Chapter 4. Sailing Ships
Orga felt tired.
Exhausted.
Drained.

He knew he should get some rest instead of wandering the ship with the unstoppable swirl of thoughts on his mind. But the Boss of Tekkadan couldn't resist the well-known urge to seek Mikazuki's company, to solidify the path he had chosen with the silent support of his closest friend.

The hangar met him with the distant chatting of several boys on mechanic shift, with the muted unfamiliar noise of the Gremory and the silent void filling the Barbatos' slot. Obviously, Mika was on his patrol duty.
Orga sighed.
Shrugged.
He had to talk to the girl, eventually.

Orga drifted towards the somber mammoth of Gremory, where Aoi was floating plugged into the Gundam; her left hand held the diagnostic tablet, fingers of the right danced over it rhythmically. A half of a ration bar rotated close to her mouth. Orga noted the same battered pilot suit, still stained with blood, the same dirty bun of hair and even paler now, almost transparent skin. She looked worse than he felt; and yet, Orga could hear her humming something, an unknown melody or a song.

"You do realize we have other spaces but the hangar here, right?" He asked awkwardly, locating himself on the Gremory's left shoulder and shoving hands in his pants pockets.

She pulled the cord out of the plug on her back, maneuvered herself in a standing position next to him.

Their eyes met in a duel of confusion.

"Um... Yes, sir. But I have to finish my work on Gremory first." She said hesitantly. "After several battles and more than a week in space, it needs full check out and some minor repairs before going on the next assignment."

"Have you talked to the Chief Mechanic, Mr Yukinojo?" Orga tilted his head.

"Yes. We've already discussed the terms of Gremory's service." She watched him from under her brows.

Orga made several steps to observe the Gundam's head closely. Its hood was lifted, exposing the red top fully; sharp features reminded him of a knight helmet masking the face.

"Well, then... Why are you fixing it on your own? In Tekkadan, we usually work as a team." Orga tried to smooth a patronizing tone in his voice with meeting her gaze openly.

Aoi stared at her feet.
"I'm still checking the system. Performing tests, making diagnostics, you know... I'm not certain if anyone but myself can do that properly."

Orga raised his brows. "Why?"

"Gremory's feedback via the Alaya-Vijnana can be quite... harmful. My... partner was the last one who tried to pilot it, aside from me, that is. He ended up with the irreversible brain damage." She tightened her lips.

The girl isn't lying. Maybe, all the Gundams are cursed with that lost technology, so unnatural that injuries became the ordinary price for using it.
I wonder, though, who that partner of hers could be?.. And what happened to him?..

Instead of satisfying his curiosity, Orga stepped back, nodding. "Seems you guys have got everything under control here."

A small smile touched her lips, brightened tired eyes. "Seems so, sir."

He looked the Gremory upside down, noting the heavy armor of its upper body and the shining arch of the scythe.

"...and name Tyr twice."
Another forgotten War God, the one who sacrificed his right hand to the wolf.
At the closer look, the Gremory's weapon isn't really a scythe. It's a part of something else, double-bladed anchor-shaped thing. The arrow shaped thing.
Why she never restored it?..

Orga returned the smile. "Your guy looks pretty different from Mika's."

She placed her palm against the Gundam's shoulder thruster. "It is different. Gremory is a defensive suit. Probably, the most defensive Mobile Suit ever due to its original nanolaminate coat."

Aoi absentmindedly stroked the smooth dark blue surface.

"Mr Yukinojo has told me about the Barbatos, how it's been used as a power source at your base on Mars." She continued. "That you had to renovate the cockpit, along with the Alaya-Vijnana interface."

Orga nodded.
"Yeah. All the data and software were destroyed too."

"Well, Gremory is another story." Aoi mused. "Gjallarhorn had been keeping it for centuries, before me and my partner stole it two years ago during our escape from their base. For them this mech was some kind of heritage, I think; nobody piloted it since the Calamity War. So, my Gundam has all the original software and data, back from the pre Calamity War era. Over the years I was able to make several upgrades, sensors and high quality optics included, but Gremory is still work in progress. Engineers at Saisei can provide Mobile Suits with up-to-date software and databases; I couldn't afford those but with Naze's recent generous offer..."

