*English*
:actions:
thoughts
Warning: Watch out for symbolism… I kinda like to do that ^.^, and hey, if you don't like symbolism, its not like Song of Solomon where you can't get along without it ^.^
Disclaimer: I own the future, I own Dom, I own Tackets… I own that really cool gun, and the ship ^.^ But… sadly, I don't own what really counts… and that's Rurouni Kenshin. DAMN YOU NOBUHIRO WATSUKI-SAMA! :cough cough:

Vocab
doushitano- is there something wrong?
Kakoi!- Cool!


Chapter 6: Introductions, chaos, sci-fi, and mush.

The time compression took slightly longer than Dom had planned because of an annoying time warp that appeared that slowed the ship down. They were about one day behind schedule when they came into space around Earth in between two large floating pillars and an arched docking bay above them.
Kenshin-gumi, and even Dom himself were amazed to see the "new earth" that the future beheld. It was, after all, only Dom's third time seeing Earth, and quite a sight to see. There were so many space stations orbiting Earth that it looked almost dangerous to navigate through, especially with all the traffic happening between the different space cities. Thousands of ships sparkled their way from one errand to another. The moon was so cluttered that it looked like one giant city. Large domes covered the surface and there were few places that the actual surface could be seen. Every open space was filled with a looming tower that had many layers of runways sticking out of it in circling patterns. The result was that the moon looked like a giant head of a morning star*.
To avoid too many collisions there was, as Dom explained later, a tack shaped guidance station that had a ball almost completely consisting of windows on the end of each spike and directed all the space ships in landing, flying, space compressing, and traffic. The indicated traffic areas could easily be seen, they were many ships clumped together, following each other in lines to or from a station in a consistency so dense it looked like a tube was guiding them. There was a small area of free space surrounding Alexandria and the time compression docking bay that they had appeared in. Since no one knew when a ship would appear inside they needed to be clear at all times. There was no way for a ship in a different time to signal their arrival and no way to contact a ship in a different time either.
Dom made the ship rise towards one of the docking holds in the arch and announced that since they were off schedule they would not need to leave the ship… and unfortunately wouldn't get to explore anything new before continuing their journey. He didn't have time to tour them around because he and Tackets needed to get their docking clearance, power supply, and get a departure ticket and so everyone needed to stay in the ship while they were gone. "Don't worry though, you won't be missing much. This docking station isn't much more special than any of the others you'll see when we reach the border station connected to Inok. The only thing different is that here is Earth, but you don't want to go down there anyway, and it would take years to get a ticket."
"Why's that?" Kaoru asked distractedly as she continued to stare in wonder out the window.
Dom smiled at her reaction, but was sobered by his own answer. "Most people can't get tickets to Earth because its too crowded, they have enough people down there without more coming in to just tour. Unless someone has a good reason and a reserved place to stay- no one gets into Earth anymore." His answer had captured her attention while the others were pointing and talking about the outside, oblivious to the conversation. "Earth, from what I hear, isn't that nice anyway. It's filthy, crowded, hot, not many people are welcoming or happy, the air would be so bad to the point of toxicity to you, there's no nature to look at, only a bunch of really tall buildings really close together. Some of them are impressive looking, the old ones, but nowadays they gave up on 'impressive' and moved on to 'efficient'. The only thing I can think of that would be interesting are the new spire pyramid buildings going up in Mexico-" his serious face broke into a grin, "I sound like I'm talking to some tourist coming to visit New York!" he laughed, "Nothing but tall buildings, bad air, and people!"
The semi-irony was lost on Kaoru.
"Sorry," Dom said after another good laugh. He calmed himself and strapped a pouch on diagonally over his shoulder, connected it to his belt, and holstered a gun. Kaoru stared at the gun with some amount of shock but Dom didn't notice. "I'll try and pick up some more translators while I'm up there." His voice brought her face back up to look at him. "Take care of the ship for me," he smiled and turned to leave.
Kaoru forgot to say goodbye but managed to close her hanging mouth before turning back to the consol. She leaned on it to get a better look out the window at the bridge of the ship. Craning her neck to see, she caught some last glimpses of the Earth before the ship was shadowed over while entering the docking bay. How could such a big place seems so very small? she wondered. The way Dom-kun described it you'd think it might be the size of a cherry. Now more than ever everything seems so confusing. Earth's not what I thought it was, the future isn't what I thought it would be, even Dom's not the person I thought he was! Are times still so bad that he has to carry around a gun when he leaves the ship? Haven't they improved at all from the time that Kenshin still carried a sword in the Meji Era? Does nothing ever improve? Kaoru's brow furrowed and the lights from the stations, the moon and the earth gave way to shadow.
Of course, there were always the lights from the ship that kept going, Sure, sure it does, and it will and it did. That's what I'm here for, ne? The world- universe- will never be a perfect place, but there will always be people like Kenshin and I, and even Dom to make things better! Although she had made a decision, her brow still creased in concern.
______________________________________________________

