Chapter 3: Be It Ever So Humble
"Ahem."
Everyone turned to look at Hammer. Under the weight of so many eyes, he shifted nervously in his seat. "Well, Captain, it's getting a little dark. We can't just cruise up here all night like when we're in normal space. We should find a place to land, at least."
"I know that! Was just a little distracted, that's all. Hammer, contact U.M.N. Control and request permission to land."
"Wait," Shion interrupted. She hesitated for a moment, before continuing, "Don't bother. Second Miltia's been colonized for barely two decades – there's a lot of open space and minimal air traffic. There's no need to go all the way to the capital tonight and pay for docking." Her eyes scanned the ground below. "Let's just land around here for the meanwhile. I think we could all use some rest right about now."
"Miss Vector," Matthews growled, "We'll have to find docking and get the Elsa looked over eventually." He pointed a thumb at Jr. "Might as well just go since Little Master's going to foot the bill anyway. Besides, I could use some real food."
"Says the person who gobbles everything in front of him," Tony muttered, just loud enough to be heard by everyone.
And it was the unfortunate Hammer who got the boot.
"You moron! A man doesn't pick at his food! He eats whatever – "
"Captain," chaos' calm voice broke into their bickering. "I think Shion has more to say."
"Eh? Oh," Matthews' rant came to a screeching halt. "Well, then, speak up Miss Vector!"
"Well," Shion replied, "My brother lives around here. I'm sure he'd be happy to put us up for a while." Might as well get it over with, she thought to herself resignedly.
chaos blinked.
"Captain ..." he began, but Matthews threw his hands up in the air and snarled, "Alright, alright, I give up! Just hurry up and tell us where to land." As his seat rose to its usual position, he muttered grumpily, "This baby wasn't meant to land on a dirt ground, you know?"
"After all she's been through, no one's going to notice a few more scratches," chaos offered helpfully.
As Shion directed the Elsa, Ziggy turned to Allen. "She has a brother?"
"Yeah. An elder brother by more than ten years, I believe. Jin, I think his name was. Jin Uzuki."
"Jin," Jr. repeated absently.
"Don't know much about him though," continued Allen cheerfully, "Chief rarely mentions him, and even when she does, it's usually a rant about how he's a good-for-nothing idler who just reads books and sharpens his sword all day. He must be a rather odd fellow." He stopped and his eyebrows creased in worry.
"Shion's probably exaggerating," chaos assured Allen as he chuckled lightly.
***
Night was sinking fast by the time the Elsa came upon Shion's childhood home. From above, they could see it nestled serenely between forested mountains, and windswept junipers surrounded it with an ancient dignity. The warm golden lights that flickered from within held a promise of rest and comfort. Tony found even ground to land the Elsa, and the group disembarked.
The door slid open with a steely hiss, and they were immediately greeted by a gust of fresh evening air that carried the scent of pine mixed with a faint hint of sea spray. It breezed through the valley, and leaves rustled an accompaniment to the rising chorus of cicadas. MOMO gasped in delight; she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
"So this is what it's like on the ground!" she exclaimed. Her senses tingled as her surroundings seemed to come to life around her. The startlingly cool mountain air caressing her hair and the smell of grass and trees stretching as far as the eye could see; a harmony of sounds drifting from a living, breathing forest ... and the stars! MOMO's eyes widened as she stared upwards. Like always, the stars shone with a cold, penetrating light, but now they also flickered as if they were pulsing, beating. The entire sky glittered and shimmered unlike any skyscape she had seen before, and the little girl who grew up amidst a sea of stars found herself breathless.
"Twinkle, twinkle little star; how I wonder what you are?" Jr. sang softly, giving MOMO a knowing smile.
"What was that, Jr.?" MOMO asked, curious.
"It's from a song from long, long ago, when all of mankind lived on the ground," he replied. "A nursery rhyme, they called it. Children used to know it by heart."
"Really? A twinkling star?" She beamed brightly at Jr., "Well, I can see why it's so easy to remember. It does come straight from the heart! Jr., how does the rest of the song go?"
Shion smiled as she bent forward, bringing herself down to MOMO's eye level. "It would be fun for all of us to learn it together. But first, how about we go inside and get something to eat?"
MOMO nodded, giggling as her stomach growled its agreement. "I completely forgot! I could really use some food too!"
A twig crackled behind them.
The Elsa crew whirled around, glancing nervously about. Ziggy stepped in front of MOMO protectively, while Jr.'s arm automatically whipped out to grab MOMO's, pulling her back. Turning only her head, KOS-MOS directed her sensors to the form that emerged from deep shadows.
