On Board the Bebop - In the Vicinity of Mars

January 1st, 2073 - Ed's Birthday!

"Whatcha doing, Faye-Faye?"

Faye looked over her shoulder towards the entrance to the kitchen where Ed was peeking in. Several feet below her inquisitive face was Ein as well, his tongue poking out of his mouth.

"Trying to make something from nothing, birthday girl." Faye replied, looking back at the counter and the ingredients she'd gathered. A basket of eggs from Ed's father, the flour Jet had complained wasn't what he normally got, butter, almonds, brandy, baking powder, vanilla extract, and the yogurt that had her puzzled but had felt right to retrieve from the fridge.

Ed stepped farther into the room. "Faye-Faye, do you remember when you picked me up?"

It wasn't often that Ed threw around words like "I" and "me" though Faye had heard it on a few rare occasions. Still, it made her turn around from the counter to face Ed and give the hacker her undivided attention.

"Yeah, it was…" She tried to think back - the passage of time was so hard to follow.

"The when doesn't matter," Ed told her with a giggle. Ein came trotting further in as Ed moved closer to Faye to peek around her at what she was doing. "Do you remember what you called Ed?"

Faye felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment and, much stronger, remembered guilt. She'd tried to get the guys to leave before Ed could board - though Ed had swiftly taken things in her own hands to secure the future she wanted. Feeling regretful of her attempt, Faye latched onto her other error that day. "To be fair, lots of people think you're a boy at first."

Ed laughed outright at that and even Ein looked like he was trying to cover his reaction by pawing at his nose.

"Boys and girls? Gender isn't binary, silly! The spectrum is far beyond society's concept of such - talk to scientists if you wanna get real down to it." She shook her head, looking more serious than Faye was used to seeing. "You said… you called yourself Ed's big sister." Ed bit her lip and turned her gaze to the ground. "It was something Ed hoped would happen again. Ed's never had a sibling before and when you said that...it sounded nice. And, well… being a sister… I imagine it feels nice too."

Faye's mouth fell open in shock. "I… uh… oh Ed," She reached over and pulled the girl into her arms for a hug. "Well, ya could've said something sooner, sis." She muttered thickly, blinking rapidly to clear moisture from her eyes. "That's a pretty important role though, you know?"

Ed had already started to bounce with excitement in Faye's loose embrace. She grabbed Faye's hands and started making their linked hands dance between them. "What what?"

Faye smiled at the other girl. "Well...okay, sis, I'm gonna let you in on a little family recipe." She glanced again at the ingredients and felt a moment of doubt but then steeled herself. "I was thinking about what you told me, about how stuff I was familiar with before the accident I can usually remember better than people. Like... the Morse code thing or driving, or shooting. How that all stuck. And I… I think I remember making sugee cake. And, well, I wanted to see if I could do it if I just... kind of...tried without thinking too hard about it. Working from subconscious memory."

Ed's eyes lit up. "And you want Ed's help?!"

Faye nodded. "I shouldn't be in here on my own anyway, you know Jet would have a fit. But if you're helping he can't get too mad."

The young hacker looked surprised but then laughed again. "You want to use Ed as a scapegoat! Oh, dear sister…" Ed smiled devilishly. "Okay. Let's get cooking!"

Down by their feet, Ein shook his furry little head and began to back away. He might miss out on anything they dropped to the floor, but he'd also stay out of trouble as long as he stayed out of their way!

xxx

Leaning back on the couch after the feast they'd had, capped off with a delicious creation Ed and Faye had pulled together earlier in the kitchen - much to everyone's surprise, the girls included - Spike kicked his feet up onto the table and looked over at the birthday girl. After the baking session, she'd donned the evening gown she had worn for Faye's birthday half a year prior, sans the opera gloves this time. Somewhere she'd found or fashioned an elaborate princess crown as well. She was sitting primly on the railing above her computer in the living room, working on her core strength or so she'd claimed when Faye remarked on her odd choice of seat earlier. Spike was impressed at her fortitude since he was far too full to do more than mould his body to the cushions beneath his sprawl. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"So Ed, what did you want for your birthday?"

"To be old enough to come on bounty hunts?" She queried immediately, wiggling her upper body back and forth while leaving her legs stationary.