* morning star- It's that thing at the end of a mace, only put on a stick.
______________________________________________________


Kenshin noticed Kaoru's slightly gloomy demeanor and broke away from his ogling friends to check on her. "Kaoru-dono?"
That snapped her out of her inner monologue, "Kenshin?"
"Doushitano de gozaru ka?"
Kaoru made a negative sound in the back of her throat.
After giving her a sideways glance he looked back through the bridge window and stayed his position next to Kaoru for support, figuring, correctly, that that was what she needed.
The ship reached the first docking room where the bottom to space was closed off, air filled the chamber and the top compartment was opened up to them, everyone watching gasped. A small round lift was elevating next to the ship on a pole to the observation deck, and on it were Tackets and Dom. The rest of the room was pure metal, and there were other ships settled around the hanger. Many were being repaired, as exposed by the crackling spurts of fiery metal flying into the air. Some were moving miraculously across the floor and out of the way of the new ship. Kaoru observed this and wondered how they were doing it; surely the ship didn't turn its engine on in the hanger to move around.
Kenshin pointed at the floor, "There are belts lining the floor that the ships are set on, the belts move the ships in a direction onto other belts and so on until they have everything where they want it de gozaru."
Eyes widened and smiles appeared as they watched the new technology do its work. There was a slight jolt, and the hanger began to move around when their ship was laid on a belt. "Kakoi!" Yahiko said in restrained excitement. Kenshin smiled at his consistent reaction to new things and felt a flicker of joy that he had ended up coming. It didn't last long though, and his happy thought soon faded into variations of dread about the unknown dangers his family would face.
"Earth is more beautiful than I ever imagined… don't you think?" Kaoru said to Kenshin when she sensed his mood shift slightly. She wanted to cheer him up as he had done for her.
"De gozaru."
She smiled, knowing that his choice of words was meant to return the favor once again and keep her spirits up.
"So what was Soiya-dono telling you?" The hanger did a spin, or rather the ship did, and they were all marveling at the different types of ships displayed to them.
"He was only reassuring me that we weren't missing anything on the station, that we would see something like it later, and that Earth wasn't that nice anyway… Do you really think Earth is as bad as he says it is?" She looked at his profile this time and held no small amount of concern in her voice. The concern was not only for her home planet, but also for Kenshin. She was worried how he would take seeing Earth in such a state and knowing that he could do nothing to help.
"I'm afraid so de gozaru…" his answer had come out more breathy and sad then he had intended and he tried not to react but he did curse himself inwardly. It wouldn't do for him to push off him worries on someone that had plenty of her own. The last thing he wanted to do was to worry Kaoru at such a time.
Kaoru's reaction though, was not the one he'd expected. She shifted a miniscule amount but all of a sudden Kenshin could feel her warm finger touching his on the consol where they were leaning, and her shoulder brushed his own as well. He would have smiled and moved his hand on top of hers like he strongly desired to, but his mind -which he resented- reminded him that that would be encouraging her attentions to him, and that was -apparently, although because of the way he felt it didn't seem so- not what he wanted. He had agreed earlier that he had to put his feelings in check and stop his "unintentional" flirtations to save them both grief… he just couldn't remember why. He obeyed his mind for the moment, but inwardly agreed that he should stop thinking so much, and did nothing.
Kaoru lost all her nerve when Kenshin didn't react and stretched inconspicuously, thereby separating them. "So," she panicked, "how have you been sleeping because I've been sleeping fine and Megumi Yahiko and I are quite comfortable but I know that you and Sano don't have a lot of room so I was wondering if it was inhibiting your sleep, although you don't look tired, because I can tell when you don't sleep and-" she faltered in her rapid speech, "I… think… I'll go… over there!" She darted towards the rest of Kenshin-gumi and left a surprised looking Kenshin.
I never seem to do anything right de gozaru! Kenshin stared after Kaoru numbly. I didn't want to react, but I didn't want her to move, but I shouldn't have a problem with that, and now I'm just confused. He smacked his head into an awaiting palm and faced the window to continue watching once again.