"Jin," Shion greeted the figure as she stepped forward.
"Shion?" came a voice of cautious astonishment. "Is that really you? I didn't think you'd drop by so soon."
"I didn't think so either," she thought to herself.
"Could you put us up for a while?"
"Company is always welcome," Jin replied graciously. "Have you all eaten?"
"No," came Matthews' low growl, "You have something on the stove?"
"Well, nothing that's enough to feed this large a crew," he replied, laughing softly. Gesturing to his sister, he continued, "But Shion could probably whip up something quickly. She makes great curry."
Matthews groaned. "I knew we should have headed straight for the capital."
"Well, please step inside. And then maybe Shion will remember her manners and introduce us." Jin strode past them smoothly and pushed open a bamboo gate. "This way."
He led them over a low bridge straddling a small stone-lined pond. It was too dark to make out the details, but they could hear the delicate tinkling of running water and a rhythmic tap-tapping sound. As they made their way towards the house, they could feel the well-worn smoothness of stepping stones alternating with the springy softness of grass. After removing his sandals, Jin stepped onto a wooden walkway and slid open a door. "It's not a fancy place, but please make yourselves comfortable," he said as he gestured for them to enter first. The others followed suit, carefully removing their boots and shoes before walking inside. KOS-MOS and Ziggy paused outside, looking somewhat confused.
"Shion, I do not appear to have a protocol to address this situation," KOS- MOS declared bluntly.
"It never occurred to us that it would be necessary," Allen interjected with a grin as Shion pulled out a scruffy-looking mat.
"Here. Why don't you wipe your feet on this then?"
"Wipe my feet ... with that?" KOS-MOS' eyes whirred, as if processing information. She started to bend over to pick up the mat. Ziggy sighed somewhat embarrassedly and proceeded to demonstrate.
As Shion moved to follow KOS-MOS and Ziggy into the room, Jin touched her lightly on the shoulder; his eyes softened as he whispered, "I'm glad ... you chose to drop by."
Once they had all settled comfortably onto the floor, Shion turned to her brother. "These are some people I happened to meet up with. This is KOS- MOS, the android I've been working on. Allen is my coworker. This little girl here is MOMO and the little boy ("Hey! I'm not a little boy!" came Jr.'s outraged protest) there is Jr.; he's with the Kukai Foundation. The cyborg is Ziggy. The rest are the crew of the Elsa sitting outside: chaos, Tony's the helmsman, Hammer's the navigator, and that's Captain Matthews."
Jin surveyed his guests quietly and nodded at the introductions. "Pleased to meet all of you. I'm Shion's older brother, Jin Uzuki. Anyway, Shion, why don't you go prepare dinner for our guests? MOMO, would you mind helping me with the tea?" As MOMO nodded happily and stood up to follow him out of the room, he added, "It's not very comfortable on the floor, perhaps. chaos, there's a stack of cushions in the next room over there; would you mind bringing them over? Jr., could give you give him a hand?"
Shion couldn't help but marvel, "I didn't realize you were so good with names."
"It comes with age, I suppose," Jin replied with a cryptic smile.
***
The hungry guests did not have to wait too long before Shion reemerged with steaming plates of food. And there was not a trace of curry in sight. Matthews did not bother to comment on that, however – he was too busy eating. There was little time for conversation between mouthfuls, in any case, so the only sounds that could be heard were the clattering of silverware and the occasional growl of "More!" from the captain. When the plates were all cleared and even the good captain had thrown in the towel, Jin finally rose from his seat. "Shion, why don't you show our guests their quarters? I'll clear this up myself."
"Oh, no," MOMO cried, leaping up to her feet. "Please let me help you." She reached for the plates and started piling them one on top of the other.
"That's quite alright," Shion assured her, gently extracting the plate MOMO was holding and handing it over to Jin. "It's been a very long day for you. Let's get some rest, okay? It won't hurt Jin to do some work for a change anyway." Taking MOMO's hand, Shion walked out of the room, beckoning for everyone else to follow.
"This is a lovely place, Shion," chaos observed as he followed her through the hall.
"It's nothing much really."
"It's simple, comfortable and peaceful. You can't really ask for more than that in a home."
Shion was silent as she led them towards the bedrooms. A vase of fresh camellias adorned a nearby stand, and she paused to finger the petals gently. A time-worn picture frame stood next to it, and the photograph it bore was faded from the years of exposure to light. In the center of the picture was a young girl grinning broadly as she bounced on a bed; the man seated behind her was giving the child an indulgent smile, while the woman in the bed had eyes that drooped wearily despite her quiet smile.
