Chapter 9. Deep Silent Complete.
While Eugene was flawlessly guiding the Isaribi and Hammerhead through the debris zone, Aoi was patiently waiting for her turn in the Gremory's cockpit.
"I definitely must sing for you today, Gremory. What would you prefer? As usual?.." She muttered absentmindedly, inspecting the highlighted setup issues. "Hm... What is it, again? My emergency kit isn't complete?.. Well, fuck that, Gremory; we won't need the drugs today. Though, you should really remind me to pay a visit to Subaru for medications."
The pilot girl glanced at the communication screen, expecting alert signal from the bridge.
Sighed.
Waiting was always an imminent part of every battle.
I don't want to know how Akihiro feels at the moment. Hopefully, Orga has found the right words for him.
At last, she heard Orga at the bridge saluting Mikazuki.
Her grip on Gremory's flight controls tightened, her muscles tensed.
The Isaribi was going to engage with the enemy at any moment now.
The long-forgotten narrative resonated loud and clear in her head.
"Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?"
"Mika, have you seen that large one with the hammer?" Orga asked.
"Not yet."
Aoi shivered as the anticipation of the battle started to flow through her veins. The thrill of being connected to the Gremory on the most intimate level, the powerful sensation of becoming one and the same with the giant mech made her feel almost almighty.
"Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?"
Aoi heard Orga's command to board the Brewers' ship, and soon enough the Isaribi's insides shook because of the impact.
The boarding team of Mobile Workers left the hangar headed by Shino. She remembered Norba's enthusiasm before the fight, how he had wished her luck with his trademark easy going smile and cheerful attitude.
Aoi wondered if she would ever see that smile again. The smiles of guys under Shino's command, too.
"I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it"
She watched Akihiro's Graze sliding down onto the catapult level, and prepared for her own dispatch.
Fumitan's dispassionate face appeared on the main communication screen. "The catapult is ready."
"Yeah, sure." Aoi sighed. She still felt uncomfortable towards the brunette woman. "Gundam Gremory, Aoi Augus, launching. And Ms Fumitan... I'm sorry for calling you names."
"It's fine." The older woman's face remained the same, calm and composed; not a hint of a smile touched her lips.
"I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it"
As the Gundam Gremory gained speed, g-force inside the cockpit increased, pushing Aoi back, deeper into the chair. Space rotated around her in a giddy dance; the shimmering starlight broke through junk and trash, illuminating the surroundings with bluish sparkles. Under other circumstances, it could have been somewhat beautiful scenery.
Aoi observed the battlefield.
"I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'"
Mikazuki and Lafter were both fighting ferociously, drawing enemies away from Akihiro.
The Barbatos was in the middle of a quick fight; with the fast and precise strike it sent the enemy hitting the huge boulder nearby and vanished in the direction of another hostile.
Lafter's Hyakuri showered a couple of Brewers' mechs with multiple rounds. Aoi smiled at her enthusiastical yells about not letting the pirates get close to 'her dearest' Akihiro.
Azee's Hyakuren was on its way to join the younger Turbine in the unequal battle. Amida in her notable mauve Mobile Suit was guarding the Hammerhead.
Akihiro's Graze was searching deep in the dense debris for his little brother's mech.
Aoi concentrated on her main task - seeking and neutralizing the Gusion.
But it was nowhere to be found.
"Gremory, I don't know what this guy Gusion was in the past. Maybe, you two fought shoulder to shoulder. Maybe, you never really met each other, and this Ahab signature is the only memory you've got. It doesn't matter now. Gusion must be stopped, whatever it takes."
"I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'"
She wasn't sure if it was her peripheral vision (technically, Gremory's extended optics projected on her retina) or the radar that spotted the enemy's Gundam signature first.
Somehow, it had gotten too close to the Isaribi.
Aoi cursed. With a swift maneuver she propelled Gremory towards the ship as fast as the heavy machine could.
Still, it was too late.
The Gusion fired vulcan gun at the Isaribi, making the ship visibly shake because of the extreme blow, and raised the gigantic hammer above its head, ready to strike the bridge. Aoi dropped finely aimed gunfire at the heavily armored Gundam and pulled out the scythe, intending to prevent the hammer's lethal attack.
