Back on the Nirvana, the news of Dita's abrupt disappearance spread like wildfire - consequently leaving all the pirates in the grip of a bleak mood. The whole ship grew the quietest it have ever been since the pirates took control of it. Where once was hustle and bustle made up of women busying themselves with various tasks, there were now workers going about their business without anything in the way of enthusiasm. There was no chatter and no smiling faces. Indeed, the impact of losing a comrade had hit the pirates hard. What made the loss even worse was that the comrade in question was the one who brought everyone up when they were down and asked them to be happy - for her sake.

In the register, it was unusually quiet. As everyone was in state of mourning, everything was in state of utter silence. Gascogne sat at a table, with her trademark toothpick still dangling from her mouth, shuffling a deck of cards.

Her hands dealt out the cards in a circular arrangement....

....before gathering them up again.

Just then, Alice, one of the register attendants, came in. She was carrying a box of ammunition.

"Ma'am?" she inquired.

Gasco raised an eyebrow.

"Where do.... you want this?" Alice said, her speech radiant with awkwardness.

The register officer blinked. She could tell that she had a determination to do her job - even when the Nirvana had been shaken by the recent loss.

But no amount of determination could conceal the amount of devastation that burned inside of her......

"Oh!" Gasco started. "Oh, just leave it with the Dariki for now."

"Right" came the reply.

"Oh and Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"Smile, smile!"

Alice blinked, before her lips complied with the her superior's orders. Then she turned and disappeared with the ammunition.

Gasco sighed. That was the single truth she knew: To keep smiling no matter how great the danger or how grim things get.

But was this belief enough to keep everyone going, in this present time?

Somehow with losing a battle comrade like that.....

Gasco shook her head before sitting down and dealing the cards into a game of Solitaire.


Meanwhile, in the medical room, Paiway Underberg sat by herself - All alone and without anything to do at the present time.

Because of the enormity of the recent chain of events, the ship was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. No one had come through this portion of ship in a long time and Pai wasn't receiving in the way of inter-ship communications.

But then again, such a thing is expected considering Dita....

The nurse frowned. No, she must not think like that. Dita can't be dead! The only one on the Nirvana whom she considered a real friend can't be gone! She mustn't think like that!

Paiway got to her feet. She must not think like that. Under any circumstances.....

She grabbed her camera. Maybe there's something to Check?

But then again, what's there to check in a strangely quiet ship in this grim time?

She drummed her fingers on the camera. Maybe she has a film lying around that she has been meaning to develop but never found the time.....

But strangely, she doesn't feel like developing anything at the present.....

Maybe there are some medicine bottles to organise or bandages to arrange....

But then again who, with this unusual behaviour, was Paiway trying to fool?

Sighing with defeat, she sat back down at the table and grabbed the nearest object which lay in her reach - which happened to be her frog puppet.

She blinked back at a pair of black-stitched eyes.

"You don't think Dita's dead do you?" the nurse inquired.

The puppet didn't reply. Primarily because it was an inanimate object which required Paiway's operative hands to make it work.

But right now, the nurse didn't feel like making her frog puppet friend talk back at her.

With trembling lips, Pai closed her eyes and threw her puppet across the room. She didn't see it hit the wall. Nor did she see it bounce off and fall to the floor. Instead she folded her arms - in order to rest her head upon them - and gently wept....


Throughout the ship, the sober mood refused to loosen the grip it had on the pirates.

Up in the upper regions of the Nirvana, Magno Vivan sat alone in her quarters. In silence and with her mind deep in thought.

She had seen a lot in her one hundred and seven years of existence. She had the birth of entire worlds, she had seen entire civilisations and whole worlds crumble to dust. She had seen many things that would be enough to make one's blood turn to water. Consequently there was very few things that couldn't surprise her.

But this recent event wasn't one of those things.

No matter how much she was reluctant to admit it......

She always had the belief that everyone, whether they realise it or not, has the strength to succeed. And how they use it is a matter they have to determine for themselves. Sometimes this strength is used to it's full potential but sometimes some rely on some one else to work it out for them.

And that idea repulsed Magno to no end.

But over the decades, she had developed a sharp eye. She could spot the potential one had. She could immediately identify when one had exceptional strength and could really go somewhere with it. Thus, when she took up pirating she could easily pick out those who would make exceptional crew members. Henceforth, she could pick out the best with ease. Even the recent male additions to the crew, Duero, Hibiki and, to a lesser extent, Bart, also showed talents and the potential to utilise it to it's full extent.

This, of course, led her meandering thoughts to Dita.

With the exception of Paiway, Dita Liebely was the youngest of the crew. Thus, there were times when she seemed so out of place: She seemed so eternally cheerful - even when things were at their grimiest, her Dread piloting skills left a lot to be desired, and her peculiar habits often left everyone exasperated.

Henceforth, it was a mystery to everyone why Magno had inducted her into the ranks of her piratical band. But the truth was, not just because the orphaned Dita had nowhere else to go, but Magno had her sharp eye - Thus she easily saw strong potential in the red-head.

But, in spite of her inexperience, Dita's positive outlook on life certainly had it's uses. Yes, she certainly knew what to say to increase morale or rebuild one's fallen spirits.

But it's quite distressing that one can climb so high only to plummet so far.....

Just then, The Boss' thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The old woman raised an gnarled eyebrow at who it was coming in.

It was BC.

The Boss fixed her sub-commander with a quizzical gaze.

"One of these days" she said. "You're going have to knock before entering."

Ignoring her superior's comments, BC cleared her throat. "The rest of the crew.....they're requesting a memorial service."

Magno bowed her head in a solemn manner, her brow wracked with understanding.

"I....I'll look into it" she said gently.

BC nodded.

"Everyone.....seems so shocked, captain. I'm concerned we won't be able to function at full strength this way....."

"Is that a problem?" The Boss inquired, fixing her lieutenant with an accusing eye.

BC blinked, apprehensive that her commander suspected something. Nevertheless, she immediately set about correcting her error:

"....I....I am concerned our morale may have suffered from this incident. I fear that we are placing ourselves in a position where the Harvesters may catch us unaware."

The pirate leader slowly nodded. BC's unusually indifferent behaviour may be reason enough to have suspicions but, at the same, time, she has presented a convincing argument. However, being in a position of command, Magno knew quite well that she must keep a benevolent eye for her fellow pirates. Being situated in the depths of space and being consistently besieged by a relentless, and increasingly powerful, enemy with no outside aid at all, makes way for a rather desperate situation. And in such case, bonds as unbreakable as iron are formed, friendships are tested and enemies stop bickering long enough to draw their talents together to defeat a common foe. This was a time when people are drawn together to create an unbreakable unity that nothing could ruin.
And this was also a time that, therefore, everyone should look out for one another and each land a supporting shoulder for others to lean on. This was certainly no time for one to shut off everyone around themselves, with an invisible cape of apathy and indifference.

And after all, what is a captain with a crew?

"Leave them be" Magno ordered. "It's never easy losing someone in the midst of chaos.

"Believe me, I know....."


Meanwhile, many miles below, something was happening to the surface of the planet.

The recent visitation to the planet had, somehow, triggered something extraordinary: Something was stirring beneath the many tonnes of sand that made up the planet's surface. Ancient gears were slowly grinding after centuries of lying dormant. Layers upon layers of dust were ripped apart as a sense of movement began plunging it's way through.

Something had been placed on that planet for a reason.

All it needed was to be found.....


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