for General Mycen to come in and take his seat at its head. They called it the "board room" for its resemblance to the legendary conference rooms of industrial barons, but whenever the pilot corps sat around that table in their matching jumpsuits it felt more like classroom of children playing dress-up in an adult's world. And they really were young; Eirika and Ephraim, just turned twenty-four, were among the oldest, while Roy was still only seventeen. Eirika was musing over the improbability of it all when Mycen came in. Everyone in the room sensed from his manner that the general hadn't called them in to assign them a new round of science classes.
"The launch of the next mission will be eight months from this date. Called the Peace mission, its objective will be the first landing on Luna. The crew selections for the mission have been supported by the Commission and approved by His Excellency the Premier."
So this was it, the moment they had spent their brief adult lives anticipating.
"The pilot for the Peace mission will be 012."
The pilot was the lowest ranking member of the crew... but also the one who, with the commander, would descend to the lunar surface in the lander. The Peace pilot would be the second person to step upon the the dust of another world.
Why me? Why, out of all of us?
In a flash, Eirika remembered Lyn saying that she'd have no problem handling the public duties of the role, remembered how Ephraim had stepped aside and let her do the speaking on their grand tour. She remembered all the accolades she'd received as the "Lunar Queen," of the newspaper articles that complimented her, in so many ways, for looking the part. Is that what it came down to? Not that she was the best among them to fly the mission, but that she was well-suited to be the Second Human Upon Luna?
"The senior pilot for this mission will be 007."
It surprised Eirika, but only for a moment. On reflection, it made good sense. Roy had handled himself perfectly on the endurance test of the Hope mission; he could stand the isolation of orbiting Luna on his own in the Falcon capsule, with his comrades down on the surface. Cheerful, diligent, and more knowledgable about both the spacecraft and lunar science than most of his elders... yes, he would be a fine choice. Even if he did still look some years younger than his age.
"The commander for the Peace mission will be 001."
Eirika did not make a sound. Her breath did not catch in her throat, she did not move reflexively in surprise, and she kept on looking forward, looking directly at the general. None of them made any sound at all; they were too well-trained for that. Mycen continued without giving them any time to digest the assignments.
"The backup crew for this mission consists of Pilots 011, 005, and 014. Prime and backup crews will meet with the Chief Engineers tomorrow at 0800 hours to discuss expectations." He looked his pilots over for a moment, as though challenging them to ask questions. "All dismissed."
The delayed wave of sound erupted then as chairs skidded backward across the floor; Eirika felt that half the room was converging on her, wringing her hand and thumping her on the back, telling her how happy they were for her. She looked around the room, seeking one familiar set of eyes, and in the gap between Leaf's head and Ike's shoulder, she saw Roy looking back at her. He seemed achingly young with his red mop of hair and wide blue eyes, but the set of his mouth, of his brows, showed the self-assurance of a space veteran. She smiled at him, but then more well-wishers were upon her and she lost eye contact. Well, she and Roy would be seeing a great deal of one another in the foreseeable future.
Only after the hubbub diminished somewhat did Eirika spot her brother. Ephraim's face showed nothing; five years in flight school and another six in the Magvel Air Force had taught him to be impassive when it mattered. But his eyes... the pupils had dilated to the point where the vivid blue-green of his eyes was nearly swallowed up by blackness. Only a thin ring of color showed, like the corona of a sun in eclipse.
It should have been a happy moment for Eirika, a moment of pride and honor and excitement. Instead, the moment was clouded by a feeling of something gone very wrong- not just sorrow for her brother that he was denied the chance to be First Upon Luna, but a searing sense of betrayal that she was going to the moon without him.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: So, the shoe finally drops, and Ephraim, despite his mad piloting skillz, is relegated to being the backup commander on the mission he wanted more than anything. And Eirika gets to be the first woman on the moon, which she didn't particularly want. Dun dun dun...