The LCS connection with the Gusion turned on. The perverted face on her communication screen was twisting and distorting in an ugly grimace.
"Stupid cunt! Watcha gonna do? Tickle me to death?"
Indeed, bullets didn't damage the thick armor at all; and for the first time Aoi doubted her scythe. Sure, the blade proved itself effective enough even against some ships' armor, but this mech was unlike anything she'd seen before.
It looked... indestructible.
"Death? Sounds fitting, you fucker." Aoi retorted calmly and swung the scythe in the right arm as the distance between them decreased quickly.
"That pinprick against my fatboy? Show some sense before becoming a cutlet!"
The scythe downed onto the Gusion's right shoulder, attempting to cut the arm with the hammer off, but the thick plate withstood the sharp blade. Still, the powerful impact changed the hammer's striking angle, making it miss its aim.
"You fucked up bitch!"
Aoi flipped the Gremory over to face the enemy's back, revising her tactics.
The armor is thick enough to resist both projectiles and the blade. Hell, this mech probably weights twice as much as Gremory. Such mass needs powerful thrusters and lots of fuel to maneuver. It can't possibly fight for a long time. Should I try to wear him down?
Obviously, the Gusion's pilot was enraged by the fresh deep gash in his armor. Cussing out explicitly, he willingly stormed after the Gremory into the chaotic labyrinth of rocks and boulders and steel wreckage. Away from the Isaribi.
Aoi hid behind a massive rock only to watch it being pulverized with the Gusion's vulcan gun. Dust and gravel clouded Gremory's optics, and the pilot girl almost missed the fast approach of large crystalline boulder.
There wasn't enough time for her to avoid the collision. She quickly flung the scythe, intending to anchor it in the boulder and use the momentum to kick the enemy behind it.
But the scythe smashed the brittle boulder of frozen water into fountain of sparkling gems.
"I saw a white ladder all covered with water"
The colossal hammer rushed towards Aoi through the sea of glittering sleet.
She expected just as much. The Gremory dived deeper into the dense debris, intending to lure the Gusion further away from the ship.
But the enemy's pilot probably figured her plan out. Instead of chasing Aoi in the cramped area, he ordered the remained forces to regroup and attack her.
Mikazuki heard his command just as well.
"I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken"
The Barbatos shone white in the gloomy conglomeration of ice, rocks and steel; its thrusters flashed brightly before the rapid Mobile Suit blocked the enemy's attack on Aoi.
She couldn't stop watching lethal strikes of Mikazuki's mace smashing heavy armor of Man Rodi Suits.
"I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children"
"Aoi." His blue stare stabbed her with a mercilessness of a sword's hit. "Don't you see? Hit him between plates!"
"Fuck." Aoi muttered. "Thanks, Mikazuki."
She charged after the Gusion whose pilot decided to change tactics and take hostages instead of breaking through Tekkadan guard. Disarmed Akihiro's Graze obviously seemed the easiest target to him, especially considering its tight embrace with one of the enemy's Man Rodi.
"Akihiro! Behind you!" Aoi yelled, but Akihiro kept his position, deaf and mute, fighting his own battle. The mental one.
"And it's a hard..."
The Gremory was maneuvering in the cramped space at full throttle, making her head dizzy. However, the advantage of Alaya-Vijnana was evident in that chase; she was catching up with the Gusion, and fast.
The scythe struck the enemy's Gundam from behind, targeting its armorless knee joint.
"...and it's a hard..."
The hard crash rotated the Gusion around, making it face the Gremory. Without a pause, Aoi hit the enemy again, this time choosing the thin area under the massive cockpit plate. White sparkles flared bright under the sharp blade.
"...it's a hard..."
Ugly face appeared on her communication screen again. "Useless bitch! No better than those buttholes Human Debris! Die here and now, like a space rat should!"
The enemy threw his huge hammer towards her, and only now Aoi realized that the weapon had its own thrusters. Her dodging maneuver wasn't fast enough to avoid the collision completely. The Gremory's cockpit shook forcibly, red warning screens flared all around her.
Aoi bit her lower lip, pulled it between her sharp teeth. "...it's a hard..."
She quickly stabilized her damaged mech and pushed it towards the enemy who was preparing his vulcan gun.