"How about next year for that, kiddo. In fact I'll make that a promise." Jet replied. Fifteen was still just too young for Jet to handle. At sixteen she would be legally an adult in some regions of the universe and technically able to make her own decisions. There would be no way for him to truly stop her at that point. Spike was fine with putting it off for another year as well. He'd been about fifteen when he'd been inducted into the Syndicate as an errand boy, but it wasn't until he was older that he first used his weapon against someone in a lethal fashion. Even though they'd already discussed having Ed use tranq guns, it was still nerve wracking to consider taking her out into the world where she'd face crossfire from people who were certainly not wielding anything as innocuous as a tranquilizer gun.

"Yeah, we were thinking about teaching you gun safety this year for your birthday. By next year you'll be ready to tackle anything with us!" Faye told her on the heels of Jet's answer, in case Ed was feeling let down by their refusal to put her at risk. So far all of Faye's gifts for the young hacker seemed to consist of 'presence' rather than 'presents' but Spike thought Ed probably appreciated the companionship and making memories more than material goods anyway.

Ed didn't seem let down by their hesitancy to let her join them in action, but she did roll her eyes. "Doohan-grand-daddy has been telling you all to start training me forever now. But… there is something else Ed would very much like for this year's birthday…"

Exchanging nervous looks, the adults all eventually nodded and Jet gestured for her to ask.

"Tommy the Twin made school sound cool. He'd never had a chance to go and, well, neither has Ed. So…Ed would like to give school a try. Just to see!"

Faye's eyebrows rose. "That's all?"

Spike shrugged. "Can't say much myself, I didn't really stick around for a classic education. But.. uh… where, Ed?" It couldn't hurt to let her have the opportunity to be around kids her age for a week or two, until she inevitably got bored of or offended by the various drawbacks of the education system at large and all over.

Edward looked briefly thoughtful and then her face cleared. "Everywhere! Ed can just hack in and enroll at a bunch of schools and see what they're all about! Private, public, and military too!"

Jet blanched. "Military too?!" He echoed her.

"How better to know the enemy?" Ed replied flippantly.

Jet scowled while Spike and Faye laughed. "Ed, the military isn't the enemy."

Ed gave Jet a flat look with raised eyebrows and then shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Can we start on Ganymede? Ed wants to go where Papa-Jet-person went!"

And just like that, everyone knew Jet was on board. Spike rolled his eyes and caught Faye doing the same. They shared a shameless grin. While they didn't always agree with each other, everyone on the ship knew Jet was a straight-up push-over when it came to being accommodating for his family. But... they'd all had plenty of first-hand experience with much worse treatment, whether in their own lives or in the lives of the bounties they chased. Family often mistreated family, much more regularly than people were mistreated by strangers. It was a sad reality of life, but fortunately not so much for their family. Then again, things tend to be better when one has a choice in the matter.

"Got a couple other things for ya, Ed," Spike told her then. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of fingerless leather gloves. "I know how you feel about shoes, but I've also seen you trying to wear my gloves so here's a pair that should fit ya."

Ed tugged them on immediately and grinned in satisfaction. "Like a glove," She laughed at herself while the others all groaned.

From his other pocket, Spike pulled out a package of spicy candy he'd gotten from one of the markets on Earth while they'd been there recently. As usual when food was presented, Ed's eyes lit up. Even Faye and Jet looked keenly interested, though Ein gave the candy one look and shook his head forcefully. Clearly he'd sampled the treats at some point and did not care for the heat.

Jet pulled an unadorned box out from behind the couch then. "And, well, we still need to get you outfitted for a spacesuit before I'll be comfortable letting you zip around in your ship, but I thought you might get some use out of this…"

Ed, mouthful of candies, tore into the box excitedly. She only seemed confused for a moment when she pulled the odd harness out. In an instant she'd puzzled out the significance, though Spike didn't understand until she slipped the harness straps onto her own body and then grabbed Ein up to plop him into the other portion of the device. She laughed with delight and dashed around the room.

"Was that a baby carrier?" Faye asked Jet quietly, eyes following Ed's sugar-fueled race around the room.