"Perhaps," was all she said.
"Ahem."
Everyone turned to look at Hammer. Under the weight of so many eyes, he shifted nervously in his seat. "Well, Captain, it's getting a little dark. We can't just cruise up here all night like when we're in normal space. We should find a place to land, at least."
"I know that! Was just a little distracted, that's all. Hammer, contact U.M.N. Control and request permission to land."
"Wait," Shion interrupted. She hesitated for a moment, before continuing, "Don't bother. Second Miltia's been colonized for barely two decades – there's a lot of open space and minimal air traffic. There's no need to go all the way to the capital tonight and pay for docking." Her eyes scanned the ground below. "Let's just land around here for the meanwhile. I think we could all use some rest right about now."
"Miss Vector," Matthews growled, "We'll have to find docking and get the Elsa looked over eventually." He pointed a thumb at Jr. "Might as well just go since Little Master's going to foot the bill anyway. Besides, I could use some real food."
"Says the person who gobbles everything in front of him," Tony muttered, just loud enough to be heard by everyone.
And it was the unfortunate Hammer who got the boot.
"You moron! A man doesn't pick at his food! He eats whatever – "
"Captain," chaos' calm voice broke into their bickering. "I think Shion has more to say."
"Eh? Oh," Matthews' rant came to a screeching halt. "Well, then, speak up Miss Vector!"
"Well," Shion replied, "My brother lives around here. I'm sure he'd be happy to put us up for a while." Might as well get it over with, she thought to herself resignedly.
chaos blinked.
"Captain ..." he began, but Matthews threw his hands up in the air and snarled, "Alright, alright, I give up! Just hurry up and tell us where to land." As his seat rose to its usual position, he muttered grumpily, "This baby wasn't meant to land on a dirt ground, you know?"
"After all she's been through, no one's going to notice a few more scratches," chaos offered helpfully.
As Shion directed the Elsa, Ziggy turned to Allen. "She has a brother?"
"Yeah. An elder brother by more than ten years, I believe. Jin, I think his name was. Jin Uzuki."
"Jin," Jr. repeated absently.
"Don't know much about him though," continued Allen cheerfully, "Chief rarely mentions him, and even when she does, it's usually a rant about how he's a good-for-nothing idler who just reads books and sharpens his sword all day. He must be a rather odd fellow." He stopped and his eyebrows creased in worry.
"Shion's probably exaggerating," chaos assured Allen as he chuckled lightly.
***
Night was sinking fast by the time the Elsa came upon Shion's childhood home. From above, they could see it nestled serenely between forested mountains, and windswept junipers surrounded it with an ancient dignity. The warm golden lights that flickered from within held a promise of rest and comfort. Tony found even ground to land the Elsa, and the group disembarked.
The door slid open with a steely hiss, and they were immediately greeted by a gust of fresh evening air that carried the scent of pine mixed with a faint hint of sea spray. It breezed through the valley, and leaves rustled an accompaniment to the rising chorus of cicadas. MOMO gasped in delight; she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
"So this is what it's like on the ground!" she exclaimed. Her senses tingled as her surroundings seemed to come to life around her. The startlingly cool mountain air caressing her hair and the smell of grass and trees stretching as far as the eye could see; a harmony of sounds drifting from a living, breathing forest ... and the stars! MOMO's eyes widened as she stared upwards. Like always, the stars shone with a cold, penetrating light, but now they also flickered as if they were pulsing, beating. The entire sky glittered and shimmered unlike any skyscape she had seen before, and the little girl who grew up amidst a sea of stars found herself breathless.
"Twinkle, twinkle little star; how I wonder what you are?" Jr. sang softly, giving MOMO a knowing smile.
"What was that, Jr.?" MOMO asked, curious.
"It's from a song from long, long ago, when all of mankind lived on the ground," he replied. "A nursery rhyme, they called it. Children used to know it by heart."
"Really? A twinkling star?" She beamed brightly at Jr., "Well, I can see why it's so easy to remember. It does come straight from the heart! Jr., how does the rest of the song go?"
Shion smiled as she bent forward, bringing herself down to MOMO's eye level. "It would be fun for all of us to learn it together. But first, how about we go inside and get something to eat?"
MOMO nodded, giggling as her stomach growled its agreement. "I completely forgot! I could really use some food too!"
A twig crackled behind them.
The Elsa crew whirled around, glancing nervously about. Ziggy stepped in front of MOMO protectively, while Jr.'s arm automatically whipped out to grab MOMO's, pulling her back. Turning only her head, KOS-MOS directed her sensors to the form that emerged from deep shadows.