"I'm Kudal Cadel! Bite this, bitch!" He aimed the brutal weapon at the Gremory and fired.
Aoi sent the Mobile Suit into the well-trained somersault, dodging the lethal shot and simultaneously taking the striking position.
"And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall!" She yelled, pulling the scythe up.
"Huh?.." The Gusion's pilot was obviously surprised with such fast maneuver and raised the Mobile Suit's head in search of Gremory, revealing the slim vulnerable area between the top and chest armor plates.
The heavy, sharp blade drove through layers of fine steel straight into the Gusion's cockpit, generating shafts of lightnings and white sparks. At some point, the thick blade got stuck in the armor, not able to penetrate any further. Aoi pulled the scythe aside, opening the cockpit up like a tin can. She could hear everything, all the screams and curses of the dying pilot, until the very last sound.
Aoi took a few big, deep breaths.
Killing was nothing new. She'd done that before and, technically, for the same reason - to survive.
And yet, something had changed. She had changed.
A murderer, like myself, doesn't deserve Orga. I should never even dream. Still, I can protect him. All of them.
Aoi sighed. Pulled the scythe out of the Gusion's cockpit. Looked around.
The Turbines' Mobile Suits had returned to their ship. Akihiro's Graze was on its way back to the Isaribi. Together with his little brother.
Tiredness slipped slowly into her veins, her back started to burn with ache. Still, the Gusion was now Tekkadan's trophy; and she felt obligated to deliver it aboard.
Aoi caught the Mobile Suit's motionless arm and pulled it towards the Isaribi. The mass of heavy mech was almost too much for Gremory's thrusters, and she had to activate additional fuel storages.
The Barbatos dazzled her with its fast appearance.
"Nice one." Mikazuki stated. "I'll help."
"Thanks... Mikazuki."
Aoi was the last one to board the Isaribi.
Feeling exhausted, she stretched in the pilot seat and pushed the cockpit open. While the solid panel was slowly sliding up, the pilot girl turned Gremory into stand-by mode and disconnected her Alaya-Vijnana interface.
Battle induced adrenaline had already left Aoi's blood system, and now all her body felt like jelly.
Yamagi placed himself accurately on the edge of the cockpit and stretched his arm for her.
"Try to be more careful next time, okay? Gremory's repairs are quite expensive, and blue paint is irreplaceable at the moment." He sighed.
Aoi took his arm and pulled herself out. "Well, just let the scars be. And remind me to buy you a beer for your hard work."
She couldn't help but wink at him.
Yamagi glowered at her. "I'm thirteen!"
"Really? Maybe a candy, then?" Aoi raised her eyebrows.
"Buzz off, Aoi."
"Huh. You're no fun at all." She pursed her lips and pushed off the mech, towards the exit.
Subaru was bending over the railing next to the hangar door.
"What's up, doc?" Aoi stopped next to him.
Subaru scratched his chin. "So far so good. No job for me today."
"I heard several guys died during the boarding mission." Aoi pointed quietly.
"Nine, to be precise. They're all in the improvised morgue on the medium deck, under Shino's care. In case you want to say goodbye or whatever." Subaru shrugged, watching the arrival of shuttle with the Brewers kids aboard.
"You could help Norba, you know." Aoi scowled. "You cynical bastard."
"It's not my job to deal with the dead. I'm a doctor, not a priest." Subaru pursed his lips in resentment.
"Well, then say hi to your new patients." Aoi nodded at the shuttle. Ten Brewers kids were getting out of it, followed by Dante, Chad and Orga.
"Those are healthy kids. Good nutrition is all they need." The doctor took off his glasses and carefully wiped them. "More paperwork, though. I have to build Tekkadan medical database from the scratch, just so you know."
Aoi watched as Akihiro and Masahiro joined the small group next to the shuttle. Smiling encouragingly, Orga shook the younger brother's hand and wholeheartedly welcomed him in.
She also noticed recent tears on other kids' faces and deep reverence settled in Dante's and Chad's eyes.
"Oh, and this paperwork must be a pain in the ass, right, doc?" Aoi mused bitterly and bent over the railing too.