Jet grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, she can't always wear the backpack to lug him around, in that vehicle she's got it'll be easier to have him settled in front of her. And to be honest I don't know if it's for kids or dogs or what - I found it at a thrift store and there wasn't any packaging." He shrugged. "Seems to fit him just fine."

"You guys are making me look bad by giving her all these tangible things," Faye muttered, though she didn't seem too upset. In fact she looked rather sneaky.

Ed careened to a halt in front of Faye, leaning over until her face was mere inches from Faye's own. "Faye-Faye has given Ed much today!" She insisted warmly. Ein, in the pouch, stretched his neck to lick Faye's chin, prompting her to recoil into the cushions behind her.

"Yuck, Ein! I know where that tongue has been - you keep that to yourself!" Faye screeched.

Ed bounded away with a laugh. "Ein's mouth keeps his tongue clean!"

Faye made a face. "Yeah, right. Anyway, Ed… I did get you something." Her grin then was decidedly wicked. "There's a note in your bedroom if you-" She stopped talking because Ed was already long gone, dashing towards the bedrooms.

Jet gave Faye a curious look. "You wrote her a birthday card?"

"How boring! Obviously not." Faye harrumphed. "I wrote her a series of notes to take her on a treasure hunt. It'll lead her to her present eventually but I figured it would keep her occupied for a while." She stood up and stretched her arms towards the ceiling. "I'm stuffed, I gotta go blaze or I might just puke."

Spike laughed. "No one made you eat three slices of that cake."

"Well, no one's making you come with me to the hangar to smoke either," She shot back, strolling away from the living room.

Spike shared a glance with Jet and grinned. "Ed!" He hollered. "We're stepping out to smoke!"

"Puff puff Bebop Bebop!" Came her reply.

"Well, that's permission granted if I ever heard it." Jet said, slapping his hands on his thighs and rising. "What do you think Faye got for her anyway? I lost track of her when we were shopping."

Spike rose as well, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he slouched off after Jet and Faye. "No telling - but I'm sure Ed will have tracked it down by the time we get back in. I can't imagine Faye's clues are gonna be difficult for her to figure out."

Both men were surprised to see Faye waiting for them in the rotating hallway. She had a cocky smirk on her face. "Oh yeah? If that's what you think maybe I'll do the same on your birthday and we'll see just how clever you are, Spike."

Laughter from Jet. "Oh you're in trouble now, Spike-o."

Spike made a face at Jet. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The banter between the trio continued as they made their way outside.

xxx

"Hey, Ein. Hey, hey, Ein. Why are you so furry? I know! Because you're sensitive to the cold! Hey Ein, why aren't you laughing? Ah, that is because you're nihilistic. Hey Ein, why are you so happy? Ah, it's because Ed is happy, isn't it?"

Ein was indeed in a good mood at the moment. All of his people were relatively happy and none of them smelled of healing wounds. And Ed was correct in her reasoning because he was always pleased when she was glad. Of all the humans here, he appreciated Edward the most. She listened to him and fed him and brought him on most of her adventures. While he hadn't been the biggest fan of helping her train for some of her latest escapades, he was still quite happy to keep her company on her less dangerous exploits.

Eventually he intended to see her safely through bounty hunting missions, but much like the other humans he didn't want to start that yet. He suspected she might not truly grasp the seriousness of the job, namely the genuine life-or-death aspect that the others shielded her from by simply not dying. They came back to the ship with cuts, bruises, bullet holes, and more - but they came back. Their bounties didn't always survive and sometimes other people lost their lives as well, but the crew was good about making it home relatively intact.

While Ed likely understood the concept of death - had indeed been affected by such a loss, even if she didn't remember well - she hadn't truly been made to face it. Not in terms of losing someone she was close to, her mother aside since her memories of her were so vague, and not in terms of facing death herself. Even the times when the Bebop had been under threat or crashing to the surface of a moon or so empty of sustenance that all their stomachs had been aching. She had still thought everything a lark. Which Ein knew was partially a self-defense mechanism.