"I need five temporary identification passports," Dom addressed the cashier. A computer could have done the job she was doing but there were laws against using computers all the time. If there aren't computers doing the job that means that there were more jobs for the overwhelming population of humans that needed them.
There was another plus, humans could be argued with.
"Five?" she gave him a doubtful glare. "You're authorized for one. One adept, one passport." Her accent was quite different from Dom's, or any human that Dom had been accustomed to back in his own time. Accents were still determined by where one lived… but due to globalization it was in a much more general way. There was the "Earth accent", and the "Upper class Earth accent", the "Inner planets accent" for all the planets, satellites and stations around Earth behind the asteroid belt, conversely there were "Outer planet accents" and "Outer Solar System accents". If one could tell what a person had, they could establish a great many things: wealth, upbringing, exposure to aliens, education, sentiments towards the government and other species… it was all very useful in Dom's line of work, but more Tackets area.
That was why it was Tackets who took up the argument with the cashier. "We don't just have an adept," he said condescendingly. He figured if he could impress on her the amount of knowledge that he had, being an official of the government on the border, that she completely lacked, not even being educated or rich enough to get into the stations among the outer planets, he could force her into conceding the passports. "We have her family with us."
The girls eyes shifted, "That's almost out of the question, its never happened before, and if I give them to you, you may just as well sell them to someone trying to go outer solar system illegally, or worse! They could get to Earth. I'm afraid not."
"Lady, who the hell, in their right minds, would want to go to Earth? Hm?"
"There are plenty of crazies wanting to go to Earth, we've had six bomb threats today, and over a hundred since you left. That's how many crazies want in on Earth." She shook her head, "Do you have any clear cut proof?"
Dom panicked inwardly at the fact that they might not get the passports… but also at the number of bombings that had occurred. Tackets kept up his act and smiled smoothly at Dom, his whole body language screaming that the girl knew nothing. Apparently her request for proof was progress.
"You've seen us before, when we left. And you've seen me plenty of times. My office as a recruiter of the Department of Exploration and Energy Extraction should be enough proof. We wouldn't be the type to sell these things for money, we have a job to do, and you're hampering it." He flashed his ID chip in front of the scanner and his bio came up with his DNA match. "Now, why don't you stop wasting our time, and give us those passports. Do your planet a service."
She glanced at them both nervously, "Well… it is confirmed that you're the very same Tackets and Sawyer… so, I'll have to make a record of it." She looked into Tackets eyes for approval and he nodded, "It will take a while to get some authority though.
Tackets sighed as if he was annoyed for the delay, which was most likely part of his act considering what a patient man he really was. "Yes, yes, fine. Just hurry up, will you?"
They motioned to sit in the waiting area when Dom asked if he could go off to pick some things up. Tackets glared at him, feeling like a parent about to let a child run rampid in a large unknown place because it was new to him. With a nod Tackets was left to wait, and Dom headed off to run some errands.
The first thing he needed to do was to pick up a holo-news. Ever since he had come to the future, it had been harder for him to accept the bombings like the people born and raised with their knowledge. It was like being born during war time: if war was all you knew then you looked at it as a fact of life, but for Dom it was a much bigger deal.
It was hard to say which side he really agreed with, he couldn't tell that well, but being a rather scientific and moral person the facts pointed to disagreeing with the bombings. The bombings had started at least seventy years ago by some (madman?) scientist Mitchell Copenhag'ner. Dom was the kind of person to argue that he was not insane. His ideals, later called Copenism were that a bomb should be dropped over a carefully chosen specified area that would kill off more people then it would destroy resources in the long run.
When population rose, and before there was compressed space travel these ideals were what he thought was the only solution to keeping a restrain on the population. Families were already not allowed to have more than one child by law but nothing seemed to help the state of economy. Many people, like Dom, and of course the people who follow Copenism, called Copenists, thought that he never meant for his ideals to be taken that way.
As a result, what Copenhag'ner wanted to prevent, happened. After space compression was discovered things would have undoubtedly gotten better, unfortunately, Copenhag'ner's ideals were used past the time that they were meant for, and past the reasoning. Half of the reason why Earth was so diseased was because of all of the biological weapons that "Copenists" had used to kill off the population. Much of Earth was quarantined for that reason. Luckily none of the nuclear bombs ever made it to Earth and Earth's defenses against the bombs were very well established by then.
Another reason that it was hard for ships to make it to Earth was because there had been a fair share of suicide bombers that had reached Earth as well. To prevent this, ships were thoroughly inspected and cleared after very harsh regulations. No one on Earth could truly feel safe anymore… it really was a shame how dangerous and unpleasant Earth had become.
Dom sighed and rubbed his forehead as he read the reports. He had a fascination- no; it was deeper than that- a compassion for what Earthlings went through, being one of them. Six bombings in one day was a lot, he sighed and shook his head while reading on.
After he had finished reading and pondering about the internal lessons he could learn (although he had done that so many times about the bombings that it seemed tired), he realized that he could probably drag a couple of conversations that could definitely be interesting from the new points of views he had acquired. He especially looked forward to talking with Kaoru, and also Kenshin, who interested him to no end.
He seems very wise for his age… and I have yet to think over everything that he said to me on the ship. I'm sure that he would have a very interesting point of view, and I'm sure I'd like to hear it. He paused in thought, Tackets is going to be pissy about this, I just know it. He always argues with me about bringing up the bombings and where I stand on them. He also told me that I'm not really supposed to get very attached to other adepts… Oh, bull. I'm not, really, and besides, I've been here long enough to know that that's only so that when people die you continue to function well. Dom's eyes unfocused, and he stopped his pacing with his reading as memories from his conversation with Kenshin flooded his head.

