A/N: Yeah, the updates are coming really slow I know. Life is busy, what can I say. The latest chapters will be out slower from now on but I will try my hardest to be done by New Year's. Expect a slower pace of updates than before (like two per month). Well, enjoy the latest and R&R as always.
Chapter 10 – Changing Perspectives
All was quiet on the Nadeisco in the late hours of the night. The only hints of the previous activities were wine glasses, confetti, and other party items that lined the floor of the rec room and some halls of the ship. The huge party several hours earlier celebrating Akito's safe return with the crew celebrating harder than they had since they were in the Gekigangar festival. Now everything was calm and quiet except for the barely audible footsteps that now came down the hall. Suzuki had not participated in the festivities. She knew well enough that she would not likely be welcome by many of the crew. Ryoko quickly came to mind when she thought of those who accepted her only grudgingly. Despite Yurika's pleadings to the contrary, she stayed in her quarters for the night.
Now she was out and about though. The crew wasn't completely foolish. They had told Omoikane to keep her in her quarters or follow her if she left, however, she had disabled that capacity with her normally prodigious computer skills. So she traveled the halls now alone and unnoticed. She remembered the holographic map she had pulled up in her quarters to allow her to trace the path to her destination. She took a quick left and passed the cafeteria. Then she stopped and quickly turned around. She felt someone else's presence. Seeing no one else in the hall she peered into the cafeteria and relaxed. It was only Homwei trying to clean up some of the materials and getting ready to prepare breakfast. Escaping notice, Suzuki continued until she reached the sick bay.
Looking around once again to make sure she was evading detection, she entered. No one was there at this time of the night since the computer's automated systems were more than sufficient to handle most conceivable emergencies. As she expected, it was completely empty except for one person. Hikaru Amano occupied bed #7 unaware of the world around her since she was slowly healing in a medically induced coma. Suzuki approached apprehensively as if the girl would suddenly jump out of the bed and strangle her.
It usually wasn't like this. When you took someone out in combat you didn't have to see the results. You didn't see them writhing in pain or dying. They were almost always vaporized. Maybe that's why the war had gone on so long. There was no personification of your combatant. Most often they were inside a ship or an Aesti, shielded from your vision by inches of thick metal and alloys. It was easy to forget they were human. Heck, it was easy for the humans on Earth to think for so long that the Jovians were "lizards". In space combat you so rarely saw your foe you could dehumanize them to the point of emotionless killing.
Now, Suzuki Miaka had to face the girl whose life she had nearly destroyed. All the reasons and rationalizations she had told herself earlier melted away with each step as her curiosity turned to horror. She looked at the medical computer and asked it to pull up the patient's data. Doing so both allayed and deepened some of her fears. Thankfully her brain had sustained no significant damage so her mental functions were still intact. However, most of her other functions were now performed by machines or nannites. She had endured massive internal hemorrhaging, her circulatory and respiratory systems had been nearly destroyed by her rapid exposure to vacuum, it went on and on. Suzuki put down the report suddenly feeling nauseous. She had sustained all this for her friend. To help Akito escape from Erina's megalomaniacal grasp. And she knew she was partly responsible.
With the current prognosis Suzuki knew there was only a 50/50 chance that Hikaru would survive each day. The medical technology on the Nadesico was advanced but it didn't perform miracles. Perhaps though, she could. She hesitated as she removed a vial from her pocket and analyzed its contents. If they found out she did this she would be in deep trouble for more reason than one. However, she had to try. She had to make whatever possible amends she could for the situation now she knew what was right and wrong. She opened the vial which contained a metallic fluid, much like mercury but less dense. She poured a quantity on Hikaru's shoulder and watched as the liquid stood for a second and then proceeded to be absorbed into Hikaru's skin. Suzuki looked back at Hikaru's face and her eyes seemed to twitch as if she had felt something despite her current state.
So now all she could do was wait. She stood for another few minutes just staring at Hikaru with a look of sadness on her face. She looked at the EEG and noticed the activity patterns that indicated Hikaru was currently in REM sleep. "Sweet dreams," Suzuki said as she prepared to leave.
"I'm sure she appreciates the sentiments," a gruff voice said behind her. Suzuki rapidly spun around and saw the inquisitive face of Admiral Misumaru.
"How long have you been standing there?!" she demanded.
"I only arrived a few minutes ago. You seemed absorbed in thought so I left you alone," he replied.
"I was just trying to see who Hikaru was. I will probably head back to bed now," Suzuki said defensively.