Orga yawned. Fatigue brought his eyelids down. The monotonous hum of Gremory was lulling him to sleep. Their conversation turning down the Gundam maintenance road did no wonders to his exhausted brain either.

"Um... Sorry." She muttered. "It's just... Well, Gremory is everything to me. I can discuss it for ages, boring others to death. Don't hesitate to shut me up, okay?"

"I'm not bored." Orga rubbed his eyes. "Just tired. Well, I... Actually, I came here to talk to Mika."

"Oh." Aoi glanced sideways. "He'll be back in a half an hour, I think. You can wait him here if you want, sir."

"Right." Orga sensed her disappointment.

"I, um... won't bother you anymore then, sir. Got a work to do."

"Sure."

She kicked off the armored plate and dived down to the cockpit. Orga watched her plugging herself back to the Gundam, his right eye squinted in irritation with himself. Tekkadan Boss wished he could shake the awkwardness off and talk to the girl confidently, about the things that really concerned him. Orga sighed. Women always meant troubles.

But he couldn't agree more with Aoi about Naze's generosity. Even now Orga hardly believed his luck. For some reason, the Head of the Turbines saw enough potential in Tekkadan, in him, to become brothers.
Emotionally, Orga had sensed a certain nostalgic note in older man's words; probably, Naze had remembered his own early days in Teiwaz. However, Orga also knew that feelings didn't matter much in business. Tekkadan had been chosen only for their abilities, their prospects; and now Orga had no choice but to live up to Naze's expectations.

It's just the beginning. I shouldn't give myself too much credit. We were incredibly lucky up to now but that can change anytime.

Even without Orga's request, Naze had granted access to Teiwaz' informational database for Tekkadan, vast library included, implying that the future members of Space Mafia should learn its structure, rules and rituals.
And undoubtedly, those had been the first things Orga memorized in such details which the former CGS database couldn't provide. JPT Trust, trading and financing company. Turbines, transport division. Euro Electronics, weaponry and heavy industry. Fish and seafood farms of Ganymede. IOS Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls. Callisto Pharmacy. Copernicus University. Amalthea Grains. And so many more.

While waiting for Mika, Orga pulled out a tablet, intending to continue his education on Teiwaz subsidiaries. He made himself comfortable on the Gremory's shoulder, as much as it was possible in zero gravity, and started the reading. But letters burned his tired eyes, blurred before his vision; all the dry facts and faceless names missed his memory, and after re-reading the same sentence for the fifth time Orga gave up.

He yawned again, thinking how he should spend the crawling time until Mika's return. His stare absentmindedly returned to the Gremory.

The Gundams' names, though... They've got the faces, and certainly got some history. I wonder then, does Teiwaz database keep some info on the Gundams?..

The search resulted in the short, dry string of facts.

Apparently, all 72 originally constructed Gundams had been named after the ancient demons, which emphasized their main predestination.

Destroying the angels, all ten of them. And that was it. Not a single detail to let Orga guess what the Gundams had been supposed to eliminate. Powerful weapon? Space stations? Warships? Defense zones?

He shrugged and dug deeper into the demonology, thinking that the original description of the said demons would help him to acknowledge his own better.

Barbatos, then... Means "bearded", huh. "Can speak to animals"... Yeah, Mika probably can... "Tell the future"... who knows... "Conciliate friends and rulers"? Well, I thought it was my job. "Lead men to treasure hidden by the enchantment of magicians"... Might be, Mika's instincts never fail.

Orga reluctantly typed Gremory in the search field.

"Tells all things past, present and future"... That's getting stupid... "About hidden treasures"... They probably all do. "Procures the love of women, young and old, but especially maidens". Well, that's... unexpected. Like, Maiden of Revolution?.. "He is depicted as appearing in the form of a beautiful woman with the crown of a duchess encircling her head, and riding a camel."

Orga observed the small ancient picture attentively, the weird humpbacked animal and the young woman riding it. The crown was around her head indeed, reminding him of the crescent moon, of the Gremory's scythe sharp edges. He blinked, forcing himself to stop the wild guesses.

The sounds of the Barbatos parking in its place startled Orga back into awareness.

Aoi didn't hum anymore. She was yawning excessively over the tablet several meters lower, next to her cockpit. Orga watched as she raised her hand in greetings towards Mikazuki and continued her tapping.

