A few dark days in the blinding sun is how much time the Zenith remained in orbit over the desert planet, scanning and searching the surface below. But it was to no avail. Sandstorms were raging where the Yagami went down, and the odds that Kiyone survived the incident were dropping fast. Even Washu had to admit that Kiyone's chance of surviving the two missles and planet fall was slim, and now to survive down in the sandstorm seemed to really take the cake. But they kept at it. Mainly because Mihoshi insisted on it. She hadn't had decent sleep in the last few nights since the incident, always watching the monitors for some sign.
But the sandstorm below seemed to be a veil which the sensors could penetrate, and it was unlikely they would give up any time soon. It was soon after dusk, that is the Zenith drifted down so it laid in the planets shadow to improvise for nighttime. The monitoring room was dark, save the spots that were illuminated by the blue screens. No other light presented itself. Mihoshi stood silhouetted against the console, head dropped in tiredness and despair. The door behind her slid open, but she did not even turn to see who it was.
"Its hard to lose someone who's close to you," Zack said, his eyes looking over the large central monitor.
"...it's not that Im only sad because she is gone," Mihoshi said quietly, "But that for all the things I always screwed up on, and how my failures held her back, I've always regretted all that, and never had much of a chance to do something to make it up to her..."
"Im sure she would't have wanted you to do anything for her." Zack said in reply.
"...Im even thinking about right before." Mihoshi continued. "If I hadn't shot and I was with Kiyone, then maybe this wouldn't have happened...it's much easier to pilot the Yagami with two pilots."
"Depends how you look on it. We may not have been able to escape anyways, and we all could be..." Zack stopped in mid sentence. "You should get some rest. You've been up for nearly four days straight now."
"...no, Ill stay here and watch the monitors. Someone has to do it." Mihoshi replied, trying to seem a bit cheery when she wasn't the least bit.
"How bout this. For tonight, Ill rig up a make shift bed in here and you sleep while I watch the monitors?" Zack said, trying to compromise with her.
"...Ok," She smiled weakly. Zack went and got a small portable bed and brought it in and set it up, along with a chair for himself. He secured it down and kicked his feet up on the console dash as Mihoshi drifted off to sleep.
"Sigh... I pray our god's send a miracle our way, because we cant stay here much longer..." Zack said solemnly to himself staring up at the cold monitors. The night passed slowly for everyone on the ship.
Mihoshi awoke the next morning. She quickly sat up to realize the screens were off. She threw off her blankets and ran over to the console and started typing to turn it back on. It glowed a bit but shut back off and became unresponsive. She slammed her clenched fists down hard on the console as tears welled up in her eyes. She left the room in a hurry.
She came to the bridge were quite a few people were gathered. A holographic star chart was on display in front of them.
"... A few more days at most. At top speeds, Id say 4." Zack said with a touch of seriousness in his voice. "In the condition we're in, we couldn't fight back or make a clean get away."
"Why'd you turn off the search monitors!" Mihoshi said, interrupting the meeting. "Why?"
"Listen Mihoshi, we have to tell you something." Zack began to say as he turned to her.
"I don't care!" Mihoshi said back with anger. "I just want the monitors back on so we can search for her."
"Well, y'see..." Zack began again.
"Turn them back on!" Mihoshi cut him off again. Zack was becoming agitated.
"Listen, Mihoshi, we're..." He tried to say.
"Listen what?" she came back again. She was obviously mad with Zack.
"WE'RE CUTTING OFF THE SEARCH." Zack yelled. Mihoshi just stood there for a second shocked.
"...what? Why?" She finally sputtered out. "Why stop searching for her?"
Zack sighed. "Washu and I have been doing some talking along with Ryoko and Ayeka here. Washu says that her current odds of survival at the moment are less then a percent, and it was more then likely she was...was...in the second missile hit..."
He averted his eyes to the floor. Mihoshi was on the verge of tears "But...but...she could still be alive, even if its so small a chance!"
"If that were the only reason," Washu began, "Then we'd stay here till we found her or you decided that she was gone."
" While you were sleeping last night, I decided to analyze some of the information Kiyone got from the computer." Zack went on saying again, now sounding a bit tired. "The station was some kind of early warning trap for Jurai. It's been taking down Dracadian warships, or any other for that matter, while capturing the occupants inside. The station sent out a relay to a Juraian base about 8 or 9 days away from us as soon as we docked. If we don't leave soon, they will be able to track our energy signature before it dissipates."