"Bed? It's almost 0630. Most people will be waking up soon," the admiral replied in a matter-of-fact manner. Suzuki jumped. 0630? She had been her for nearly two hours then! She really had lost track of time.
"Well then, I'll just go get breakfast and later find the captain. Have a good morning admiral," she said leaving.
"One more thing, Heather. What made you decide to bring Akito back?" he turned and asked her as she walked away.
Suzuki stopped. "I realized I was wrong and…wait! Why did you call me that name?" she said turning trying to suppress her look of surprise.
"I think the better question is why did you answer to it Suzuki-san. You should remember when we last met. You were a good friend of the Tenkawas. I was just wondering if that was the reason," he finished.
"What kind of nonsense is this? The Tenkawas died when I was a child, I don't know what you're talking about or what you are insinuating," she said now approaching him again.
"Nothing. My mistake. Please, go on. Just remember you can hack the computer all you want. I will always have my eye on you," he finished. Suzuki stared him in the eye for a moment and then left sickbay. She stormed out the door and walked down the hall just to run into another disaster. In her haste to leave she had nearly run into Ryoko who was going to sick bay. At first, they both looked shocked to see the other but Ryoko regained her composure first and regarded Suzuki with a mixture of suspicion and hatred.
"What the hell are you doing up and about? And especially in sickbay!" Ryoko said as she seethed.
"I was trying to see pilot Hikaru," Suzuki maintaining a calm but cool demeanor.
Ryoko dropped the Gekigangar plush she had been holding, obviously a gift to Hikaru. "You bitch, what right do you have to be here!? You're the reason she's like this in the first place…" Ryoko stammered barely holding back sobs. By this time she would have swung but she knew from her last encounter that this would probably be futile against Suzuki's hand-to-hand combat skills. Instead she stared her in the face with a burning hatred and fists clenched.
"If I ever see you go near her again I'll kill you," Ryoko said. Suzuki nodded once and walked down the hall. She turned around to see Ryoko still staring at her with a gaze that would destroy the soul of a weaker person.
Once she was gone, Ryoko picked up the plush and went into sickbay. There she saw Admiral Misumaru sitting next to Hikaru but staring blankly into space as if he was deep in thought. Without a word Ryoko sat down next to him. She then placed the Geki plush in Hikaru's limp arm. "Please get well Hikaru…you're one of the few friends I have," she pleaded. Previously oblivious to her presence, Admiral Misumaru now began speaking.
"Ryoko, I understand your pain. I have lost many friends like this. If I didn't understand before I can see now why you hate this war so much," he commented. Ryoko nodded still staring at Hikaru hoping to see some sort of response as if she was alive.
"I always knew it could be like this, but it seemed so impossible. We flew so many sorties together, had good times, teased each other about crushes…," Ryoko's voice trailed off. Admiral Misumaru placed his hand on her shoulder.
"We must all be strong and from the reports I've read I have confidence in you more than anyone that you can be strong when necessary," he said. After a pause he continued, "I also share your suspicion of our guest." Ryoko's head shot up at this comment and she looked at him in an inquisitive fashion. "Ryoko, there is something about her not right. I know she saved Akito and seems to want to help us but there is something vital missing here. A piece of the puzzle we don't yet have. There is something I am going to show you. On no condition are you to tell anyone about this…not yet. Not Yurika, Akito, your friend Izumi. I need more evidence before I can act but something strange is going on here," he finished. Admiral Misumaru pulled out the picture of the Tenkawas he had examined earlier. Ryoko took it and analyzed it for a moment. At first the significance was lost to her until she analyzed the redheaded lab technician in detail.
"Sir, this is impossible!" she cried nearly falling down in shock.
"No, it's both possible and real. However, we must keep this a secret for now. It may be vital to our safety to do so," he replied. Ryoko nodded. "So, I am heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. Would you like to join me?" he asked putting his hand on her shoulder. She nodded again, took one sad look back at Hikaru, and left.
Akatsuki Nagare was surprisingly cool and collect for one in his situation. In the last week he had lost absolute control over his company, then he had failed to punish the would-be-usurper Erina, and finally he had lost his ship; to a punk like Jun no less. He had become so irate and enraged that he finally calmed down. One could only get so angry and he was out of steam. His senses came back and he began to think of a calm and reasoned way to extricate himself from his current predicament. He would find the nearest UEF ship, get in contact with some of HIS friends and central command and began recouping his losses. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve and he was very intent on using them.