Mika got out of the cockpit and drifted to Orga, who stood up and helped him to his feet on the Gremory's left shoulder.

"How's the weather outside?" Orga smirked.

"Clear." Mika stated without humor to his voice. He glanced down at Aoi. "Are you that concerned? I thought you'd be sleeping at the bridge."

"Biscuit kicked me out. I was looking for you, actually."

Mika nodded. "I'm hungry. Let's grab something."

"Um... Okay."


Orga knows he's different.
Hurt and hunger, fear and despair, wrath and agony - when it comes to other people's emotions, Orga is painfully aware of them all.
This basically makes his life on the streets of Chryse a living hell.
Orga can't control his strange ability; he doesn't know how to stop himself from experiencing all the misery around. Orga truly loathes the loneliness but he tries his best to avoid people. He has to.
Until under the bluish Martian sunrise, in the littered narrow back alley he meets the small boy. And behind those trustful blue eyes Orga finds emotions so pure and simple that only a baby or an animal could have.
When the boy raises his huge orbs, Orga thinks of a wolf cub.
"I'm dead?" There's no fear or despair in boy's voice, only the tiredness of a fatally wounded animal patiently waiting for the death to come. It lures Orga's senses in. Makes him realize that he can't let the boy die.
It's not pity.
It's self-preservation.
"No." Orga responds. "You can see the dead when you're dead. And I'm alive. Meaning, you're alive too. So to keep the living alive, do everything you can now."
Orga grins encouragingly and stretches his hand out to the boy, who smiles trustfully and welcomes his hand.

Orga woke up and glanced at the clock. Four hours of sleep definitely weren't enough after the intense stream of events, but he considered himself lucky to have them anyway. Even spent in the captain's chair.

Orga stretched and pushed himself onto his feet. For some reason, the only person on the bridge beside him was Fumitan.

"Um, well... Could you hold the fort for a minute?" He asked, glancing awkwardly sideways.

"Of course." She bowed.

Orga strode down the corridors, on the living quarters deck, intending to return the crew back to their places.

"DELICIOUS!"

Tekkadan Leader stopped dead in his tracks trying to wrap his mind around the image in the mess hall. Or make it unseen somehow.

Perhaps, I shouldn't let her out of the hangar. Though... Who am I kidding? Inevitable tends to happen, no matter the place or time.

Aoi was emanating radiance. The sufficient sleep and the much needed shower definitely did the trick.
Looking at her almost naked figure, Orga deduced that the stained pilot suit was probably her only available clothing. Apparently, putting it in the laundry left her with nothing to wear but simple black undergarments. That didn't prevent the girl from stuffing her face with Atra's latest cooking masterpiece delightfully.
The pure ecstasy written all over Aoi's features, accompanied with grunts and moans, made Orga want to palm his face. Instead, he watched.

Obviously, Shino couldn't tear his eyes off the almost naked girl's body too. He was sitting opposite Aoi, broad goofy grin flashing brighter than supernova, widened orbs following every move and shake of full round breasts, thankfully this time hidden under the black sports bra.

Next to Shino, Eugene was hovering over the table, face only a shade lighter than Orga's scarf. His stare was visibly wandering over the girl's pale body, down her spine, where three implants stuck out among long, still wet after shower black locks; and lower, to her buttocks and slender legs.

Biscuit was standing at the counter, hiding his face under the cap and trying to look anywhere but the girl. However, her presence alone evidently made it difficult for him to pick up his meal.
That resulted in a small line near the counter, including Dante, Chad and several smaller kids. Nobody seemed willing to hurry Biscuit. Dante showed Chad a thumb up, smiling approvingly. Chad cast a glance at the girl and turned away, clearly embarrassed.
Kids were ogling Aoi's back. Three Alaya-Vijnana ports impressed them way more than her underdressed state.

Only two people in the mess hall seemed completely unaffected by the scene: Mika, calmly consuming what looked like his second helping; and Atra, pouting slightly at the guys' immature behavior.

Orga strode to the counter.
"Atra, coffee please."

He shrugged off his jacket and put it around Aoi's shoulders, effectively covering the most of the naked skin down to her buttocks.

Shino whimpered in frustration.

"Elgar, get some clothes for our Space Hobo." Orga requested sternly without glancing at the kid who left the mess hall quickly, taking the Boss' direct order as a mission of honor.