"Average life expectancy?"
"Three years, around. Two and a half to three."


Hm… so basically, I'm living on borrowed time. He slowly went back to pacing and decided to look at the section on the border war. If Roxy were here she'd probably say, "Oh, Dom, stop being so morbid! and slap me on the back. A ghost of a smile flashed across Dom's features. So, lessee…
He skimmed through most of the articles until he found the usually small section on the border war. This time, however, it was not as small as usual; it was brimming with articles about the apparent "new attack" on a border colony called Thitstel. It was, as Dom remembered it (though Dom didn't have a great memory…), a very small, new colony that was branching out past the new border. It was the farthest colony out there, and had been assigned adept protection… if he remembered correctly.
Then again, he couldn't, for the life of him, remember who had been assigned, although it was bugging him immensely. So much so, that before they left for compressed space, he decided he would check his mail for reports sent while he was gone. Once he was back in real space, in the current time, his ship should have received most of the mail while he was gone.
His brow furrowed and his smooth pacing wavered as he came across the lovely information that the entire colony was completely destroyed, and the remains unsalvageable. He swallowed a lump in his throat and read on. The destruction had happened six days ago, and so what he was reading was the first bits of information coming from the border. The death toll was still basically unknown, although since the colony wasn't ready to be colonized civilians wouldn't be a bulky number, but how many technicians, scientists, officials of the government, soldiers and adepts were killed was important information that no one had.
No one… Dom considered, not the media, but the LEA Council will know, and they will inform me.
Now he was more eager to get back the ship and he stopped reading. He discarded the holo-news into a recycle bin to have its memory wiped and reused for different news, one of the many ways Earth and its surrounding bodies had learned to recycle resources.
Dom all but ran to the nearest communications booth to buy translators, but the booth wouldn't accept his fingerprint account. He argued loudly with the small man because he had no real reason for not accepting his fingerprint but in the end he got so anxious for news he just used the money he had on him and could only buy two. Dom scowled at the man, threw his money down… and ran towards Tackets so that he could rush that annoying woman holding him up and go to the ship.