But as was wont these days, nothing went according to plan. So he shouldn't have been shocked when the swarm of Jovian Gekigangar types and grasshoppers ambushed his craft as he tried to cross back into UEF space. Whatever composure he had left melted as he suddenly found himself surrounded and out of options. How could, HE the chairman of Nergal be totally incapacitated? He couldn't stand the powerlessness.
"Fire all guns now at the thinnest section and make a way for our escape!" he commanded his crew. However, at this command his crew did nothing. "You idiots! You risked your necks to help me escape! How can you succumb to cowardice now?!" he yelled demanding an answer. The crew just sat frozen though. Finally, one woman with a bit of courage spoke up.
"Chairman, any hostilities on our part at this point would be suicide," she said and then paused. "I believe our only hope now is surrender and I ask your permission to send the necessary communication of our intentions."
"Dammit, I will not…." he yelled but then paused as he saw the crew's faces. They were defeated. Slowly, Akatsuki overcame his machismo and realized he was defeated as well. He slumped into his chair sighing. "Signal our surrender. However, do not let them know who we are. Say we are traders running black market supplies to the UEF troops." She nodded and complied.
There was a brief few tense minutes as the grasshoppers and Geki units sat motionless not making a move. Soon though orders came back from their captors. "You are hereby taken as prisoners of war by the Jovian Empire. A battleship will arrive soon to pick you up and interrogate you. Any hostilities or duplicity on your behalf will be met with lethal force." Akatsuki nodded. However, he remembered his late father's advice. "Any problem has a feasible solution and any person will make a deal in the right circumstances," he had told him as he indoctrinated him with business acumen when he was younger. Akatsuki would make a way, but for now he had to do as he was told.
"Akatsuki, that bastard!" Jun said as they crew of the Excalibur described to him how long they would have to work to get all of the systems at full capacity. Akatsuki and his allies had disabled some before they left so the ship wouldn't be at full capacity for another six hours or so. They had more important things to worry about than ship systems. They had long ago entered Jovian space and would arrive at their destination in about four more days. Interplanetary distances were so vast in the outer planets it would take them much longer to pass two planets than it did going from Earth to the Sun.
For a day though nothing had gone wrong. The Nadesico and Cosmos were flying in tandem with them so they had enough firepower to meet most threats they could encounter. They also could now concentrate their focus on real external threats instead of fighting each other. In his absence, Ruri had been made the first officer of the Nadesico by Yurika. Jun had laughed when he heard that. Only on the Nadesico would anyone possibly follow orders from a little girl. In fact, Ruri had the helm for most of the time since Yurika was always off AWOL somewhere with Akito. That thought caused a slight tinge of unpleasantness in Jun's mind which he quickly fought back. He shook his head at the fact he still had feelings for her. He had better things to worry about.
For one, they had not yet been seriously attacked by the Jovians. Jun was incredulous to Erina's theory that they had not yet been detected. Sure, Jovian space was vast but if the Jovians were so derelict in their security the UEF would have invaded Europa a long time ago. Something was wrong and he had an eerie feeling that they were being watched very closely.
"Those Earth fools! They don't even suspect they're being watched," Kusakabe said to himself chuckling as he watched them complacently cruise towards Titan. They would be there soon enough and then he would take what they found and dump them into the vacuum of space. His ruminations on his impending victory were interrupted by a priority communication from the front.
"Sir, we have intercepted and captured a crew of UEF civilians in a shuttle flying from Jovian to UEF space. They say they are running contraband sir!" a young lieutenant reported to him in the holographic communication.
"Why are you reporting this to me?" Kusakabe asked. "There are others in the hierarchy who deal with these kinds of matters," he said not hiding his irritation at this disturbance.
"I understand sir, but their story doesn't match up. There are no UEF craft in the direction from which they came and they have no evidence of contraband material on their ship," the lieutenant continued.
Exasperated, Kusakabe said, "Show me where they came from." Another window popped up with a chart of the region near the asteroid belt and an extrapolated origin of the shuttle craft based off of its trajectory and fuel usage. Kusakabe nearly fell out of his chair. It was almost exactly where the battle with the Cosmos, Nadesico, and Excalibur had been a day earlier. His attitude quickly turned from contempt to celebration. "Excellent work! Send them to the mother ship at once. I will recommend your promotion," he replied.
"Yes sir, thank you sir!" the lieutenant said and then closed the communications channel. His window was replaced by one which gave a profile of the prisoners. Kusakable smiled and summoned Inez to the bridge.