Aoi tried to talk back but with all that food in her mouth words came out completely unintelligible.

In an attempt to suppress annoyance, Orga shut both his eyes. "And you- you chew on your food first then talk."

He ended his coffee in one gulp.

"Um... Boss, what about the meal?.." Atra piped in.

"I'm good, thanks. Someone has to be on the bridge."

"Hey Boss, no need to be such a pain in the ass!" Eugene was first to react. "There was Fumitan on the bridge the last I saw."

Orga huffed and turned around to exit the mess hall, but Aoi's voice made him freeze.

"Thank you, sir".

He cast a quick glance at her. She pulled his jacket tighter around her small form but somehow it didn't add decency to the whole image.

Now it looks like she's naked under my jacket. Which, by the way, probably smells of me.

With a certain effort he cut that trail of thoughts.
"You're welcome".


It was an understatement to say that the gym was crowded this morning.

Shino, who had been their Drill Instructor during the CGS days, now couldn't tear himself between the hangar and the gym, clearly setting the former as his priority. Orga respected his choice considering Shino's potential as a pilot, but it didn't change the fact that Tekkadan majority started to ignore the physical training completely.

Well, with Akihiro and Mika being the usual exception.

Orga understood perfectly that spending all the time aboard the spaceship, inside the very same walls everyday, should be stressful; his young and energetic crew had to be able to blow out some steam. That's why Tekkadan Boss headed for the gym this morning, intending to get some training for himself and chat a bit with Akihiro about establishing the physical drills routine.

He was obviously late.

The gym was full with almost everyone free of duties. Most of the guys stood leaning against the walls, making the center of the gym clear and spacious for the sparring. Aoi, clad only in the sports bra and cargo pants, was crouching in the center together with Shino, who ogled her breasts openly instead of defending himself, his fingers twitching. The next moment he was face down on the floor.

Aoi tapped on his naked shoulder with her bare foot.

"Who's next?"

"Me!" Shino exclaimed with outright excitement. "I absolutely have to touch those boobs!"

"Nah. Don't strain yourself, that'd be your fourth time already."

"Let it be me, then." Orga grinned, taking his boots off and baring his torso. "Rules?"

"No rules." She shrugged. "I guess you're all into street fight style, so let's stick to that."

"Fair enough." He nodded and stepped into the clearing.

With her small fists held in front, angled back and bent knees, she started to crouch around him, eyes bursting with coaly fire, self-confident smirk curving her lips. Orga mirrored her posture; and now they both were going in circles, watching each other's movements like wild cougars.

She's too small. Wouldn't be easy to use those fists against my height. Should expect leg attacks, then.

Orga waited for her to strike first, considering patience as his best strategy, for he had no idea of what she was capable of. Apparently, she made the same conclusion, and they continued to slowly spiraling around, eventually getting closer and closer.

Her foot aimed for his chin. Orga jerked his head aside, feeling the squish of air next to his cheek, and counterattacked with his left fist, targeting her offensive side. She jumped back before the hit could get her, and the circling continued.

Orga tried to trip her up. Aoi jumped again, and he barely dodged her foot getting into his face, but still tried to grab the said foot for her to loose her balance. To no success, though, and again they were back where they started, moving around.

From the side, their sparring probably looked like some strange dance, with all the hits never getting their targets, with all the tension and temp increasing between them, but always resulting in the same spiraling maneuvers.
Orga lost himself in time, and they still never even touched each other.

It's like reading minds. Like I'm mirroring her, and she's mirroring me, and that's why I know exactly where her hit will be, and the same goes for her. How do I break this circle?.. Guess I should open myself, and let her attack me.

Orga stepped forward with a single stride, squinted and threw his fist to her face. Aoi bent down, undoubtedly. He waited, his front fully opened at her. Breathed in, deeply. And then the punch hit him.

During his days on the streets and in CGS, Orga had endured a lot of beating. Pain was something usual to him, something he tolerated without a whimper. She couldn't know that.

Still, that hit in his abdominal parts knocked the wind out of him. Pain burst in his guts like liquid fire.

Orga had predicted as much. Despite the hurt and disability to breath, he was fast enough to catch her wrist and send them falling to the floor, crushing her under his weight, pinning her down to the hard surface.