"Could be worse. That lady, Ms Stapleton, proved to be surprisingly helpful." Subaru scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "I'm keeping her as my assistant. Kids seem to trust her, so she's perfect for gathering basic information and performing minor procedures, such as vaccinations, for example."
"What a versatile woman, indeed." Aoi clicked her tongue.
"Unlike you, killer. Don't forget to visit me, we need to run the usual tests."
She rolled her eyes and turned to leave. "Why, thanks for the reminder, doc. Until later, then."
Aoi pushed the lock to open the hangar door and made her way to the living quarters, in search of Shino.
Eventually, she found him in a dark, small and cold room.
"Shino." Aoi said quietly. "Yamagi needs something from you, in the hangar. I'll take it from here."
Shino's face was glistening with tears, and he neither tried to hide them nor wiped them away.
"Well, he'll have to wait, then. Not going anywhere until I finish here. That's the least I can do for them."
Aoi frowned. "I'll help you."
"No, it's fine... I'll be fine."
She entered the morgue and started to wrap bodies in black plastic.
"They're all dead because of me." Shino sobbed. "If only I could... If I just..."
Aoi felt empty. She looked down at her hands and clenched her fists.
Shouldn't I cry, like Shino does? I'm packing kids in black bags, why the only thing I feel is that cold and dark void?..
"It's not your fault, Shino." The obvious cliché was the only thing she came up with.
"Orga relied on me! I'm the one who fucked up!"
"For them, it doesn't make any difference. Not anymore." She subconsciously stroked the side of a black bag, lowering her head.
Aoi remembered Neriya who had flirted with her once, his shy smile and large blue eyes; and strong, left-handed Capuche who had beaten her at sparring couple of times; and stubborn Silva who had always complained about difficulty level in the simulator; and...
I've seen it all, so many times, in different shapes but somehow always the same; and one day someone will pack my body in black plastic. There can't be another fate for us.
Her pilot gloves were covered in blood. She slowly pulled them off. "Anyway, we've finished here."
Shino huffed. "You just don't have a heart, right, Aoi?"
Aoi cast a quick glance at him. Tears had faded away, letting cold anger substitute the grief. He stood up and went out of the small, dark and cold room full of black bags.
She slowly downed on the floor, curling into a tight ball. It felt like all the energy was drawn out of her. Tiredness was surging through her veins along with drowsiness, making the heavy eyelids curtain her vision; and soon enough uneasy sleep sucked her mind in.
Aoi squints as the harsh light blurs her vision, hurts her eyes.
Pain is settled all over her frame; it burns and stings everywhere, in every cell of her body.
"Don't move." It's his voice, so close but absolutely unreachable. "Experimental surgery. Artificial coma. Your only chance to survive here."
She tries to turn her head in search of source of those deep magnetic sounds, and sharp pangs pierce her temples.
"They installed the newly recovered prototype of Alaya-Vijnana system; your nervous system is still adjusting to it, therefore the pain. Endure. The worst is already over." He explains, stepping closer so she could see him.
But the only thing Aoi discerns is a dark blurred silhouette. She gasps, fighting sudden panic.
"It wasn't easy to convince the heads to perform such kind of surgery on you. They were more inclined to sell you to some freak brothel. Like I would let them, after everything I put in you."
She hears him sitting nearby in the chair; her fingers convulse in an unbearable desire to touch him, to check out if he's real.
"So... As you know, I'm quite a persuasive son of a bitch. And you've really learned to shoot better than anyone in this shit hole."
The chair creaks plaintively under him as he tries to settle in it comfortably. Despite the pain, Aoi almost smirks at the sound, remembering how he always had to struggle with low level designed furniture because of his way too long legs.
"I'm kinda glad you made it out alive." He says, and her heart skips a beat. "This surgery is still risky, even at such young age as yours. Though, I'm certain they'll make it available for everyone in the nearest future."
His fingers lightly tap on the back of her hand, and Aoi stifles a cry of pain.
The chair creaks again; suddenly, his soft whisper is very close to her left ear, barely audible but powerful in its dominance.
"I couldn't believe my luck when I found out who you are. Such an irony, huh." He chuckled darkly. "You've instilled certain elegance into my plans, bringing them to perfection. Alaya-Vijnana was just the first step; you need more to become capable of mastering my scheme." He paused for a moment. "Don't you ever forget that your life belongs to me. I'll always be there to remind you if needed."