"Jin," Shion greeted the figure as she stepped forward.
"Shion?" came a voice of cautious astonishment. "Is that really you? I didn't think you'd drop by so soon."
"I didn't think so either," she thought to herself.
"Could you put us up for a while?"
"Company is always welcome," Jin replied graciously. "Have you all eaten?"
"No," came Matthews' low growl, "You have something on the stove?"
"Well, nothing that's enough to feed this large a crew," he replied, laughing softly. Gesturing to his sister, he continued, "But Shion could probably whip up something quickly. She makes great curry."
Matthews groaned. "I knew we should have headed straight for the capital."
"Well, please step inside. And then maybe Shion will remember her manners and introduce us." Jin strode past them smoothly and pushed open a bamboo gate. "This way."
He led them over a low bridge straddling a small stone-lined pond. It was too dark to make out the details, but they could hear the delicate tinkling of running water and a rhythmic tap-tapping sound. As they made their way towards the house, they could feel the well-worn smoothness of stepping stones alternating with the springy softness of grass. After removing his sandals, Jin stepped onto a wooden walkway and slid open a door. "It's not a fancy place, but please make yourselves comfortable," he said as he gestured for them to enter first. The others followed suit, carefully removing their boots and shoes before walking inside. KOS-MOS and Ziggy paused outside, looking somewhat confused.
"Shion, I do not appear to have a protocol to address this situation," KOS- MOS declared bluntly.
"It never occurred to us that it would be necessary," Allen interjected with a grin as Shion pulled out a scruffy-looking mat.
"Here. Why don't you wipe your feet on this then?"
"Wipe my feet ... with that?" KOS-MOS' eyes whirred, as if processing information. She started to bend over to pick up the mat. Ziggy sighed somewhat embarrassedly and proceeded to demonstrate.
As Shion moved to follow KOS-MOS and Ziggy into the room, Jin touched her lightly on the shoulder; his eyes softened as he whispered, "I'm glad ... you chose to drop by."
Once they had all settled comfortably onto the floor, Shion turned to her brother. "These are some people I happened to meet up with. This is KOS- MOS, the android I've been working on. Allen is my coworker. This little girl here is MOMO and the little boy ("Hey! I'm not a little boy!" came Jr.'s outraged protest) there is Jr.; he's with the Kukai Foundation. The cyborg is Ziggy. The rest are the crew of the Elsa sitting outside: chaos, Tony's the helmsman, Hammer's the navigator, and that's Captain Matthews."
Jin surveyed his guests quietly and nodded at the introductions. "Pleased to meet all of you. I'm Shion's older brother, Jin Uzuki. Anyway, Shion, why don't you go prepare dinner for our guests? MOMO, would you mind helping me with the tea?" As MOMO nodded happily and stood up to follow him out of the room, he added, "It's not very comfortable on the floor, perhaps. chaos, there's a stack of cushions in the next room over there; would you mind bringing them over? Jr., could give you give him a hand?"
Shion couldn't help but marvel, "I didn't realize you were so good with names."
"It comes with age, I suppose," Jin replied with a cryptic smile.
***
The hungry guests did not have to wait too long before Shion reemerged with steaming plates of food. And there was not a trace of curry in sight. Matthews did not bother to comment on that, however – he was too busy eating. There was little time for conversation between mouthfuls, in any case, so the only sounds that could be heard were the clattering of silverware and the occasional growl of "More!" from the captain. When the plates were all cleared and even the good captain had thrown in the towel, Jin finally rose from his seat. "Shion, why don't you show our guests their quarters? I'll clear this up myself."
"Oh, no," MOMO cried, leaping up to her feet. "Please let me help you." She reached for the plates and started piling them one on top of the other.
"That's quite alright," Shion assured her, gently extracting the plate MOMO was holding and handing it over to Jin. "It's been a very long day for you. Let's get some rest, okay? It won't hurt Jin to do some work for a change anyway." Taking MOMO's hand, Shion walked out of the room, beckoning for everyone else to follow.
"This is a lovely place, Shion," chaos observed as he followed her through the hall.
"It's nothing much really."
"It's simple, comfortable and peaceful. You can't really ask for more than that in a home."
Shion was silent as she led them towards the bedrooms. A vase of fresh camellias adorned a nearby stand, and she paused to finger the petals gently. A time-worn picture frame stood next to it, and the photograph it bore was faded from the years of exposure to light. In the center of the picture was a young girl grinning broadly as she bounced on a bed; the man seated behind her was giving the child an indulgent smile, while the woman in the bed had eyes that drooped wearily despite her quiet smile.
"Perhaps," was all she said.