"I won." He whispered against her ear, smirking. Aoi shivered under him.

"Oh my, you two go get a room!" Eugene yelled, clearly annoyed.

Orga blinked.
With the pain subsided and the breath restored, he found himself in a quite compromising position. He was on top of the girl, his bare upper body contacted with her almost naked back, lightly touching all three sensitive Alaya-Vijnana ports. His hips were pressed into her backside. His hands pinned her wrists to the floor. His legs fitted intimately between hers.

Orga bit his lip. Heat exploded throughout his body, coloring his cheeks.

"Here's the lesson, young ones." Shino mused. "Anyone who tries to mess with the Boss ends with his dick up their asses."

The crowd burst out in laughter.

Orga rolled on his back, face hidden under his palm.

"You've got me there." Aoi said calmly, getting on her feet.

He cast a glance at her. Forearms were slightly bruised, and there had to be more damage down her legs where she hit the floor under his weight, but emotionally she was calm and composed. Tranquil, even.

Aoi rubbed the bruised elbow. "Never thought you could be as heavy as a dead whale, though, just by looking at you, all skin and bones."

She offered her hand to help him to get up.
"Still hurts? Who would willingly accept such a punch?.."

Orga took the hand and rose up, the remnants of pain still flickering in his belly.

"Not my first time." He stated.

She gritted her teeth. "Who's next?"


Aboard the Hammerhead Orga had a rare chance to admire the view of the Isaribi, elegantly sailing through the hollow blackness, its beauty in red wine color crowned with white Tekkadan symbol. The ship didn't look all that shine and pretty; its surface was scarred and scratched like the skin of a sperm whale, but he appreciated it even more so.

Orga turned around, leaning his back on the railing.
Naze took a flask out of his jacket pocket and handed it to him.

"Here." He smiled. "To the smooth journey so far. Cheers."

"Cheers." Orga smiled back, slightly rising the flask and taking a swig. "Thanks for your help with the trading."

He returned the flask, and Naze took a significant gulp.

"Yeah, it seems I'm getting older and softer." Naze smirked, glancing at Orga. "Blame it on the girls I'm always surrounded with."

"About the girls..." Orga started hesitantly.

"What? Need an advice on the matter? You've come to the right person, brother!" Naze grinned eagerly.

Orga felt the slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

"No." He responded, and Naze gave him the flask with a nod. "I mean, I don't doubt your expertise... With all your wives, you probably have to... Well, you know..."

Orga took a large gulp swiftly, burnt his throat and coughed. Naze laughed, taking the flask away.

"Enough of that shitty drink, I'll get something nicer for you on Saisei, promise. As for the girls... Yeah, I make sex with all of them. That's one of my responsibilities, no different from keeping them safe and sound, fed up and nicely dressed."

Orga blinked.

"So," Naze continued, screwing the flask shut and shoving it back in his pocket. "As the head of your family, you also have certain responsibilities. In your case, I think, military type is more suitable. Hierarchy. Discipline. Authority. Stuff like this. Plus, don't forget you're dealing with kids, and they need teaching. You should be the perfect example for everyone."

Orga nodded. He figured out that much himself.

"That's why I offered Aoi to stay on the Isaribi. She's comfortable in the military, and still a kid, in certain ways. How is she dealing, by the way?" Naze added.

Orga opened his mouth. Then closed it, not really knowing what to say.

"She's weird sometimes." He admitted finally, under Naze's intent stare. "But certainly capable. She, huh... teaches the guys some martial arts now. I... I want her to stay in Tekkadan. At least, until we finish our current job. Guys have already accepted her but..."

Orga stopped talking, lost in words.

"I think I got it." Naze turned his stare to the ceiling, took out the flask and slowly sipped the liquor. "You've never been much around women, huh?.. And you've probably decided that she requires some special attention because of her gender. I hope, you don't think you have to please her sexually, the way I do with my wives?"

Naze raised his brow at him. Orga flushed furiously.

"I... I don't know what to think." He muttered.

Naze sighed.
"To put it simple, you don't have to make sex with anyone, unless you both want it. Mutual consent is the key. Got it?"

"Yes. Um... Thank you."

"Not at all. I'm always here for my little brother." A smug smile appeared on Naze's lips.