"How long does it take?" Mihoshi asked. "The energy signature."
"About 3 days" Ryoko said, staring out the front view ports.
"And they are 4 days away at shortest?" Mihoshi enquired further.
"Yeah. But if we spend the extra day looking for her, it's a mighty big risk we take."
"...please..." Mihoshi finally asked. "Please can we stay atleast one more day and look...
Tears were in her eyes and down her cheeks, and she was begging them. Washu looked elsewhere, along with Ayeka, and Ryoko continued to stare out the view port. Zack let out a tired sigh. "12 Hours. We can continue the search for 12 more hours, but then we have to get a move on to make sure we are gone like the wind by the time that search group gets here."
"Thank you," Mihoshi said and ran out the door of the room, to go back to the monitoring room.
"Sigh... Computer, Reactivate search instruments for distress signals on the surface of Vestra." Zack said. The computer responded with an understood. "Let's pray we find her then."
Time past like a snail's pace. The timer was shown on a small section of the search monitor. It read 00:07:30. Another 7 and a half minutes and the search would be cancelled and they would move out. Still nothing from the surface. The sand storms raged on, still no end in sight. Mihoshi prayed and stared intently at the screens, not even blinking to make sure she doesnt miss anything.
00:05:40...Nothing
00:04:15...Nothing
00:02:25...Nothing
Zack watched her from the open door and said nothing. A sad expression on his face. He looked away and began to proceed to the bridge.
00:00:30 Seconds...Nothing
00:00:00...Search Cancelled.
Mihoshi fell to her knees and cried into her arms as the search instruments one by one began to shut down. The side monitors, first went black. And finally the last monitor was all that remained.
"...no...no...this cant be...she's alive..I can feel it...nooo..."Mihoshi sobbed. The final center monitor began to run its shutdown protocol when it halted in mid execution.
...Ping...
Nothingness on the monitor. The computer clicked and contemplated.
...Ping...
Mihoshi looked up. Through the dust storm and static, a red target flashed and disappeared. She sat up wide eyed quickly. She didn't take her eyes off the screen.
She dried her eyes of any excess tears and continued to stare deeply. The ship began to rumble from its depths.
...Ping...
(A distress signal) Mihoshi thought and her mind instantly raced.
"Distress Signal from Downed Ship Yagami Detected. Plotting Surface Coordinates." The computer droned. The ship rocked again. "Warning, Distance between Distress Signal and Ship is beginning to vary. Please readjust ship distance and movement to acquire coordinates."
Mihoshi was already out of that room before it could finish. She raced to the bridge. Zack was sitting in the helm and guiding the ship away from the planet. A one last farewell on the faces of most everyone to a friend lost.
"Alright... Lets pull away computer. Set target coordinates." Zack said after a moment of silence.
"Affirmative." the computer replied back.
"..Good bye, Kiyone.." Zack said. The ship began to lose view of the planet when Mihoshi burst in through the door. She was out of breath, a smile on her face. Zack stopped for a second.
"What's the matter?" Zack said turning to face her, along with everyone else.
"There's ...a ...signal! A Signal!" Mihoshi gasped in joy.
"Computer! Give me coordinates on signal!" Zack said turning back to the helm.
"Coordinates have been lost. Distance between Target and the Zenith is to great. Course of Action. Close distance between target and Zenith." the computer droned. For a moment, Mihoshi looked shocked and crest fallen at the same time. She waited on Zack's move. He sat back in his seat.
"Computer, re-orbit the Zenith and run search again." Zack said. A smile appeared on Mihoshi's face as well as everyone elses. The ship turned back towards the planet and within a few minutes was re-orbiting the desert planet Vestra. The search instruments appeared on pop up holograms on the bridge. They watched as the computer searched the surface. A break in the storm was becoming apparent, and within moments of the break, the computer painted a target on a small steep mountain range.
"Target Coordinates Acquired. Downed Yagami Distress Signal Detected." the computer droned. "Distress signal is constant, but Sand and Atmospheric disturbances are fluctuating greatly. Approximately 22 minutes until signal is lost by oncoming sand storm. Likely hood of relock on distress signal coordinates .056 percent within set time parameters before the search fleet arrives."