Before Dominic could start bouncing up and down childish impatience asking "Can we go yet? Can we go yet? Can we-", Tackets stopped him with a venomous look of general unfriendliness. It was in Tackets nature to distance people like that, and in all ways. The desire, Dom had figured out, stemmed from the fact that Tackets was afraid of loosing his loved ones, which was impossible with no loved ones to loose. The fact that Dom had figured this out did not help their relationship. Tackets only worked harder to distance himself and be as mean and authoritative as possible. Dom saw no real point to Tackets antics, and did not appreciate Tackets apparent laziness, or harsh treatment, and even though he knew the reasons, he didn't understand why Tackets would do such a thing. The logic made sense, but that wasn't how he thought of the world and so, he couldn't be understanding.
They were constantly fighting about the ideals of life, the way that the mission should be carried out, how to associate with new adepts, etc. Even though it was masked as laziness, Tackets hadn't bothered to learn Japanese because he had become so used to distancing himself that without noticing, he didn't even want to risk being able to talk to new adepts anymore. He already knew one or two tribe languages or Africa pretty well, Spanish, Italian, Latin, German, Indian, Russian, and various other alien languages. He had had the job of recruiting for almost as long as Dom had been an adept, and he had gotten tired of watching the new recruits that he had helped bring in die like flies. Not only that, many of them were his friends. That was why there were arguments burning in his eyes, and a promise to voice them later, when he saw the new translators that Dom had brought.
Dom calmed himself before speaking, knowing that Tackets was in an apparently horrible mood. "So?"
"So have a cliber," Tackets tossed the wrapped sandwich at Dom, who caught it will little grace and much confusion. They ripped open the packets and took respective bites.
"I take it this means we're going to be here a while?" Dom brandished his cliber.
"You guessed it."
"Ugh!" Dom slouched back into his chair in disgust, "I wanted to check my mail!"
"For what? News from your girlfriend?"
Tackets received the sharpest look that he had gotten in all of their time together, all of their fights. Dom looked like a large eagle the way he snaked his head around and narrowed his eyes, a large, hungry, and angry eagle.
"Ah," Tackets didn't let on how that look had put him in his place, "well then, it must have been about your stupid obsession with Earths problems."
"It's your home too, you know," Dom muttered angrily, but he was becoming more relaxed and noticed the change in subject, an obvious ply to turn the tables back to normalcy (a.k.a. arguing).
"Nope, the place can burn to the ground, I wouldn't care a bit- they asked for it."
Dom was disgusted once again by his smug coldness, "If you don't give a damn about people's lives then why the are you doing this job?!" He stood angrily, "For your information, and maybe you'll actually care because it isn't Earthlings, a whole colony went up while we were gone, and there were adepts protecting it, and they're dead, satisfied?" He knew directly afterward that what he said was wrong, and that his nerves about the subject had gotten to him and made him drop his politeness to the point of cruelty. Tackets had also pissed him off with that girlfriend comment and pretty much everything that came out of his mouth as well, but still, he felt instantly guilty.
"No, I'm not," came his laconic and flat answer. He stood with a frown and brushed by Dominic towards the desk. Dom started rubbing his head and watched Tackets through one eye. Tackets went up to the lady, and slammed his hand down on the desk hard enough so that the sound carried in a radius of people that turned to see the matter. "Woman, come here." The startled clerk complied slowly. "Do you know about the colony accident?"
"Uhuh," she nodded.
"I have friends that might have died up there that are very important to this war. I am needed there, as are the adepts I have with me. Now, you either get me my passports, now, or the Enders can have their run of space, and before you'll know it protocol won't matter because we'll all be dead." That's more extreme than the truth- I hope -but she did buy it.
The lady's eyes had widened in fear, and then panic, at his words and she stammered over an apology, and then briskly promised to have the passports to them within ten minutes. Tackets glared at her for good measure and gave her his approval, and did not stop looking angry and start looking satisfied until he sat back down in his original seat. "Satisfied?" he countered Dom with a sharp edge.
Dom nodded, "Quite." His smile reappeared on his face as he prepared to apologize, "I… I am-"
"Don't apologize."
Dom blinked, and then his pride bubbled to the service, "Huh? What? I- I wasn't going to! You are so full of it, I can't believe you have 'friends' to speak of with your attitude!" Dom had a lighter edge to his voice, so as not to offend, and threw up his hands in mock exasperation.
"I don't."
Dom had sat in a huff and slumped back into his chair, with his eyes closed, but they snapped open at the other's bland reply. "You don't? … Why?"
Tackets stared blankly ahead, "They're all dead."
Dom swallowed hard and tried to inquire more, but stopped when he realized that he would only be trying to fulfill his curiosity, but in turn, Tackets would really rather not speak of it. Wisely he closed his mouth and allowed Tackets the distance that he wanted.
There was a long pause between them…
"I'm not sorry, you know."
"Sure your not," came Tackets' sarcastic reply.
"I'm not!"
The two began to argue once more.



Sooooooo… its been a while, but here ya go, bran, spankin' new chapter! I probably will not drop this fic, and since I got everything from threats to string my organs out amongst the Texas sun :looks suspiciously at JadeAnime:, not that I'm naming names…, to ploys to get me to just send chapters to one person, I think that even if its only me reading my chapters… (even though Val wouldn't stop reading, right Val? :dangerous look:) I won't quit ^.^.

Val: no, I'm not going to make Tacket's Roxanne's father, but there!, you get character development, happy?

JadeAnime: So I get to keep my organs? :hopeful look: and I AM reading ur fic!! I AM!! I just am unable to review -.-o. I didn't email… bc I'm a lazy bum, oh! And I rewatched Eva- ur right, Eva could just step on the gundams, they're pretty small in comparison.


Notes:
-Think of Dom and Tackets as the epitome of opposites
-Is anyone curious about this "Roxanne" creature?
-If you have the time, and you like either GundamW or Fantasy, read my fic Dragon Wars. It's long, but I promise its worth your time ^.^
- I drew a picture of space around Earth, not including the moon. It will be on a reachable website as soon as angelfire decides to work.
-Do you like the footnote-like things? I use them in Dragon Wars… people seem to like them.

I don't expect too many reviews bc ff.net is so freaked up, but if you read and you CAN review, please do.