Blue Drop: Angel's Partner: Chapter 12
Into the Unknown
The sakura boom once more, blithely ignoring the conflict between Arume and humans. And along with spring, the blossoms mark the end of one school-year and the beginning of another. Mari and Micchi's dorm-head, Funatsumaru, graduates and returns to her family business. Fishing is becoming both more dangerous and more vital in these uncertain times. Akane reluctantly takes over her position as the dorm head. Mari and Micchi once more end up in the same class, and again Micchi is the only one surprised that she is elected class representative. Tsubael continues to share Micchi's room, though by now she pays a nominal rent out of the income from her part-time job helping at Micchi's parent's store.
Mari settles down in class this year, and her grades show a marked improvement. Of course, being able to go over everything with Ekaril really helps. [[ I guess this takes the notion of ``private tutor'' to an entirely new level, ]] Mari comments, earning a laugh from Ekaril. As the two spend more time together in Mari's head, Ekaril learns to do more than just ``talk'' to her. She quickly learns to sense what Mari does, and after a while, with Mari's urging, even learns how to control Mari's muscles. She will always asks before doing so, but Mari urges her to do this. [[ After all, I don't want to keep you trapped as a prisoner in my head. ]]
Micchi and Tsubael adapt to Ekaril sharing Mari's head as quickly as they did to her being a ``tern.'' They were worried for Mari when she came back carrying the last two feathers from Ekaril, and they both held some lingering doubts until Ekaril learned to use Mari's voice and was able to talk to them directly. Of course they were glad to be able to talk to their old friend, but this finally put to rest their unspoken fear that Mari might be making this all up. She wasn't crazy.
The school year continues as normally as it can while the Japanese Self Defense Forces fight a desperate defense against the invading Arume after the first attempt at negotiations with them breaks down. Though their weapons are no match for the advanced Arume technology, they continue fighting as best they can. The most fearsome weapon the Arume employ is the Thought-condensing weapon. It's aftermath is almost as bad as the use itself, as it leaves behind a nightmarish landscape fill with the giant frozen shapes of peoples fears to which it gave solid form.
Thankfully Kaihou Academy is in a strategically insignificant area, so there is little fighting nearby. Mari and her friends are grateful to be spared it. Personally Mari is also glad that there is less to remind Ekaril of her dead and her own people fighting against her.
The year rolls on with less change from ordinary than would be expected in a country under siege and fighting for its life. Several new girls transfer to Kaihou from larger cities. Their parents having decided to send their daughters here to get them away from the danger of heavier fighting near their homes.
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Mari and Micchi graduate the next spring and both head off to a nearby university. Nobody is surprised that Micchi does well on her exams and is easily accepted into the program studying international affairs. Mari also manages to pass the entrance exams and is accepted at the same university. She enters the general studies program as she isn't yet sure what path she wants to take in life. Her teachers are very impressed at her academic improvement since entering Kaihou Academy. None of them knew the help that Ekaril gives her, but Ekaril was also careful to make sure that Mari actually learns the subjects herself and doesn't just use her as a crutch. Sugawara-sensei is also able to put them in touch with another member of the resistance who is attending the same university.
As the university is off in a different town, Mari, Micchi and Tsubael all have to look for a new place to live. They are able to find rooms in a small apartment near campus. Tsubael is fortunate enough to be able to take over the position of landlady of this small building, thanks to their connections with the resistance. Mari has a small upstairs room to herself and Micchi and Tsubael share the room set aside for the landlady.
ooo OOO ooo
Midway through their freshman year a special knock at the door prompts Mari to look through the peephole and then open the door of her tiny apartment. She welcomes a fellow member of the resistance who enters with news for her. ``Mari-san,'' he begins after closing the door, ``we need your help again.'' At Mari's prompting, he explains that they've managed to take out the crew of a small Arume ship, and have the ship open for them to take. ``You seem to know the most about these things, so could you lead the investigation of the ship?'' Mari, with some silent help from Ekaril, asks a few more questions, then agrees and heads out with her informant.
``There she is,'' points out the informant. Mari follows his gesture and sees a small Arume ship. Ekaril recognizes the class and explains to Mari that this is a frigate, the smallest ship with an Emil-Force drive capable of shifting. She also notices that the main hatch has been left open in such a way that they can get in. They enter to investigate, telling their informant to head back and report on what they found.
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Arriving on the bridge, Mari is immediately challenged by the ship. ``Intruder detected. State your identity and authorization to enter Myrdal. Where is commander Kalgol?''
[[ Please loan me your voice, ]] Ekaril asks Mari, and when she does replies, ``I am Commander Mari'il of Special Operations. Commander Kalgol was killed in combat and I am assuming command.'' Mari'il was safe to choose as a name, as it was reasonable, and would not have any ties back to Ekaril. Due to the secretive nature of the Special Operations group, no names for them—real or assumed—would be recorded in the personnel database.