Meanwhile, Inez was frantically trying to lay the groundwork for their escape. She had surreptitiously informed all of her colleagues of her plans and now she was trying to find a way to get access to the boson cannon. She had manufactured enough of the serum that facilitated organic boson jumping for her crew mates. She wouldn't need it because she was Martian but the rest of them were all from Earth. The last thing she needed was an interruption, especially from that brute. However, she knew any recalcitrance on her part towards Kusakabe could have ramifications not just for herself but for others. Therefore she kept her usual neutral face, sighed, and went out to walk to the bridge.
As she walked their she reminded herself that she had to somehow inform the Nadesico of her whereabouts and plans. They didn't have much time left and Kusakabe's volatile behavior made any forward planning a risky venture. She finally arrived on the bridge and went up to the captain's chair. He looked at her for a comment but she said nothing. Shrugging he turned on the display showing the profile of the captured crew of Akatsuki's shuttle. Inez at first just looked and said nothing. She only recognized Akatsuki out of everyone and did not yet know what this interrogation was about.
"Did you know your former boss and head of Nergal Industries is a very bad liar," he said. "He gave us a false name and made up a story thinking that we would not know who he was and that he could escape us. In short we have captured your friend Akatsuki Nagare," he finished.
Inez jumped at this but then said, "I don't think the appropriate word for our relationship is friend," she replied. "If you want me to tell you something about him it would be fruitless because I don't know much besides what happened on the Nadesico and you've already gotten that out of me in the first interrogations," she said.
"Yes, I know but perhaps you could tell me why he is fleeing his friends, especially in such a hostile area of space. It doesn't seem like a rational action any way you cut it," Kusakabe contemplated.
"Perhaps they tired of his duplicity and kicked him out," Inez suggested.
"Yes, he might have parted ways with them. But that would give us a common enemy wouldn't it?" he said smiling. "It will be very interesting to see what kind of a man he is. I am bringing him here and I want you to tell me everything about how to negotiate with him. Of course you know the consequences for non-compliance." Inez nodded wondering if it was possible for things to get any worse.
"Open wide Akito!" Yurika yelled as she pushed to spoon full of brown muck towards Akito's mouth.
"Yurika, why do you keep insisting on doing this? I mean I love you and all but…" Akito stopped his pleas as he saw Yurika's face drop into sadness.
"If you don't want me to even try to cook for you Akito, I understand," she said her eyes welling with tears. Akito was a sucker for tears and she knew it.
"I didn't mean it like that. OK, fine I'll just try a teaspoon of it," he replied immediately regretting the malleability of his decision making. Yurika brightened up and without a word shoved the gunk into his mouth. Akito waited for the worst but was surprised. "Wow, Yurika this isn't that bad. You really made this?" he said surprised at the tastiness of her concoction.
"I'm glad you like it Akito! I knew the Martian pepper and seaweed would complement each other well!" she said elated.
"WHAT!!? You added Martian pepper to Earth seaweed! This crap is going to react in my stomach! How could you be so... *cough* *cough*" Akito didn't finish his statement and immediately began foaming violently at the mouth.
"Oh my goodness! Akito!" Yurika yelled. She grabbed a communicator and immediately called an emergency medical crew. They arrived a moment later and had to restrain Akito who was now undergoing violent convulsions. Yurika looked on with a concerned but naïve look as if she had no idea she was what caused his current condition.
They rushed him into sickbay and pumped his stomach. As he regained consciousness Yurika embraced him with relief. Akito would have pushed her back if he wasn't so physically spent. Yurika repeatedly cried and apologized and he forgave her as always.
"There must be no way to break this vicious cycle," he thought.
They noticed though they weren't the only people embracing and crying in the sickbay. Several beds down, Ryoko was hugging and crying Hikaru, who was now conscious. Akito got up and walked with Yurika over to the bed where Hikaru and Ryoko were embraced.
"Hikaru, you're better!" Yurika said about to start crying again. Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"She's made remarkable progress in the last day, almost miraculous but she still has respiratory damage and shouldn't talk," Ryoko told them.
"I can't believe it! Welcome back Hikaru!" Akito said as he and Yurika joined Ryoko to make one big group hug. Yurika got on the ship's intercom system and alerted the entire crew to the good news. This was just the miracle everyone needed to keep going on this crazy voyage. The whole ship cheered and smiled at the news. No one, however, could smile larger than Suzuki Miaka, and only she knew why.
