Just like that, the group had become great friends. Apparently, both sets didn't have many other friends. Galactica was so shy that most people who met her thought she was antisocial. Miguel on the other hand, seemed to be too much of a clown for a HUcast. Anne actually had a few enemies, one of whom was another HUcaseal who seemed to pop up at the worst time. Chronos probably had the worst luck. Because of his somewhat feminine appearance, with his robes, slender figure, and shoulder-length red hair, Chronos was often mistaken for a woman. This occurred most often in civilian areas where people were not as knowledgeable about the attire of FOmars. T-65 was somewhat better off. He had actually acquired a couple of friends.
However, Mina was easily the most social of them all. The biggest reason for this was her reputation as a world-famous scientist. She even worked at The Lab, a very secretive organization on Pioneer 2 that did major studies. For this reason, she and her "children" were part of a minority among hunters in that they lived in a private home. The vast majority of hunters lived on smaller convoy ships that were linked to Pioneer 2. Her apartment had a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and three bedrooms. She was indeed a very privileged hunter.
However, lately she had been frustrated by the procedures she had been given. She had been ordered to make various studies on Ragol in secret. In addition to that, she was one of the hunters who had been asked by Principal Tyrell to investigate the explosion on Ragol, the whereabouts of Rico, and the strange behavior of the animals. Of course, she hadn't let it get to her too much. She was a free spirit who enjoyed life. No matter how tough things got, she would always take it in stride. To maintain her cheerfulness, she often took a day for herself. This was one of those days. It was also a day that her Androids decided to relax.
"I wonder what I should do today?" she thought as she got out of her bed. "I've been on Ragol almost everyday now. I think it's time to take a break." She then looked through her closet for something to wear. Meanwhile, Galactica was in her own room polishing herself. Being an Android, she did not worry about changing clothes everyday, as her "clothing" was made for her and, sometimes, a part of her. Work at the Hunters' Guild had slowed down a bit, so she decided that today was a good day to go to a library and find a good novel to read. Her brother, who was already up and about, had decided to hangout with his friends. Before he left, though, he decided to let someone know where he was going.
"GA?" he asked at her doorway.
"Yes?" she asked back to him.
"I'm going to be gone for a little while," he said. "Just letting you know in case Mom asks."
"I'll tell her," she assured him.
"Oh, yeah," he added just before he left, "you missed a spot."
"Someday," she thought angrily to herself, "I'm going to get him back." A few minutes later, Mina came into her room, in a simple purple dress with her hair down.
"Good morning," she chimed.
"Good morning, Mother," Galactica responded.
"How would you like to do some shopping today?" she asked suddenly.
"Sure," Galactica responded. Shopping was one of those things that she was always willing to do.
"Well get your money and let's get going," Mina said gleefully.
On one of the many convoy ships surrounding Pioneer 2, dwelled Anne and Miguel. These ships acted as the homes of many hunters. They were not the most luxurious places to live. They did not have beds; making non-organic life forms the most comfortable people there. There were dining areas, entertainment areas, and the occasional couch. Most hunters had no choice but to sleep in hallways, on the floor of a lobby, or risk napping in a photon chair, which only lasted for a couple hours. Although androids were generally more comfortable here, Miguel and Anne were having other problems.
"That does it!" Anne said angrily.
"What's wrong?" Miguel asked just now entering the room.
"Someone stole my polish!" she said, shuffling through a bag.
"Is that all?" Miguel asked, unimpressed. "Can't you just buy more?"
"That was the 15th one stolen!" she yelled, turning to him. "I'm pretty sure they took some your stuff, too."
"Like what?" he asked, looking around the room they had "claimed." They didn't really own it. A lot of hunters preferred to claim their territory when they found a spot they liked. In this case, Anne and Miguel claimed a small room in the resting area of the ship.
"Like your music CDs," she said pointing to the empty spot in the corner where said items used to be.
"What?!" he barked as he scrambled for his missing CDs. He didn't find any of them except for one that was broken. "That was my favorite one…"
"I'll bet I know the SOBs who did it," she said looking into the hallway. She then turned back to him. "It was probably…" she paused as she saw what was on Miguel's back.
"What's wrong?" Miguel asked, noticing her stop in the middle of her sentence.
"Take a look at your back," she said pointing to the mirror on the wall. As he looked in the mirror, he did a double take. Someone had spray-painted "LOSER" on his back.
"Yep, it's definitely time to move out," he said, containing his anger as his single yellow eye glowed.
"But where to?" Anne said. "We've already been through three ships."
"Maybe it's time to look for a private home," he said thoughtfully.
"We can't just go out and buy an apartment," Anne remarked. Private homes had been distributed before Pioneer 2 launched, so it would be near impossible to find a vacant home.
"How about if we move in with someone?" Miguel suggested.
"Like who?" she said, noting their lack of friends. "We're not exactly the most popular people around, you know."
"We'll just have to search around…" Miguel replied optimistically.