"Prepare the deployment shuttle" Zack said getting up from his seat. The computer gave an acknowledgment. "Lets go, Mihoshi. We only have 22 minutes to get down there and back before the sandstorm gets us. Tenchi and Ryoko, come with me please."
"I doubt she's going to be in any good condition, so Ill prepare the Medical bay for her." Washu said, opening her holo computer and typing some things in.
The landing craft creaked and buckled in the atmosphere as it descended through the acidic heavens to the source of the distress signal. Low lying clouds thundered and in the far distance a brown roaring fog could be seen. After a minute or so, the craft was darting through the sharp peaks and crevices in the mountain range. The land was desolate brown and hard as diamonds. Everything seemed to have a polished off look to it as well. Mihoshi peered out through the front window, standing in the arch way between the cockpit and the crew cabin. A long flat gurney was secured down in the middle of the crew cabin, fresh medical supplies on both sides. The computer droned something about an oncoming sandstorm due south by southwest at 220 knots.
"Were almost there..." Zack said, not looking back to Mihoshi but knowing she was standing there. "600 meters... Should be around that next turn."
Sure enough, around the next turn was a sloped sandy edge. The small landing craft gently sailed to a stop and hovered for a moment before starting to descend below the sandy slope. It stopped and glided over to the left of where the signal was originating and landed on another small edge.
"Im going to stay here to keep the engines ready, You guys go out there and get her." Zack called back from the cockpit. A side door slid open and they hopped out. It was not as expected. Even though the storm had definitely cleared out, it was still gusty and bits and particles were still flying through the air. It created a fast paced haze, so to speak. Mihoshi shielded her eyes as she surveyed the area. Not much was visible beyond a 20 or so feet, yet the beacon was close by. Ryoko and Tenchi climbed out after her as she trekked through the gusty wind and soft sand. A small slope began to form, and she slipped on it after a moment, but quickly regained her balance by blindly reaching out and grabbing a large jutting rock. She looked up and noticed there was more. And then her eyes grew wide at the horror. The escape pod was impaled upon the rock formation. Small boulders smashed off the tips of near by rocks that stuck out of the earth like needles, but through the dead center of the pod, a large rock needle had pierced it. The lights on the inside still flashing, and bloody hand prints on the gently swing pod door and the hinges could be seen. The other two following her saw it too. She fell on her knees. Tenchi walked up to her and put his hand on her right shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze to reassure her he was there for her. She touched his hand with her left. Her head bowed, she began to cry.
She got up, teary eyed, and began to walk away when something struck the top of her head. A small rock had hit her from the overhanging cliff about 20 or 30 feet above her. She looked up. She couldn't see anything past the sandy haze blowing around her, but more rocks fell from above. She squinted hard to see the edge of the cliff. For brief seconds, she saw the edge, and she turned and ran back to the craft. Tenchi looked to Ryoko, a bit bewildered, and followed after her.
"Where's Kiyone?" Zack said turning around to see Mihoshi hop aboard, with Tenchi and Ryoko soon following.
"Take us up!" Mihoshi said to Zack. "Up to the next ledge. Hurry!"
Zack looked at her a bit confused, "Alright, but we have to hurry, Storm is going to be here very soon, and we wont be able to outrun it."
With that the craft began to take off and rise to the over hanging cliff. The cliff ledge was sandy and steep. The ship rocked violently for a second before restabilizing. It pulled close to the sandy sloped edge.
"Land us." Mihoshi said opening the side door to the craft.
"I can't," came Zack's reply. "The Edge is to sandy and soft, Id just slide right off..HEY WAIT!"
But Mihoshi had already jumped from the craft onto the sandy slope below.
"...that stupid girl," Ryoko said as she peered into the sandy haze and then jumped out after her a moment later.
Mihoshi landed onto the sandy slope and began to slide, but stopped her self by clawing at the sand and getting ahold of a rock beneath it. She began to climb up the sandy hill, striving to make it to the top. The landing craft behind swayed away from the slope in the wind, which was becoming noticeably stronger. She clawed her way up to where it leveled out on a small stone crevice. She looked about her. There was a red mark on the stone. Upon closer inspection, it was a hand print. The surface below her was spattered with small drops of crimson, erratically. She climbed along the crevice, following the trail, till she came to a small opening in a steep rock wall. She climbed in. The wind began to howl outside.