Orga turned around; his gaze fell upon the sleek silhouette of Isaribi once again.

"About Aoi though..." He finally decided to voice his concern. "How did you meet her, Aniki? I mean, your recommendation is enough for me to believe she wouldn't purposely endanger Tekkadan... But I... I guess I have to know her better."

"Why don't you ask her yourself, then?" Naze narrowed his eyes slightly at Orga.

"I promised not to." Orga tightened his lips. "She reported about her skills and stats, and technically that's all I have to know. However, her past... troubles me. Isn't she an important witness of Gjallarhorn crimes? Maybe here, in the Outer Sphere, nobody gives a shit, but the Earth Sphere is another thing."

Naze sighed again, emptied the flask, shook it subconsciously and put away.

"Well, perhaps you're right." He mused. "Though just a girl with the Alaya-Vijnana system isn't a solid proof enough to undermine confidence in Gjallarhorn. And that's why they probably don't care if she's dead or alive. For them, she's just a broken toy. Expendable."

Naze took a pause. "I met her two years ago. According Aoi's story, her partner organized the escape from Gjallarhorn's research base. However, he wasn't able to pilot the Gundam because of some brain trauma, and that's why he had to bring her along."

Orga frowned. "Is there any... credibility to her words?"

Naze shrugged. "Who knows. We caught the Gremory's emergency signal in shoals; they were drifting. Amida brought the mech here, aboard the Hammerhead; Eco managed to open up the cockpit to find both of them unconscious due to severe dehydration. Nothing serious, though, so they both were back to their feet in a blink. However, the guy never said a word and looked like he was out of it all the time. I left him on Mars eventually, at some clinic; maybe, Aoi still pays for him."

Naze looked Orga in the eye.

"As for Aoi, she never told me all the details, and I didn't ask." He continued. "Gjallarhorn making all kinds of experiments with the Alaya-Vijnana on kids? I'm not sure I want to know."

Orga observed the Isaribi, from nose to stern.

He thought about the vast of space and the enormous amount of natural objects in constant move, their ways rarely intersected. About the tiny figure of Gremory, lucky enough to converge with artificial objects of miniscule quantity. Twice.
The Hammerhead.
The Isaribi.
That kind of luck he couldn't believe.

He tried to imagine shoals, the monstrous conglomeration of destroyed Mobile Suits, of steel and corpses and Ahab reactors. Functional Ahab reactors. Producing enough Ahab Waves and Ahab Particles to jam any kind of communication.

Caught their signal, huh?.. Could be possible if you knew the location beforehand.

Orga huffed in annoyance, closed his right eye and pressed for more.

"So, the Hammerhead seems to appear always in the right place at the right time, Aniki?"

Naze slowly turned to Orga, self-confident smile shadowing his lips.
"Take my advice, little brother, keep such guesses to yourself. You wouldn't imply anything... wild, now would you?"

The chill ran down Orga's spine, but he looked the older man straight in the eye nonetheless.

Teiwaz pulls all the strings here.
Two years ago, the Hammerhead picked up the Gremory purposefully.
And now, the Turbines appeared near Mars at such times when Ms Kudelia...
Is Teiwaz messing with Gjallarhorn?..

"Just joking." Orga smirked. "Complimenting your punctuality, maybe."

"Why, thank you, brother." Naze grinned and added in an unusually soft melancholic voice. "As for Aoi, she's collateral damage, if you ask me. That's why I've been taken care of her all this time, sort of. She literally has nowhere to go and nothing to care about but her Gundam. Try to accept her in your family, Orga. If you don't mind, that is."

Naze looked at the ceiling. Orga bent over the railing, putting elbows on it. Under his gaze the Isaribi glided flawlessly, flaring red as the gift from the War God himself, awakening all kinds of wild guesses in him.

A Trojan horse or Leviathan?..

"Aniki... How can I earn a loyalty of a woman?"

Naze stared at Orga.
"By giving her yours."


Deep in thoughts, Orga walked through the Isaribi's corridors. Couple of kids ran into him, apologized hastily and charged away, laughing. He smiled softly. It did feel like home. His home. His family.

Am I really going to ask her to enter my home?.. Both Mika and Aniki want her in Tekkadan, while I can't see things clearly when it comes to her. Yeah, for me it would be better to leave her behind, but for Tekkadan...