A/N: OK, another chapter down, I hope I'm not boring everyone. I really see about three more chapters at this point so brace yourselves for the beginning of the end!
Chapter 10 – Changing Perspectives
All was quiet on the Nadeisco in the late hours of the night. The only hints of the previous activities were wine glasses, confetti, and other party items that lined the floor of the rec room and some halls of the ship. The huge party several hours earlier celebrating Akito's safe return with the crew celebrating harder than they had since they were in the Gekigangar festival. Now everything was calm and quiet except for the barely audible footsteps that now came down the hall. Suzuki had not participated in the festivities. She knew well enough that she would not likely be welcome by many of the crew. Ryoko quickly came to mind when she thought of those who accepted her only grudgingly. Despite Yurika's pleadings to the contrary, she stayed in her quarters for the night.
Now she was out and about though. The crew wasn't completely foolish. They had told Omoikane to keep her in her quarters or follow her if she left, however, she had disabled that capacity with her normally prodigious computer skills. So she traveled the halls now alone and unnoticed. She remembered the holographic map she had pulled up in her quarters to allow her to trace the path to her destination. She took a quick left and passed the cafeteria. Then she stopped and quickly turned around. She felt someone else's presence. Seeing no one else in the hall she peered into the cafeteria and relaxed. It was only Homwei trying to clean up some of the materials and getting ready to prepare breakfast. Escaping notice, Suzuki continued until she reached the sick bay.
Looking around once again to make sure she was evading detection, she entered. No one was there at this time of the night since the computer's automated systems were more than sufficient to handle most conceivable emergencies. As she expected, it was completely empty except for one person. Hikaru Amano occupied bed #7 unaware of the world around her since she was slowly healing in a medically induced coma. Suzuki approached apprehensively as if the girl would suddenly jump out of the bed and strangle her.
It usually wasn't like this. When you took someone out in combat you didn't have to see the results. You didn't see them writhing in pain or dying. They were almost always vaporized. Maybe that's why the war had gone on so long. There was no personification of your combatant. Most often they were inside a ship or an Aesti, shielded from your vision by inches of thick metal and alloys. It was easy to forget they were human. Heck, it was easy for the humans on Earth to think for so long that the Jovians were "lizards". In space combat you so rarely saw your foe you could dehumanize them to the point of emotionless killing.
Now, Suzuki Miaka had to face the girl whose life she had nearly destroyed. All the reasons and rationalizations she had told herself earlier melted away with each step as her curiosity turned to horror. She looked at the medical computer and asked it to pull up the patient's data. Doing so both allayed and deepened some of her fears. Thankfully her brain had sustained no significant damage so her mental functions were still intact. However, most of her other functions were now performed by machines or nannites. She had endured massive internal hemorrhaging, her circulatory and respiratory systems had been nearly destroyed by her rapid exposure to vacuum, it went on and on. Suzuki put down the report suddenly feeling nauseous. She had sustained all this for her friend. To help Akito escape from Erina's megalomaniacal grasp. And she knew she was partly responsible.
With the current prognosis Suzuki knew there was only a 50/50 chance that Hikaru would survive each day. The medical technology on the Nadesico was advanced but it didn't perform miracles. Perhaps though, she could. She hesitated as she removed a vial from her pocket and analyzed its contents. If they found out she did this she would be in deep trouble for more reason than one. However, she had to try. She had to make whatever possible amends she could for the situation now she knew what was right and wrong. She opened the vial which contained a metallic fluid, much like mercury but less dense. She poured a quantity on Hikaru's shoulder and watched as the liquid stood for a second and then proceeded to be absorbed into Hikaru's skin. Suzuki looked back at Hikaru's face and her eyes seemed to twitch as if she had felt something despite her current state.
So now all she could do was wait. She stood for another few minutes just staring at Hikaru with a look of sadness on her face. She looked at the EEG and noticed the activity patterns that indicated Hikaru was currently in REM sleep. "Sweet dreams," Suzuki said as she prepared to leave.
"I'm sure she appreciates the sentiments," a gruff voice said behind her. Suzuki rapidly spun around and saw the inquisitive face of Admiral Misumaru.
"How long have you been standing there?!" she demanded.
"I only arrived a few minutes ago. You seemed absorbed in thought so I left you alone," he replied.
"I was just trying to see who Hikaru was. I will probably head back to bed now," Suzuki said defensively.
"Bed? It's almost 0630. Most people will be waking up soon," the admiral replied in a matter-of-fact manner. Suzuki jumped. 0630? She had been her for nearly two hours then! She really had lost track of time.