The light pinprick of injection at the base of Aoi's neck is almost impalpable compared to all the hurt torturing her body.
"Sweet dreams."
Aoi woke up to the strong arms shaking her roughly, persistently.
"The fuck is wrong with you and your sleeping habits?.." The voice was so deep and so him.
She shuddered violently and collapsed into those firm and powerful arms, feeling Orga stiffened for a split second. The next moment his warmth secured her in a delicate, gentle embrace. Aoi pushed her forehead against his hard chest.
"You're mine. You promised." She croaked desperately as her arms wound around his waist in a tight grip.
"I'm yours." Orga confirmed quietly. Hot puffs of his breath hit the back of her exposed neck; warm hands lightly massaged her strained spine.
"I'll protect Tekkadan. I'll protect you."
"I know."
"Whatever it takes. Orga... Don't abandon me."
Tough, stubborn lips touched the top of her head.
"Never."
Aoi started to relax into his warmth; tremor slowly ceased torturing her body. Orga's heartbeat thumped steadily next to her ear, so calming and certain that she couldn't help but bring herself impossibly closer to his chest.
"Feels so safe..." She muttered tiredly.
"Not yet. But you, and only you can help me to get there."
"Let me rest a bit... just like this..."
"Here?.." Small surprise in his voice reminded her that she had fallen asleep in the morgue, with dead bodies wrapped in black plastic laying on the steel floor nearby.
In his arms she could care less. "It's not like we can disturb them."
Orga drew a deep breath and leaned against the wall, tagging her closely. "Really."
Aoi staggered a full circle around the Hammerhead's lounge room before finding the most fitting spot on the couch arm next to Orga.
"Such a bad-ass you were back there at the Brewers, brother." Naze mused. "For a moment I actually believed you'd chop that pig Kabayan into pieces."
Orga didn't return the smile. "He's more valuable alive, as a witness of our success, Aniki. He'll tell others."
"I like your way of thinking, Orga. After finishing the current mission, we should really gang up to wipe out every pirate in the region, heh." Naze stretched in the chair and folded his arms behind his head. "I have to talk to the Old Man about that first, though."
Orga furrowed his brows. "No offense, brother, but I'd prefer Tekkadan jobs safe and legal."
Naze nodded. "Well then, let's discuss the trading. What are you planning to keep?"
Orga took a small pause. "I want everything. Mechs are mostly irreparable, but we can reconfigure them into a less amount of functional Mobile Suits and use leftovers for our own maintenance. I want the ship, too."
"I see." Naze nodded. "What about Gusion?"
"I want to keep it. But only if I'll find someone to pilot it. Otherwise... we'll sell it. I'll let you know."
"Until later, then." Naze glanced at Amida. "Shouldn't we celebrate our victory, babe? What do you think?"
"I think we should discuss the funeral first." Merribit interrupted.
"Yes, but of course. Just let me know if you need anything for the rituals." Naze dipped his head in approval.
"The funeral?" Orga raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"Well, usually, it's a ceremony of giving our respects and good-byes to the dead." Merribit clarified and cleared her throat. "I was born at the colony where we believed that sending off the dead with a funeral helps the soul to return to where it needs to be and safely be reborn."
"Bullshit." Orga scowled.
Naze sighed and exchanged glances with Amida.
"Don't you think that your dead comrades deserve better than spending eternity here, in the debris? Packed in black plastic?" Amida sternly looked at Orga.
He lowered his stare and pressed lips into a thin stubborn line.
Aoi glared at Amida.
Orga definitely deserves better.
"They don't care." Aoi stated. "They're dead."
"But we aren't." Kudelia spoke quietly. "It's our duty to honor them. They were... our family; we can't just leave them here, in this horrible place, like garbage..."
She was sitting next to Orga, hugging herself tightly, looking at him with those impossibly large naive eyes.
Aoi turned away, hiding her face behind the veil of black locks. It was unbearable to watch the blond princess breaking Tekkadan leader. Overpowering him with the simplicity of her conceptions.
"Yes, we are alive." Orga stated in a hollow voice, narrowing his eyes at Kudelia. "And that's why we should take care of the living first. This is my responsibility."