Orga found Aoi on the lower deck, floating barefoot in zero gravity with her leg hooked around the railing. His jacket was still wrapped around her shoulders. She was staring at the black ocean of space filled with countless stars, as if searching for something only her mind could fathom.

"Care to return my clothes?" He smirked.

"Nah. Get yourself another. This one I've already warmed up."

"Does that mean... you wanna keep it?" Orga managed awkwardly.

Her silence radiated uneasiness.
"What do you want, Orga?"

He leaned against the railing, next to her bare foot. "Meaning?"

"What kind of life do you want for yourself? For Tekkadan? In the future?"

Orga turned around to face the stars dancing furiously outside. His voice was thick. "Tekkadan needs that future first."

"And then?"

He watched her in the eye, firmly. "I want their dreams come true. Dreams about family, and warm homes, and decent meals, and peaceful life. I want them to learn, to pursue their goals, let it be farming or politics or just settling in with bunch of kids."

She unhooked her leg from the railing and turned around herself to face him, rotating slowly in zero gravity. "What about your own goals? Dreams? Ambitions?"

Orga smiled softly. Shrugged. "Have none."

Aoi observed him with the same unreadable expression. "You think it's possible to build such world? Where dreams can become reality?"

Orga gritted his teeth. "At least, it's worth trying."

"Idealistic." She huffed.

"What about you, then? What do you want?" Orga asked, keeping his stare at Aoi.

The inner struggle flickered deep down in her eyes.

"I want Gjallarhorn no more." She said at last.

"Revenge?" That much he could understand.

Aoi tightened her lips. "No. I want their secret labs and underground experiments gone."

Orga sighed.

Who's idealistic now?..

"What do you want with me?" She inquired.

He hesitated. Her face was closer now, pale and strangely attractive in that constant motion, the blackness of her eyes reflected traces of stars, raven locks floated in the air seemingly on their own, like Medusa's venomous snakes.

"Protect Tekkadan." He finally said.

"What for?"

"What do you want?"

"What can you give?"

Orga took the deep breath in, preparing himself for submerging his bare soul into the thick abyss of those orbs.

"My everything." He determined, eyes narrowed. "My body, to the last drop of my blood; my soul, my life, to my last breath. Take as you please."

Aoi touched the wall, finally stopping herself from rotating. Orga felt naked under her intent stare, and strange heat flowed inside him.

"I claim you as mine, then." She said. "For that, I promise to protect Tekkadan with my everything. My body, my soul, my life."

She pushed off the wall moving towards him, catching the back of his neck with her palm, and Orga closed his eyes preparing for the collision. Anthracite locks clouded around snowy ones, tender fingers moved to brush the unruly strand of hair off his face, gentle lips sealed his forehead.

He froze.

"That's it?" His voice sounded strained, hoarse.

"What did you expect?" Her whisper fell hot against his face.

Orga opened his eyes. Aoi's lips were impossibly close, almost touching his nose, and that uncomfortable proximity ignited the strange heat again. He subconsciously licked his suddenly dry mouth.

"Some kind of bloody contract?" He smirked.

Orga could feel her gaze sliding down his face, stopping at his lips.

"Save that shit for Teiwaz." Aoi muttered.

She pulled back, watching intently through the transparent panel.
"Speak of the devil. Saisei."


Mikazuki was sitting on the Barbatos' shoulder with a tablet in his hands, probably doing whatever homework Kudelia assigned him. Orga drifted towards his friend and placed himself comfortably on the armored plate.

"She stays?" Mika took a Martian palm seed out of his pocket and chewed slowly.

"Yes."

"You look troubled. Here." Several seeds were pushed into Orga's palm. "Nutrition."

"You know I don't get along with women." Orga popped one palm seed into the mouth.

"Did you kiss her?" Mika asked.

Bitter taste exploded on Orga's tongue making him shudder in disgust. "Are those actually safe to eat? You won't get sick? Because that's how I feel right now."

"You should have kissed her."

"How're you get along with women so well, Mika?"

Mika shrugged. "Because I'm cute and harmless? And Orga is so cool it hurts just to look at him?"

Orga chuckled. "Yeah, that must be it. Anyway, we're so close to Saisei it can be actually seen. Wanna give a look?"

"Sure."