"Well then, I'll just go get breakfast and later find the captain. Have a good morning admiral," she said leaving.
"One more thing, Heather. What made you decide to bring Akito back?" he turned and asked her as she walked away.
Suzuki stopped. "I realized I was wrong and…wait! Why did you call me that name?" she said turning trying to suppress her look of surprise.
"I think the better question is why did you answer to it Suzuki-san. You should remember when we last met. You were a good friend of the Tenkawas. I was just wondering if that was the reason," he finished.
"What kind of nonsense is this? The Tenkawas died when I was a child, I don't know what you're talking about or what you are insinuating," she said now approaching him again.
"Nothing. My mistake. Please, go on. Just remember you can hack the computer all you want. I will always have my eye on you," he finished. Suzuki stared him in the eye for a moment and then left sickbay. She stormed out the door and walked down the hall just to run into another disaster. In her haste to leave she had nearly run into Ryoko who was going to sick bay. At first, they both looked shocked to see the other but Ryoko regained her composure first and regarded Suzuki with a mixture of suspicion and hatred.
"What the hell are you doing up and about? And especially in sickbay!" Ryoko said as she seethed.
"I was trying to see pilot Hikaru," Suzuki maintaining a calm but cool demeanor.
Ryoko dropped the Gekigangar plush she had been holding, obviously a gift to Hikaru. "You bitch, what right do you have to be here!? You're the reason she's like this in the first place…" Ryoko stammered barely holding back sobs. By this time she would have swung but she knew from her last encounter that this would probably be futile against Suzuki's hand-to-hand combat skills. Instead she stared her in the face with a burning hatred and fists clenched.
"If I ever see you go near her again I'll kill you," Ryoko said. Suzuki nodded once and walked down the hall. She turned around to see Ryoko still staring at her with a gaze that would destroy the soul of a weaker person.
Once she was gone, Ryoko picked up the plush and went into sickbay. There she saw Admiral Misumaru sitting next to Hikaru but staring blankly into space as if he was deep in thought. Without a word Ryoko sat down next to him. She then placed the Geki plush in Hikaru's limp arm. "Please get well Hikaru…you're one of the few friends I have," she pleaded. Previously oblivious to her presence, Admiral Misumaru now began speaking.
"Ryoko, I understand your pain. I have lost many friends like this. If I didn't understand before I can see now why you hate this war so much," he commented. Ryoko nodded still staring at Hikaru hoping to see some sort of response as if she was alive.
"I always knew it could be like this, but it seemed so impossible. We flew so many sorties together, had good times, teased each other about crushes…," Ryoko's voice trailed off. Admiral Misumaru placed his hand on her shoulder.
"We must all be strong and from the reports I've read I have confidence in you more than anyone that you can be strong when necessary," he said. After a pause he continued, "I also share your suspicion of our guest." Ryoko's head shot up at this comment and she looked at him in an inquisitive fashion. "Ryoko, there is something about her not right. I know she saved Akito and seems to want to help us but there is something vital missing here. A piece of the puzzle we don't yet have. There is something I am going to show you. On no condition are you to tell anyone about this…not yet. Not Yurika, Akito, your friend Izumi. I need more evidence before I can act but something strange is going on here," he finished. Admiral Misumaru pulled out the picture of the Tenkawas he had examined earlier. Ryoko took it and analyzed it for a moment. At first the significance was lost to her until she analyzed the redheaded lab technician in detail.
"Sir, this is impossible!" she cried nearly falling down in shock.
"No, it's both possible and real. However, we must keep this a secret for now. It may be vital to our safety to do so," he replied. Ryoko nodded. "So, I am heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. Would you like to join me?" he asked putting his hand on her shoulder. She nodded again, took one sad look back at Hikaru, and left.
Akatsuki Nagare was surprisingly cool and collect for one in his situation. In the last week he had lost absolute control over his company, then he had failed to punish the would-be-usurper Erina, and finally he had lost his ship; to a punk like Jun no less. He had become so irate and enraged that he finally calmed down. One could only get so angry and he was out of steam. His senses came back and he began to think of a calm and reasoned way to extricate himself from his current predicament. He would find the nearest UEF ship, get in contact with some of HIS friends and central command and began recouping his losses. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve and he was very intent on using them.