``Acknowledged,'' the ship replies, ``Please transmit confirmation code for change of command.''
Ekaril has Mari sit in the commanders chair and asks for control of her hands which she places on the two input pads. Mari then feels her make a sequence of rapid keystrokes and some rather complex thought patterns.
``Confirmation received and verified,'' replies Myrdal. ``Welcome aboard Commander Mari'il. What are your orders.'' Thankfully Ekaril's confirmation codes were still valid.
``Engage full stealth mode,'' replies Mari'il.
Myrdal complies with this order, and outside the ship flickers and disappears from view.
Ekaril and Mari spend the rest of the day reviewing the bridge and communication logs as well as the original mission orders for Myrdal. They find that commander Kalgol was detached for a long-term mission to try to infiltrate and subvert the government. She wasn't expected to report back for quite a while, so the capture of Myrdal can be concealed for some time. This also explained why Mari was able to simply walk into the ship: Kalgol was practicing living without using her gravity control, so she left on foot as opposed to floating out like an ordinary Arume might have. Both Mari and Ekaril were grateful for this, as Mari has no such ability. They also confirm that the ship does have a full Emil-Force drive, and Ekaril teaches Mari about the ship, including all the procedures for running her.
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Ekaril asks Mari if there's anything special she'd like to do now that they've ``captured'' this ship.
[[ I want to see your home-world with my own eyes, ]] replies Mari.
[[ Oh Mari! ]]
[[ I've seen Arume in the dreams that you shared with me; I'd like to see it with my own eyes. And maybe... ]] She blushed, unsure of herself. [[ Maybe there we can do something to stop the fighting. ]]
[[ But what about your college career? What if we can't return? ]]
[[ That's OK. I really don't have much direction here, and I do want to take you back home. Anyway, wherever I am is fine as long as you're with me. ]]
[[ Oh Mari! Are you sure? ]]
[[ Yes, ...but we can't go without talking to Micchi and Tsubael first. ]]
[[ True, we need to tell them. But if you're really sure, this could be wonderful. I'll admit I'd like to see Arume again, to show it to you. And if you don't mind, on Arume we might also look into what makes you react specially to Arume and our equipment. ]]
They agree this is the course of action they should take, and head back to their apartment. Once there, they begin preparing to leave. Mari takes only a few things with her: pictures of her grandmother, of her and Hagino together, of Tsubael and Micchi together, her copy of Micchi's play, ``The Girl of Orleans'', and the two feathers Ekaril gave her at the end. For clothing, she wears her same school uniform that she did on stage in Micchi's play, as that too has special meaning.
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Leaving in Myrdal may well mean a permanent separation, and the two delay it for a bit so they can say goodbye to their closest friends, especially Micchi and Tsubael. When they are finally ready, they bring Micchi and Tsubael to Myrdal to see them off.
``But you'll be going somewhere you know absolutely nobody.'' Micchi asks, ``Won't you be lonely?'' Tsubael's face shows the same concern.
``Don't worry,'' replies Mari. ``That's how it was when I came here to Kaihou academy, and I found good friends like you. Hopefully I'll find other good friends on Arume.'' She pauses and a smile comes to her face. ``Also,'' she adds, ``I have Hagino with me, so I can never be lonely. ...But that doesn't mean I won't miss you terribly.'' Mari takes their hands. ``Micchi, you were my first friend here, ...and you both helped me through the hardest day of my life.'' Her eyes fill with tears as she remembers Hagino saying ``farewell'' and leaving. ``I can never forget that. I'm so, so, glad to see you two happy together.''
She smiles and in a slightly different voice continues, ``Thank you both for everything. Kouzuki-san, I leave you in excellent hands. Tsubael will always take care of you. ...I know.'' Seeing the embarrassed blush coloring Tsubael's cheeks, she continues, ``And thank you for giving Tsubael the love she deserves.'' She pauses a moment, then continues. ``Tsubael, what can I ever say or do to thank you. I could not leave my dream in better hands than yours.''
``Commander Ekaril,'' replies Tsubael in a tone of quiet awe, ``It is you that we truly should thank for everything.'' As she says this, she comes to attention and places her right hand across her heart in the Arume salute. Micchi copies her salute a moment behind her.
Mari returns this salute as asked to by Ekaril. She is only able to hold it briefly before she breaks into tears and envelops her two friends in a tight hug.
Mari and Ekaril then board Myrdal, take off, and quickly shift through several different brane-worlds to cover their tracks. They hope that this will hide their trail in both directions, so that it cannot be used to follow them to Arume, and also so that it could not lead to the resistance back on Earth.
Micchi and Tsubael stand, holding hands, watching long after their friends have gone.