Chapter 6: Cast thyself onto the wild sea.

"We are clear of the moon Captain," the ensign at the helm declared. The bridge was otherwise silent. Captain Colonel Saotome Nabiki allowed herself a small smile of triumph and leaned back a little more into her seat. For this first time she had patched the bridge communicators into the public address, everyone aboard the ship would hear these next few minutes. She could imagine them, strapping in to their lift positions and waiting with baited breath for the final moments in the solar system they called home.

"Take us to the FRV" Nabiki commanded.

"Aye Aye Captain" the girl replied, "ETA ten minutes."

"Aknowleged" Nabiki replied, taking the time to look around her bridge. To her left sat Misato, apparently sober and collected. To her right should have been Commander Hayes but her seat had been appropriated by the new 'Admiral' Weir. That still rankled, somehow the woman had managed to get an honorary rank of rear Admiral of the UN in the last day. While the rank meant little to X-Com it did mean that the woman was no longer a civilian officially. Fortunately Lisa didn't mind, she was happier at the flight control station, closer to her birds. Ensigns manned navigation, communication, sensors and astrogation, all linked to dedicated suites elsewhere in the ship. The bridge also had the standard representatives of the scientific and engineering corps, linked to their own op centres. But perhaps more importantly it also contained the representative of Psi-ops, a good man hand-picked by the best. Gos had agreed to come at the last moment (Nabiki suspected some argument with his partner) and Nabiki was more than happy to have him aboard.

Nabiki's and her Xos' own seats were set towards the upper rear of the bridge, giving her a commanding view of the setup. Around their seat were a wide array of screens and readouts, capable of instantly displaying the status of any section of the ship. Nabiki was determined to have Weir locked out of some systems but had simply not had time yet.

Every bridge officer was armed, carried a utility belt and wore a skinsuit. In the event of any loss of atmosphere the figure hugging suits would erect an instant ionic field that could hold its own atmosphere for just over a minute, just long enough to fix on the suit helmets that were constantly at hand. In the completed suit an agent could survive as long as their air held out, provided they didn't rip the suit beyond their ability to repair or find themselves in direct sunlight at too close a range.

The utility belt was standard issue, containing a computer linked data pad about the size of a palm top, a smple survival kit, spare magazines and a dozen 'goop balls.' These were the last ditch sealant putty variants. In seconds they could be used to repair any small leak, if only temporarily. They were the piece of essential kit that everyone had to carry at all times.

"Arriving at FRV in three, two, one"

"Everyone prepare for lift! And….. engage drives!" Nabiki ordered and the ship roared into life. From outside the ship would have appeared to suddenly flare like a newborn star. All four of its massive engines commenced their gravitol cascades, and began to hurl the vessel straight out of the solar system.

Inside the light wasn't in evidence instead it was the noise. Every plate of every deck vibrated in sympathy. The noise seemed to travel through very section, every person, for a moment banishing all else. But the sudden noise was just one factor of the discomfort, with the leap into speeds beyond human comprehension came a sudden compression followed by a return to weightlessness. For the duration of the full-lift the ship would be using all its energy for acceleration and life support, none was spared for niceties like gravity. The boots of the skinsuits could be set to provide grip but Nabiki was genuinely looking forward to showing off her lack of need for groundhog allowances. And she was very much looking forward to Weir's discomfort.

"We have maximum lift" the ensign reported.

"Roger that" Misato replied. "Nav check?"

"All lights green."

"Life support?"

"A one"

"Engineering?"

"All structural stress within expected parameters."

"Captain all lights are green" Misato reported.

"Thank you Misato" Nabiki replied, standing to address the whole ship. "Agents we will soon hit the point of no return. Nemesis is on its way!"

o

o

o

The moment they were safely into full lift Nabiki relinquished control o the bridge to Misato and went to fix some of the other problems that had arisen overnight. As she expeted Weir was hot on her heels as she stepped into the elevator from the bridge.

"What can I do for you doctor" she asked.

"I thought that it was traditional to refer to an admiral by rank?" Weir replied, apparently pleasantly.

"Only if that rank is part of your command structure, Maynard remember." Nabiki corrected.

"Ah" Weir said, knowing full well that she was being slighted but also knowing there was nothing she could do about it. "I wanted to talk to you about Akane."

"Ok," Nabiki allowed "so talk."

"She's your sister?" Weir verified.

"Indeed she is" Nabiki replied.

"So how can you allow what is happening to her?" Weir asked, genuinely interested in how Nabiki's mind worked.

"Are you saying you would have used your position to help?" Nabiki replied, shifting the focus.

"No I wouldn't" Weir replied, almost certain, "but she is getting it harder than anyone else."

"Crew Dynamics" Nabiki explained. "When push comes to shove the crew have to know I am constant, that they can rely on me."

"So your sister has to suffer"

"Yes, otherwise if I have to order the same for any of my crew who are suspected of being turned they-"

"Will remember your sister getting off lightly." Weir finished.