But as was wont these days, nothing went according to plan. So he shouldn't have been shocked when the swarm of Jovian Gekigangar types and grasshoppers ambushed his craft as he tried to cross back into UEF space. Whatever composure he had left melted as he suddenly found himself surrounded and out of options. How could, HE the chairman of Nergal be totally incapacitated? He couldn't stand the powerlessness.
"Fire all guns now at the thinnest section and make a way for our escape!" he commanded his crew. However, at this command his crew did nothing. "You idiots! You risked your necks to help me escape! How can you succumb to cowardice now?!" he yelled demanding an answer. The crew just sat frozen though. Finally, one woman with a bit of courage spoke up.
"Chairman, any hostilities on our part at this point would be suicide," she said and then paused. "I believe our only hope now is surrender and I ask your permission to send the necessary communication of our intentions."
"Dammit, I will not…." he yelled but then paused as he saw the crew's faces. They were defeated. Slowly, Akatsuki overcame his machismo and realized he was defeated as well. He slumped into his chair sighing. "Signal our surrender. However, do not let them know who we are. Say we are traders running black market supplies to the UEF troops." She nodded and complied.
There was a brief few tense minutes as the grasshoppers and Geki units sat motionless not making a move. Soon though orders came back from their captors. "You are hereby taken as prisoners of war by the Jovian Empire. A battleship will arrive soon to pick you up and interrogate you. Any hostilities or duplicity on your behalf will be met with lethal force." Akatsuki nodded. However, he remembered his late father's advice. "Any problem has a feasible solution and any person will make a deal in the right circumstances," he had told him as he indoctrinated him with business acumen when he was younger. Akatsuki would make a way, but for now he had to do as he was told.
"Akatsuki, that bastard!" Jun said as they crew of the Excalibur described to him how long they would have to work to get all of the systems at full capacity. Akatsuki and his allies had disabled some before they left so the ship wouldn't be at full capacity for another six hours or so. They had more important things to worry about than ship systems. They had long ago entered Jovian space and would arrive at their destination in about four more days. Interplanetary distances were so vast in the outer planets it would take them much longer to pass two planets than it did going from Earth to the Sun.
For a day though nothing had gone wrong. The Nadesico and Cosmos were flying in tandem with them so they had enough firepower to meet most threats they could encounter. They also could now concentrate their focus on real external threats instead of fighting each other. In his absence, Ruri had been made the first officer of the Nadesico by Yurika. Jun had laughed when he heard that. Only on the Nadesico would anyone possibly follow orders from a little girl. In fact, Ruri had the helm for most of the time since Yurika was always off AWOL somewhere with Akito. That thought caused a slight tinge of unpleasantness in Jun's mind which he quickly fought back. He shook his head at the fact he still had feelings for her. He had better things to worry about.
For one, they had not yet been seriously attacked by the Jovians. Jun was incredulous to Erina's theory that they had not yet been detected. Sure, Jovian space was vast but if the Jovians were so derelict in their security the UEF would have invaded Europa a long time ago. Something was wrong and he had an eerie feeling that they were being watched very closely.
"Those Earth fools! They don't even suspect they're being watched," Kusakabe said to himself chuckling as he watched them complacently cruise towards Titan. They would be there soon enough and then he would take what they found and dump them into the vacuum of space. His ruminations on his impending victory were interrupted by a priority communication from the front.
"Sir, we have intercepted and captured a crew of UEF civilians in a shuttle flying from Jovian to UEF space. They say they are running contraband sir!" a young lieutenant reported to him in the holographic communication.
"Why are you reporting this to me?" Kusakabe asked. "There are others in the hierarchy who deal with these kinds of matters," he said not hiding his irritation at this disturbance.
"I understand sir, but their story doesn't match up. There are no UEF craft in the direction from which they came and they have no evidence of contraband material on their ship," the lieutenant continued.
Exasperated, Kusakabe said, "Show me where they came from." Another window popped up with a chart of the region near the asteroid belt and an extrapolated origin of the shuttle craft based off of its trajectory and fuel usage. Kusakabe nearly fell out of his chair. It was almost exactly where the battle with the Cosmos, Nadesico, and Excalibur had been a day earlier. His attitude quickly turned from contempt to celebration. "Excellent work! Send them to the mother ship at once. I will recommend your promotion," he replied.
"Yes sir, thank you sir!" the lieutenant said and then closed the communications channel. His window was replaced by one which gave a profile of the prisoners. Kusakable smiled and summoned Inez to the bridge.