Merribit sighed. "It's the living who needs the funeral in the first place, don't you understand? Not everyone accepts the deaths of their comrades as easily."
Orga gritted his teeth and glared at her.
Kudelia stood up. Resolve flashed brightly in her eyes. "Boss, let me take care of it. I'm the one responsible for family traditions. It should be my task."
Shino raised his stare at Orga. "Cool guys died today because of me. If there's anything I can do for them... a funeral or a pray, I don't know... Boss, I want to do it."
"Orga, it won't take long. Also, we can build a memorial on Mars later." Biscuit smiled encouragingly at Orga.
"They say that by having a funeral the soul of the dead forgets the pain they had when they were alive." Naze mused thoughtfully. "But it also helps the living to diminish the pain of loss. Anyway, it's your call, brother."
Orga glanced downwards, clenching his teeth as if in pain. Thrilling, unnerving silence stretched for minutes.
Suddenly, his golden stare was piercing Aoi intently, searchingly, intimately.
"Aoi." His deep voice combined with that certain look made her heart skip a beat. "Will you patrol the area during the funeral?"
"Yes sir." She managed. "Will do."
The Isaribi's catapult spat out Gremory into the infinite void of space. Acceleration hurled the Mobile Suit far away ahead from the ship.
Aoi took the mech's hood off, releasing long range scopes and Ahab Waves sensors. At first her vision somewhat blurred under the enormous amount of data from different optics, but soon cleared up in a way that no usual human could imagine.
Gremory's multiangled sight became hers.
Aoi embraced the bizarre sense of being firmly implanted in the cozy cockpit and simultaneously dissolved in the surrounding emptiness.
She even found delight in losing her doubtful, passionate, human side to the sharp intelligence of giant mech.
Orga's deep voice burst into the cockpit through the comms, disturbing her odd harmony.
"Okay. Everyone please pray."
Unconsciously, Aoi focused on the ship far behind her, where his voice was spread out from. Lots of people in spacesuits were scattered around the surface of Isaribi.
"Pray for the souls of our dead comrades to go where they belong." She didn't notice a hint of hesitation in his low voice, strained with an unfamiliar emotion. "And also... Pray for they can be reborn anew."
From such long distance Aoi barely saw the iron coffin dismissed off the ship. She had helped to prepare it earlier, though; and after short thinking the pilot girl had placed a full clip from one of her guns inside.
Orga's voice filled the cockpit once again. "Ready salute."
Aoi raised her eyebrows in surprise and turned the Gremory around, to face the ship in proper details.
"Fire."
She gasped. Myriad of sparkles flashed and shimmered blue, assembling into beautiful flowers that shone brighter than the stars. One by one they flared and faded away as fast and short as a live of a space rat.
Aoi sighed.
At such moments she wished she would still have been able to cry.
Aoi pushed forward the box, confiscated from the Brewers' ship. Bottles with ginger ale inside it jingled softly.
"Hey, give me a hand, you slugs. Mass still exists in zero gravity, you know." She grumbled.
Ride was immediately next to her, peeking curiously into the box. "What's that, Ms Aoi?"
"You'll know soon enough. Now just help me to push it over there." She pointed the direction.
Ride nodded and took the box away from Aoi. "Yamagi! Need a help here!"
Meanwhile, Kudelia and Atra entered the hangar, with large bags in their hands.
Kudelia cleared her throat. "Please, everyone, will you hear me out?" She waited until she got all the attention. "Back on Mars, we would have the wake as a part of funeral rites. We would say our last good-byes to the dead. We would pray for their souls to find peace. We would share our precious memories about them. Together, we would enjoy meals and drinks to honor them."
She continued after a small pause, almost hypnotizing every person in the hangar with her melodic but powerful voice. "I want Tekkadan to stand together at the saddest moments as well as it does at the happiest. I want us to share our thoughts and cherished memories. I want us to eat and drink and mourn together. Because in Tekkadan nobody stays alone."
It seemed, Kudelia watched everyone in the eye. "Here. Atra cooked some tasty food for all of us, and we've got enough ginger ale over there, in the box. Please, enjoy yourselves."
She waited until each Tekkadan member got their share, then offered. "Maybe, someone wants to say a word?"