"And this way.." Nabiki prompted.

"They will think anything that happens to their friends is getting off lightly," Weir finished. "It's still pretty cold hearted."

"Its very cold hearted Doctor," Nabiki corrected. "And I would expect the same from every member of my crew. The mission comes first."

"What about ethics, principle?" Weir argued, gearing up for one of their deep debates.

"My ethics are success, my principles are to win!" Nabiki retorted.

"The end justifying the means?" Weir asked, voice full of scorn.

"No doctor, the end is everything!" Nabiki corrected. "The means are completely irrelevant and I don't have to justify myself to anyone!"

"They have names for that sort of attitude!" Weir retorted.

"Yes" Nabiki agreed, "Survivors." Then the door opened and Nabiki stepped out into the corridor, going to attend to her other business. Unfortunately for the doctor the Flight deck area was restricted so Weir did not have access and had to stay behind.

o

o

Roy Focker was waiting for her at the end of the first corridor.

"Thank you for coming Captain," He said

"No problem Commander," she replied. "You said you needed advice?"

"Its two of the pilots" he began "they are already causing trouble."

"Lay it on me" she said, moving into the commander's office-bunkroom. He offered her a seat and sat down on his bed.

"Just before lockdown they were holding a fight in bay seven," he explained.

"Holding a fight?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, "One was taking bets while the other was taking on all comers." Nabiki had a flash of nostalgia for Furinikan, and then made the connection.

"Tell me was the fighter called Saotome?" she asked, with a sinking feeling. Roy nodded slowly.

"And the other was her wingman, Yuri Valentine."

"Yuri valentine" Nabiki repeated, trying to recall the name. "As in Mexico Valentine?"

"Kaye is her sister" Roy explained, "Yuri's worse."

"You are joking?" Nabiki asked. "We have both of them aboard!"

"And now your sister-in-law seems to have fallen in with the younger one!"

"Oh shit!" Nabiki swore. "What have they broken?"

"One loader, two secure containers and four pilots" Roy explained. "It could have been worse."

"And discepline?"

"Has never worked on any of them" Roy explained dejectedly.

"Okay, keep them occupied instead," Nabiki said, making plans. "Opposed simulations or something."

"Opposed?"

"We have no guarantee the aliens won't be very good where we are going," Nabiki said "the only way we can test the pilots is by putting them up against the best. With no way of guessing capabilities they are going to need all the adaptability we can teach them."

"So the Lovely Angels fly enemy?"

"And friendly. And damaged. And solo"

"I get the idea" Roy said. "Break them in the sims. Teach them teamwork and bring them into the fold?"

"Close" Nabiki disagreed. "I doubt they will have any trouble with teamwork. According to my reports despite their appearances the two of them are more than sound tactically. I would also lend them to the baycrew. What I want you to do is keep them occupied, and see how good you can make them before break-out."

"Why them?" Roy asked.

"Because everything I have learnt from the previous war tells me that it is the wild ones that make the difference at the sharp end. If they were easy to deal with they wouldn't have what it takes to be the people we need."

"Okay Captain."

"Roy," Nabiki continued. "This has to come from you. I have a certain …'relationship' with Ranko and I can't be seen to be involved."

"Relationship?" Roy asked intrigued. Nabiki looked him straight in the eye.

"I'm sleeping with her" she explained, without a flicker. Roy was thrown for six.

"Whoa" he said, mind racing, "Does her brother.."

"Know?" Nabiki replied, "Yes he does. He and I have an 'understanding'"

"Uh," replied Roy unable to compute.

"So you'll keep it under your hat?" she asked. He only nodded, and watched the stunning Captain stand up, launch herself with those fantastic legs and float out.

"Whoa" he said again. "There is definitely something in the water!"

o

o

"Have I mentioned that this is all your fault!" Yuri groused at Ranma. The two of them were reporting for their next shift. They had just worked a double in the catapult bays and were both greasy and sore, and were now on their way for sim drills. "I can't believe how dirty those crawl-ways were."

"And I can't believe how much you complain!" Ranma retorted. "This is too heavy, that's too dirty…." He whinged imitating her 'airhead voice.'

"I had a date Kei!" Yuri complained "And he was a sure thing!"

"This is about a boy?" Ranma retorted "Do you ever think of anything else?"

"Sure I do" she replied, not entirely convincingly, "You don't look this beautiful without work you know!"

"Beautiful" Ranma disagreed, running a finger across a grease mark, smudging it larger. "Not at the moment," He teased.

" Well if it isn't our Lovely Angels" Commander Lisa Hayes called, causing them to suddenly realise that they had arrived at the sims bay. "Strange, you don't look particularly lovely right now."

"Why you!" Yuri cried, bunching a fist.

"More….dirty." she concluded. "Now fall in and take your seats!"