Meanwhile, Inez was frantically trying to lay the groundwork for their escape. She had surreptitiously informed all of her colleagues of her plans and now she was trying to find a way to get access to the boson cannon. She had manufactured enough of the serum that facilitated organic boson jumping for her crew mates. She wouldn't need it because she was Martian but the rest of them were all from Earth. The last thing she needed was an interruption, especially from that brute. However, she knew any recalcitrance on her part towards Kusakabe could have ramifications not just for herself but for others. Therefore she kept her usual neutral face, sighed, and went out to walk to the bridge.
As she walked their she reminded herself that she had to somehow inform the Nadesico of her whereabouts and plans. They didn't have much time left and Kusakabe's volatile behavior made any forward planning a risky venture. She finally arrived on the bridge and went up to the captain's chair. He looked at her for a comment but she said nothing. Shrugging he turned on the display showing the profile of the captured crew of Akatsuki's shuttle. Inez at first just looked and said nothing. She only recognized Akatsuki out of everyone and did not yet know what this interrogation was about.
"Did you know your former boss and head of Nergal Industries is a very bad liar," he said. "He gave us a false name and made up a story thinking that we would not know who he was and that he could escape us. In short we have captured your friend Akatsuki Nagare," he finished.
Inez jumped at this but then said, "I don't think the appropriate word for our relationship is friend," she replied. "If you want me to tell you something about him it would be fruitless because I don't know much besides what happened on the Nadesico and you've already gotten that out of me in the first interrogations," she said.
"Yes, I know but perhaps you could tell me why he is fleeing his friends, especially in such a hostile area of space. It doesn't seem like a rational action any way you cut it," Kusakabe contemplated.
"Perhaps they tired of his duplicity and kicked him out," Inez suggested.
"Yes, he might have parted ways with them. But that would give us a common enemy wouldn't it?" he said smiling. "It will be very interesting to see what kind of a man he is. I am bringing him here and I want you to tell me everything about how to negotiate with him. Of course you know the consequences for non-compliance." Inez nodded wondering if it was possible for things to get any worse.
"Open wide Akito!" Yurika yelled as she pushed to spoon full of brown muck towards Akito's mouth.
"Yurika, why do you keep insisting on doing this? I mean I love you and all but…" Akito stopped his pleas as he saw Yurika's face drop into sadness.
"If you don't want me to even try to cook for you Akito, I understand," she said her eyes welling with tears. Akito was a sucker for tears and she knew it.
"I didn't mean it like that. OK, fine I'll just try a teaspoon of it," he replied immediately regretting the malleability of his decision making. Yurika brightened up and without a word shoved the gunk into his mouth. Akito waited for the worst but was surprised. "Wow, Yurika this isn't that bad. You really made this?" he said surprised at the tastiness of her concoction.
"I'm glad you like it Akito! I knew the Martian pepper and seaweed would complement each other well!" she said elated.
"WHAT!!? You added Martian pepper to Earth seaweed! This crap is going to react in my stomach! How could you be so... *cough* *cough*" Akito didn't finish his statement and immediately began foaming violently at the mouth.
"Oh my goodness! Akito!" Yurika yelled. She grabbed a communicator and immediately called an emergency medical crew. They arrived a moment later and had to restrain Akito who was now undergoing violent convulsions. Yurika looked on with a concerned but naïve look as if she had no idea she was what caused his current condition.
They rushed him into sickbay and pumped his stomach. As he regained consciousness Yurika embraced him with relief. Akito would have pushed her back if he wasn't so physically spent. Yurika repeatedly cried and apologized and he forgave her as always.
"There must be no way to break this vicious cycle," he thought.
They noticed though they weren't the only people embracing and crying in the sickbay. Several beds down, Ryoko was hugging and crying Hikaru, who was now conscious. Akito got up and walked with Yurika over to the bed where Hikaru and Ryoko were embraced.
"Hikaru, you're better!" Yurika said about to start crying again. Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"She's made remarkable progress in the last day, almost miraculous but she still has respiratory damage and shouldn't talk," Ryoko told them.
"I can't believe it! Welcome back Hikaru!" Akito said as he and Yurika joined Ryoko to make one big group hug. Yurika got on the ship's intercom system and alerted the entire crew to the good news. This was just the miracle everyone needed to keep going on this crazy voyage. The whole ship cheered and smiled at the news. No one, however, could smile larger than Suzuki Miaka, and only she knew why.
A/N: OK, another chapter down, I hope I'm not boring everyone. I really see about three more chapters at this point so brace yourselves for the beginning of the end!