Somewhere in the city, T-65 was with his friends at an arcade. They were playing a relatively popular videogame. And as usual, T-65 was winning. His opponent was roughly the same height as him, of medium build, and dressed in a blue tropical shirt. He was of light tan complexion, with blue-green eyes, and had his silver hair tied back into a short ponytail. The person standing to the side was similar to him, except that he was slightly slimmer, shorter, and wore a black and white shirt. His hair was left untied, although it was too short to reach his shoulders.
"Hyper Combo Finish!" the game declared. "Superior Power!"
"Heh heh heh," laughed T-65. "You can't beat the Photon Cannon, Taft."
"Shut up," said his friend Taft, amused at how badly he lost. "The only reason you beat me is cause you kept runnin' away."
"He beat ya pretty bad there, cuz," said another friend named Cloud. "This would be his 15th win in a row."
"At least he didn't get a perfect," Taft retorted. "You didn't even scratch him."
"How about a different game?" T-65 suggested. "You guys up for racing?"
"You're on!" said Taft. "You can't beat the Taft in any racer!"
In another part of the city, specifically a mall, Mina and Galactica had already begun their shopping spree. At the moment, Mina was trying on some shoes.
"Well, they feel nice," Mina said walking around in white sneakers.
"I don't think they suit you," Galactica said. "The color pattern seems too plain."
"Oh, well," Mina said, taking them off. "Let's check out some jewelry."
"How does this look?" Galactica asked as she put on an ebony necklace.
"It certainly does match you," said Mina. "And they are gorgeous."
"I don't think I can afford this," Galactica said, looking at the price tag. "It costs 10,000 Meseta. Could you lend me some money?"
"Sorry," Mina said apologetically. "I already spent 1,000 Meseta. It's time for you to make your own money and buy your own accessories. As a hunter, you should be able to make that money in a few days.
"Not with the lack of jobs there have been lately," Galactica said gloomily. "Besides, I'd rather spend that kind of money on supplies than jewelry."
"Well, why don't you get a job on the side," her mother suggested. "You should be able to make more money that way."
"I am not working at a fast-food restaurant," Galactica warned.
"I know a good job for you," said a new shyer voice. It was Chronos. Like Mina, he was wearing more casual clothing. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. He also had a cap and red sunglasses. Unlike Mina, he looked terribly awkward. "You should become a teacher's assistant at a Newman school."
"Is that you, Chronos?" Galactica asked. "I didn't recognize you in those clothes."
"I avoid wearing my Force outfit in public in these types of areas," he said uneasily.
"But you look so cute in it," Mina blurted causing Galactica to giggle and Chronos to blush.
"Uh…er…thanks," Chronos said, trying to stop blushing.
"What about that Newman school you were talking about?" Galactica said, returning to the subject.
"Androids make the best teachers for Newmans," he responded as he finally stopped blushing. "Only Androids can keep up with the speedy maturation period of Newmans. It also pays pretty good."
"I guess I'll give it a try," Galactica said. "Where is it?"
"It's the Nei School for Newmans on Nickel Street," he answered. " It's on the fourth floor of the building.
"Where's Nickel Street?" she asked.
"It's in the Dotala area," Mina answered. "That's a 10-minute walk from our home."
"I'll go there tomorrow," Galactica said. "Does anybody want to go to the library? I need to get something to read."
"I just went there," said Chronos. "You could probably get a map to the school there."
"I'll pass," said Mina. "The library is just too boring for me."
"Okay, bye," Galactica said as she left.
"It looks like my only remaining child has abandoned me," teased Mina.
"Don't worry," Chronos played along. "I'm still here. Would you like to join me for some tea."
"Why, I'd love to Mr. Ranzo," Mina said playfully.
As they were about to leave, the clerk at the jewelry department yelled out to Chronos, "Excuse, me sir, but are you going to buy those glasses!" This startled Chronos as he dropped the sunglasses. Mina, who had also been caught by surprise, accidentally stepped on them.
"Oops!" Mina said, jumping back.
"You break them, you buy them!" yelled the clerk.
"Uh…Chronos…" Mina whispered, "I'm out of money."
"I'll take care of it," he whispered back. "How much were they?" he asked the clerk.
"Those particular glasses were 200 Meseta," the clerk said as she picked up the bent frames.
"…200?!" Chronos said, stunned. "Um, Miss Chikara, how about if we just have some of my homemade tea?"
"Sure!" Mina agreed.
At the same time, elsewhere, Miguel and Anne were lugging their belongings around in tote bags asking everyone they knew if they could move in. So far, they hadn't even gotten a maybe. Some examples of the responses they got included: "Yeah, right," "Not on your lives," "Who are you, anyway?" and "Losers." The first home they had gone to was Chronos's, but he wasn't home. It was the same at the Chikara home. They were getting desperate. They finally came to the home of Anne's worst enemy, a HUcaseal named Felize. Of course, Anne objected to this.
"There is no way that I'm going to start begging for mercy to that…" began to say.
"We don't really have a choice," Miguel interrupted before she could start ranting. "We've tried everybody else we know."
"We could try Chronos and the Chikaras again," Anne suggested hopefully.