Kudelia observed everyone in the hangar but nobody met her attentive stare.
"So... Anyone?.." She repeated her offer with less confidence.
Silence hung awkwardly.
At last, Biscuit took off his cap and started to rub it in his hands. "I, uh... I think I want to." He took a pause. "I've been known Nell Halmstad since my first days in CGS. He was a good guy; hot-headed, yeah, but very kind. I remember him getting into every fight around. At the same time, he protected the younger kids from the First Group whenever it was possible. I think... I'm going... to miss him."
"And I just have to tell something, right?.." Shino chuckled bitterly and took a gulp from his bottle. "Neriya Nelfin was... a close friend of mine. We came to CGS together, and kinda... tagged along. We would hang around all day discussing girls' tits and butts and legs. Hell, he was the one who pierced my fucking ears!" Norba swiftly wiped a tear away. "Neriya always strove for more than he could handle, with booze and girls. Guess, in a fight as well."
More tears ran out of his eyes, making Shino abruptly stop talking. Eugene looked at him and coughed, clearing his throat.
"And I remember Shosei Chrono." He declared. "He could be such an asshole sometimes. And a bully, tell you what. I mean, I don't know about others, but he bullied me all the time when I was a kid. The fucker called me princess, can you believe it?.. Princess, my ass!"
Everyone laughed.
"That's because of your pretty hair, princess!" Shino snorted, wiping tears away.
"Hey, what's wrong with my hair, dumbass? I'm not fucking Rapunzel, just so you know!" Eugene yelled and twisted his eyebrows in false anger, but soon continued as usual. "Anyway, Shosei really surprised me when he stood up for me against some freak from the First Group." He made a gulp of his ale. "Turned out, he was a nice guy. Really."
Dante looked at Akihiro, who attentively observed the metal floor under his feet. Human Debris were probably expecting a word from him as well, but the elder Altland obviously had exhausted his verbal potential.
"I want to say something, too." One of the new kids, with scarred face and narrowed green eyes, suddenly muttered. "Can I?"
"Of course." Kudelia smiled at him encouragingly. "Everything you wish to share."
"My name's Aston. I don't have a second name; actually, nobody of us does except Masahiro. But we are lucky enough to choose one, and Altland seems more than fitting." The boy made a gulp from his bottle. "Pedro wasn't that fortunate; neither were lots of good guys before nor those who died today. Pedro told us that every soul can be reborn anew, even if you're Human Debris. In his next life, he desired to be a rich person. And I kinda... want his wish come true."
Everyone kept silent.
"Yeah." Dante added hesitantly. "Let all of their wishes come true." He drained his bottle.
Aoi watched as Tekkadan guys continued to eat and drink and talk to each other. It seemed Kudelia's idea about the wake wasn't that bad after all.
Well, for the majority, at least.
Mikazuki silently chewed his sandwich, sitting on the edge of Barbatos' cockpit. Orga next to him stood motionlessly, his face unreadable.
"But what if they don't want to be reborn?" Masahiro suddenly asked. "I mean, if there's a chance to live this pain all over again or get even a worse fate, why would they want it?"
Orga slowly downed his bottle. "They don't have to. They can always go to heaven."
"Heaven? What's that?" Another new kid, Derma, asked.
"A place everyone is welcomed in." Orga answered quietly.
Aoi looked at him.
At his hands clenched into stiff fists.
At his face turned a shade paler.
At his lips squeezed into a tight thin line.
At his narrowed eyes dulled with hurt.
It must be painful for him, to share every emotion here... I wish I could comfort him but all I feel is just the same gruesome shit. I have to break that circle of sorrow somehow. At least, for now.
"Mm, Atra, it's a damn good sandwich!" Aoi mumbled with her mouth full of food. "So, if you've all had enough doom and gloom for today, I have to remind you that physical training starts tomorrow at zero-eight-hundred hours in the gym." She intently observed the new kids and drained her bottle. "Simulator training starts here, in the hangar, at fifteen-hundred hours. We still have the tournament to run, remember? The one with a kiss from the real princess as the main prize. Right, Ms Kudelia Aina Bernstein?"
With mean satisfaction, Aoi watched the blond girl turning crimson.
"So." She added. "Everyone's welcomed."