"Aye Aye ma'am!" Ranma agreed loudly, just because he knew it would annoy Yuri.

o

o

The sims bay was a long cylinder very near the drive plates. Arranged down the walls were dozens of reclining shairs, fitted with full virtual reality rigs and surrounding coils. It made use of the drive byproducts to power a very advanced VR setup that included simulated high G for tight turns. With the surrounding coils, feedback rigs and advanced computer programming the seats should be able to produce very realistic dogfight conditions, only the inbuilt safeties would stop permanent damage. In short they were streets ahead of anything the pilots had played with before and were taking a lot of getting used to.

The different flights split up and took their places in their couches. Lisa moved to the command console and handed over to the squadron leaders.

"The mission today is already set up. Buckle up and immerse!" Roy commanded, moving to his own seat.

Ranma did as commanded and was soon pulling the induction helmet down over his eyes.

Suddenly he was in his Valkyrie. It was so real he could even feel the conversion engine's vibration.

"All Skull's launch and assemble at Delta one-oh-six!" Roy's voice called. Ranma hit the button and was suddenly crushed back into his seat as the fighter screamed out of the catapult at maximum thrust, propelled by the gauss rails as well as his own thrusters.

Immediately that he was clear he saw the tube his scanner lit up with bogeys. The simulation was clearly a hostile breakout and it looked hot.

With a smile Ranma threw himself into a full-tolerance turn and spun out to join the Skulls. His heart was singing and that old rush was back in force. He had to resist the instinct to 'woop.'

They had their Asses handed to them. By the end of the sim, every living soul that was part of the mission was either slowly dying of asphyxiation in space or scattered all over it.

"Well done ladies" Lisa commented idly, "WE ARE ALL DEAD!" She turned to the techie running the sim. "Reconfigure and rerun! These wimps don't leave till they get something right!"

So once again Ranma dropped into the sim. This time with a far more sober attitude. Along with everyone else the shame of defeat was too much to bear. So they tried really hard. And lost again.

"YOU SUCK!" Lisa shouted, "Reconfigure!"

So they tried again.

"Better," she called "BUT WE ARE STILL DEAD! Reconfigure!"

"Reconfigure!"

"Again!"

"Terrible! Reconfigure!"

"You are getting worse! Reconfigure!"

"Again!"

"Wow you finally got something right. But would any of you care to tell me how we get home without the Nemesis! Reconfigure!"

"Again!"

"Finally! Now see if you can do it twice! Reconfigure!"

o

o

By the time the pilots were finally released they had been in the bay for nearly ten hours. They were sore, bruided, and dog-tired. But they were also elated, they had beaten the bastards! It didn't matter that it was only a sim, they had finally won.

They all went straight for the canteen, some by way of the toilets. The meal was ready just as they entered, not coincidentally, and soon they were all settling into seats.

What started off as a sudued, almost silent affair soon dissolved into hundreds of conversations, reliving the fights, waving anything that came to hand as makeshift models. People were arguing, enthusing, demonstrating and congratulating. Only one pair remained staring at each other in stony silence.

"Okay" Yuri said, breaking the silence, "You fly good!"

"So do you" Ranma admitted. "That straw pattern twist was perfect," he added after a while.

"But only because you led the bastard through the other side of it," Yuri admitted.

"We work well together" Ranma offered.

"Well?" Yuri asked, "We kicked ass!" Ranma tilted his head. "You wait and see when they put the stats up!"

"Girls" Roy said, taking a seat at their table. "That was some real fancy flying you two did."

"Thanks" Ranma said, "what can I say we're the best," he joked.

"Hah!" Roy argued, "You two crashed more times than anyone else!"

"Yeah but at least a few of them were deliberate!" Yuri argued.

"Yeah!" agreed Ranma, "We were out of ammo!"

"What about the time you took out the Nemesis main dish" he retorted, pointedly.

"Well, that was the damn fighter's fault!" Ranma tried. "Damn thing wouldn't do what it was told!"

"They are accurate representations of the craft you'll be fighting in!" Roy replied, only a little more gently.

"Not mine!" Ranma argued. "Tomo's drilling her out for me."

"Drilling her out?" Roy asked. Ranma proceeded to explain what he and Tomo were doing to his fighter, the two of them had spent much of their time in the crawl-ways discussing the hard details and even if he didn't understand the principles he knew enough to know hew liked the changes.

"Wow" Roy answered, "Will it work?"

"Only one way to be sure!" Ranma replied.
"You can't take her out until we breakout," Roy reminded him. "And it may be too hot to risk anything untried when we do.

"So we'll rig a test room, reconfigure some inertial dampers and use a lot of cable!" Ranma offered.

"I'll see if Lisa will clear it" Roy said pointedly.

"Balls" Ranma replied. "If she does or don't clear it we still have to do it! The advantages are more than worth the risk!"

"I will see what I can do!" Roy said, standing again.

"While you are at it" Yuri interrupted, "can you see if her aide is available?" Both Roy and Ranma looked at her as if she had flipped, " Oh come on! He's sooo cute!"