Avalonians and Questors
Omake - The Titanic and the Space Iceberg!
by Vanipon (with corrections by P'yeknu)


On the bridge of the Royal Mail Starship Titanic, Moroboshi Negako was standing there watching the short dimensional warp back into her home dimension. She then blinked as something came to here. "Elaine?" she called out.

The shipmistress of the Titanic, Elaine Smith - like most of the crew aboard, she was a Terran-form Avalonian with experience in piloting cargo ships; she had been snapped up by Carnival for their new White Star service (and had adopted the family name of another captain of a ship named Titanic) on resettling in Southampton - looked over. "Hai, Negako-sama?"

"I would recommend that when we emerge from warp, you pilot the ship well away from the plane of Neptune's orbit around Sol," the ninjutsu grandmaster warned.

"Why?"

"From what I have seen, the natives of Triton tend to get as lazy as Saotome Genma demonstrated himself to be concerning his estranged son . . . especially when proceed to deal with all the ice and show that constantly builds up on Triton. It would not surprise me - though I personally do not know if such is true or not - that those who control the Central Warp Chamber in Kōri City simply transport the ice into outer space in lieu of transporting same to Mars as the Noukiites helped arrange after your people were liberated and the factory brought here to this solar system."

Elaine considered that. "In another words, there's a high probability of actual space icebergs floating between Neptune and Pluto?" she asked, her face paling as she recalled what happened to another ship named Titanic back in 1912. At Negako's nod, the captain then sighed. "I'll have the sensor technicians keep an eye out for them."

"A wise decision," Negako noted . . .


. . . which did not help things a half-hour later!

"You've GOT to be kidding me . . .!" Shinji exclaimed.

As the others Program survivors - now standing on the upper observation deck - stared in shock at the rather BIG chunk of ice, impacted snow and even rock that just cut into the starboard side of the starliner on the underside of the main hull, Kazuo breathed out before he gazed on Satomi. "Satomi . . . may I give you some advice?"

"H-h-hai?" the bespectacled team then stammered.

Resisting the sudden urge to strangle his former classmate - Wait! Why am I feeling THIS way? he then wondered to himself - he indicated the iceberg. "I recommend that the NEXT time that you speak of something which would remind Karma of a curse bestowed onto a specific vessel's name, PLEASE KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!"

"In other words, 'Tomi, if you think about it, DON'T FUCKIN' SAY IT!" Hirono snarled as she also fought back the urge to strangle said girl.

Of course, Satomi was quick to sense the outrage the punkish girl was now feeling towards her. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, Hiro! I'm sorry!" She then blinked before gazing outside at the iceberg that hit the Titanic. "Still . . . "

"Still what?" Mitsuko asked.

"How the HECK did THIS happen?"

The others all blinked as they considered that . . .


. . . while down in Kōri City, another discussion was happening.

"Um, Supervisor . . .?"

"Yes?"

"This paper was on the floor right beneath that last mass of ice that we just transported through the Warp Chamber," the technician said as he handed a crinkled sheet of ice parchment over to the current watch supervisor.

The older man took it and scanned through it. "Oh, this! This was a memorandum I prepared for the maintenance people who work on the warning satellites."

"The ones we send into orbit to warn travellers of the dumping sites for ice, rock and other things we cannot shift safely to Mars?"

A nod. "Yes. I'll make sure this gets over to the maintenance supervisor."

Considering that, the technician then turned to gaze on the Warp Chamber. "I hope that we didn't hit anyone with what we just disposed of," he mused.

The supervisor considered that, and then he shook his head. "It's not so much of a concern. All Federation, Noukiite and Zephyrite ship captains are aware that we do this, so they scan well ahead before sailing close to Neptune."

The technician relaxed . . . and then he tensed. "Um, Supervisor . . . "

"Yes?"

"What of the Terrans and the Avalonians?"

The older man blinked, and then he tensed. "Oh, dear . . .!"

The End . . . Thank God!


OMAKE NOTE: Originally, Vanipon wrote that the supervisor of the Central Warp Chamber was an Urusian Imperial. But since none of them would be allowed to operate something as precious to the Neptunian race as the Chamber - and none of them, if they were still around, wouldn't be caught dead LIVING in Triton! - I had to change that scene.

I also tweaked up Negako's and Kazuo's parts to better fit their personalities, plus brought in Hirono - who would strike me as the Shiroiwa gang's resident hothead; she does look the part! - to put the fear of the Kami into poor Satomi . . .

KLONK!

Hirono: WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' A HOTHEAD, YOU CAN-KNUCKLEHEAD JERK?

Eeep! Sorry . . .!