If she focused on the possibility of survival and just assumed that all would be well… then the fears were kept at bay. Ein had observed all of the humans as they dealt with mortality. Spike had been apathetic for most of his close calls, though these days he seemed more likely to fight tooth and nail to survive. That had been Faye's reaction most times - not the shrug of Spike but the fire of her determination to endure. She would not go easily into that great beyond. And Jet? Jet was perhaps worse that Spike. Ein remembered the night that Jet put Ed in charge of his special little trees. He had gone off committed to his mission and survival hadn't been a concern. It wasn't the same devil-may-care attitude of Spike, it was the grim resolution of a man ready to take that long walk with Death to the ever after if that was required.

Ein didn't want to see how Ed handled being shot at or beaten up by a gang of criminals. He didn't want to see her tormented by the notion of being killed. It was a terrible thing, to face your own death. To be unsure if these breaths would be your last and unsure if you'd ever be able to see your loved ones again.

Ein had been through some traumatizing stuff himself. He had been hurt. Had been… enhanced. He had been pursued and had been certain that if he couldn't escape… his future would have been full of agonies and atrocities. There had been something about Spike that had reassured him. A sense that the bounty hunter could be his salvation, despite how much Spike had yelled. There was an artifice to the bluster that Ein could detect easily, just with his doggy senses, to say nothing of the extra edge the experimentation had given him.

The Bebop had been a haven. Respite from his aggressors though the threat was still out there. Someday he would have to let Ed know. Names to add to her list of targets for karmic ass-kicking. But that was a problem to tackle in the future. He wasn't ready yet to face off against the people who had abused him. Made him more, but had taken from him the innocence he had been born with. No one should have that authority - that ability. Experiments were only justifiable if the people or animals being experimented on had given their clear consent, and truly understood the potential ramifications of what they were agreeing to. He'd had stern words on that matter with Ed after she'd dosed the crew previously - their casual agreement to play a game had not necessarily been consent to ingesting psychedelics, even if it had turned out okay. She'd put up a brief argument citing Faye's proclivity to gamble with her life and health, and Spike's persistence in pursuing the more dangerous and exciting bounties, but eventually she'd agreed that she would be crystal clear in the future. While Ed liked to consider herself a scientist, she was also being guided more and more by Jet's stern moral code and respect of the autonomy of others. Probably Ein should have spoken up after the mushroom incident, but he'd hardly suspected Ed might have access to other drugs though he knew well how keen her curiosity ran.

Ed had called him nihilistic which was true enough. He might be just a dog but he knew life itself was inherently meaningless. It only held the significance that people gave it. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it, but people constantly prescribed meaning to it. People desperately needed life to have a point. They needed their own lives to have purpose. In that regard the crew of the Bebop was no different than any other person out there. They were never trying to assert their beliefs on others, though. They never tried to wield the power they held against people who did not deserve what was coming to them. They never tried to control each other or Ein - or even themselves half the time. This made them better than the tormentors of Ein's puppyhood.

Playing God was something only the cruel or the callous did. Folks with no empathy, with no compassion. Ein wasn't ready to go paw-to-toe against those folks. Ed would back him up, no doubt, but she was too young and too pure to have to go through that. The others would better serve as champions for him, but they'd been through a lot in these past two years. They deserved a break from exterminating evil, at least for a little while. People couldn't keep fighting endlessly, they needed a breather once in a while.

Ed, tugging on his paws, distracted the data dog from his rumination. She was trying to get him to pose for a picture. That had been Faye's gift to the young hacker for her birthday - a camera and some film that she'd found at the thrift store that she and Jet had gone shopping at for things the Bebop needed. Everything on the Bebop was rundown or repurposed - they claimed for treasures what other folks had cast aside as trash. Actually, now that Ein thought about it, the crew themselves fit that description. Ed didn't consider herself trash, though others in the galaxy would undoubtedly count her Earth-origins against her. But certainly Jet, Faye, and Spike had considered themselves worthless far too often.

Ein knew the truth. The ship itself was like a patchwork quilt, made of many pieces that shouldn't go together but somehow worked masterfully when combined. And the crew were all treasures. Precious to Ein personally, but also valuable to society as a whole.

And so he let his tongue loll out of his mouth and gave in to Ed's whims. Her joy was one of the things that drove him. Life was only good if his crew was content. And if this wild child wanted to take a million pictures so she could plaster every surface with memories - that was fine with Ein.

xxx

Presence is the greatest present, cowpokes!