"Kiyone!" Mihoshi called. Only an echo responded. "Kiyone!"
Still nothing but an echo came back to her ears. She traveled and stumbled a bit in the dark. It was getting smaller and more cramped, but she heard something faint. Jagged breathing.
"Kiyone! Im coming! Just hang on!"Mihoshi called out again into the darkness. She stumbled around till she felt something soft. She felt down, and in the dim light could barely see Kiyone propped up against the wall. She could tell by Kiyone's shallow an ragged breathing that she was barely hanging in there. She carefully began to move her, getting a hold on her and dragging her out of the small corner. She heard Kiyone groan softly and stopped and readjusted her self so she could carry Kiyone better. Mihoshi finally managed to drag her to the small cave entrance, and she really could see the extent of her wounds. Her uniform was stained red and torn in multiple places. Cuts and lacerations ran up and down her legs and arms in various spots. A cut across her hairline was visible as dried blood painted her face. She had large deep bruises at the bottom of her chest and in other parts. A makeshift bandage was tied to her left side, and dry blood from her nose and mouth began to run red anew.
"Her lung's are punctured by her own broken ribs..." Ryoko said behind her and bending down. "Stay here. Ill be back for you in a sec."
She bent down and carefully picked up Kiyone and faded into nothing ness. After a few moments, Ryoko returned, and took hold of Mihoshi and they both teleported back aboard the landing craft. Tenchi was bent over Kiyone trying to apply the bandages and help her as much as possible. The landing craft rattled and rumbled as it took off. The storm a mere minute behind them, they rose above the mountains and harsh winds with haste. Mihoshi and Ryoko went to aide Tenchi as they breached the lower atmosphere.
As she laid there on the gurney, Kiyone's eyes gradually opened. The light was blinding and her vision was blurred. She tried to open her eyes all the way, but couldn't, and soon they felt to heavy to keep open. She looked to the face on her left, noticing someone was holding her hand.
"...Mi..hoshi?" Kiyone gasped out softely.
"Try not to talk. Everything will be alright. Just hang in there ok...just...?" Mihoshi said, but her voice trailed off as the darkness consumed Kiyone again.
A soft beeping noise reached Kiyone's ears. She opened her heavy eyelids to see where she was. It was a red and white room with computers and monitors on the walls and counter tops. A strange computer object with tubing and many monitors jutting out from it hung down from the center of the long rectangular room. 5 more beds sat to her left in a row and a row of 6 across from her and down the opposing wall. There were monitors above each bed on the walls. She tried to sit up, but the energy was not in her to do so, so she just relaxed herself. She realized she was wearing a transparent oxygen mask, and a life support machine was on her left up against the wall, making soft rhythmatic beeping noises. Soft familiar snoring could be heard. Upon looking to her right, Kiyone saw Mihoshi slouched in a chair, asleep. She had a half worried look on her sleeping face, and lines crossed underneath her eyes along with dark bags from the apparent lack of sleep. Sound of footsteps reached her ears and she turned the other way.
"Y'know, I had to sedate her to get her to sleep." Washu said walking up to the bed and removing the oxygen mask from Kiyone's face so she could talk easier. "She was keen on staying here and watching over you till you woke up. Didn't want anything to happen to you, not after surviving what you just did."
"..Im sorry ... for all the trouble..."Kiyone said softly. "..thank you..."
"Its not me who you should be thanking, but Mihoshi there." Washu said pointing to the sleeping blond woman across the bed from her. "She's the one who searched for your distress signal for over 4 days straight, and found you even after your pod was destroyed on the surface of that god forsaken planet. She's also the one who's pretty much forced her self awake for nearly the last 3 days watching over you after the extensive surgery you went through. I slipped her something when I gave her the usual coffee I brought."
Kiyone looked at Mihoshi, a bit of shock on her face, but mostly tiredness.
"She really does care for you," Washu said. "Make sure you make it up to her when you are able to move around. But for the moment, that will be a while. Even with all my advances, bringing someone from the very edge of death itself cant bypass some nice long sleep and recovery."
With that Washu checked some of the equipment near by and put back on the oxygen mask before she left. Kiyone continued to stare at Mihoshi. "Ill make it up to you...Mihoshi..I promise." And with that, the blue green haired woman closed her eyes and let her dreams take her to someplace better.