"There's no telling when they might get back," Miguel said as he rang the doorbell. "Now try not to make this too difficult." When the door opened, there stood an android who was taller than Anne but still shorter than Miguel. Her color pattern consisted of white, purple, black, and a little blue. Her head had the appearance of purple and black metal hair. Some of it covered the right side of her face. She also had a large, sharp, three-pronged bow on the back of her head. She seemed surprised to see the two.
"What are you doing here?" she asked sternly.
"Well…uh…you tell her, Anne," said Miguel, obviously intimidated. He then added in a whisper, "Remember to smile for both of us."
"Humph!" Anne said. Then she forced an obviously fake smile on her metal face and spoke. "We were wondering if…you would be so kind as to…let us move in with you."
"Ha ha ha ha!" laughed Felize. "I never thought I would see the day that the great Anne Yusta would be reduced to a street rat." Anne's smile became even more strained as she filled with anger. She was forced to switch to a big grin, which her face was definitely not made for.
"So, what do you say?" Miguel asked hopefully.
"You can rot in hell for all I care!" Felize laughed as she slammed the door.
"Puta bitch," Anne seethed, as steam began to escape the root of her ponytail.
"I guess we can try the other two apartments again," Miguel said as he hefted his tote bag.
"I told you she was a bitch," Anne commented as she followed him.
Meanwhile, back at the arcade, T-65 and his friends were still playing games. Since T-65 kept beating them, they had switched to a cooperative shooting game. T-65 was still excelling.
"You have to aim first," T-65 said to Cloud.
"No time!" he responded as his character was killed.
"You suck!" Taft laughed, shaking his head.
"I think I've had enough of this. I'm starting to get a headache. How long have we been playing?"
"About 5 hours," T-65 said.
"Where'd you get all the money for this?" asked Taft who had long ago been using T-65's money to play.
"I'm a Ranger," T-65 said smiling. "I get plenty of money. You two could be hunters, too."
"How?" Taft asked, interested.
"Just find a Hunters' Guild and ask about joining," T-65 replied. "They'll take you through the training and everything."
"Hunters' Guild, eh?" Taft said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Anyway, let's get out of here," said Cloud.
By this time, Chronos and Mina had gone to his apartment for lunch and tea. They had just eaten, but Mina couldn't get enough of his homemade tea.
"How did you make this?" she asked as she took another sip.
"It's a secret recipe handed down through my family," Chronos responded. "I'm glad you like it."
"So," Mina said trying to make conversation, "why did you join the Pioneer Project?"
"…I don't know," he answered honestly. "I guess its because I just wanted to see a whole new world. I've already been to Motav before and Coral is too dangerous to bother with."
"You mean you're not from Coral or Motavia?" Mina asked surprised.
"Correct," he said. "I am from Dezolis."
"How did you stay warm on an ice planet?" she asked quizzically.
"It's not as bad as an ice planet," he chuckled. "We just adapt with warm clothing, plenty of heating, and a good sense of community… I should ask how you could survive on a desert planet," he teased.
"How did you know that I'm from Motavia?" she asked with surprise.
"A Coralian wouldn't even mention Motavia like you did," he replied cleverly. "So, why did you join this little emigration project."
"To find a new home, new hope, and new lo…er…life," she stumbled. "That and the fact that I'm the world-famous technological scientist of Motav who joined The Lab! I thought the Coralians could use a little Algolian assistance. If they can't come to Algo, why not bring a little Algo to them? Being that you're from Dezoris, I can understand why you didn't recognize my name. But what about your friends, Anne and Miguel?"
"They aren't very interested in the scientific exploits," he answered, a little embarrassed. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Excuse me," he said as he went to answer the door. He opened it to find the very people they were talking about. "I wonder what they want?"
"Hey, buddy," Miguel said cheerfully, patting Chronos on the shoulder.
"What's up?" Chronos asked uneasily, seeing their bags.
"We were wondering if we could move in with you," Anne said straightforwardly. "Other hunters keep stealing our things, and it's gotten to be a nuisance."
"Please say yes!" begged Miguel. "We've tried everyone we know. We even asked Felize." At this, Anne bowed her head in shame.
"Whoa, you guys must be desperate," Chronos said in astonishment. "But uh… I have company over right now. It's just not a good time."
"It's okay," Mina said from behind Chronos. "It's time for me to go anyway. If I don't leave now I'll be hooked on that tea. I'll see you later, Anne and Miguel. Sayonara, bishonen," she said as she left.
"What did she call you?" Anne asked confused by her last words.
"I don't know," Chronos said, just as bewildered.
"Who cares?" Miguel said rather than asked. "We can move in, right?"
"Sure," Chronos said. "But I only have one guest bedroom. Do Androids sleep in beds?"
"Doesn't matter to us," Miguel said as he took his stuff inside. "We can sleep in a bed, against the wall, on the floor, heck, we can sleep standing up."
"Are you sure you don't mind sharing a room," he asked, uncomfortable with the thought of them sharing a bed.
"It's fine, Chronos," Anne assured him, pinching his cheek. "I already know what you're thinking. Trust me; there are some things that Newmans and Humans can do that we can't." Her implication made him blush the deepest red she'd ever seen in his face.
