Welcome back for the next chapter! Now that Daniel has a place (presumably) secured in this world, how well will he settle in? I hope you enjoy this installment! Happy Fourth of July, everyone!
Daniel sat next to Mio, and across from Minna, as their plane took off. "That was very well done," said Mio. "I'm curious, how did you think to include the intellectual property and patent stuff?" she asked.
"From my dad," Daniel explained, "when he was practicing law, he developed an expertise on that subject area. That continued after he began teaching law, and it was not an uncommon subject of discussion at the dinner table." Mio then gave her trademark laugh as she said, "You truly are a unique individual."
"I'll take that as a compliment, thanks," Daniel replied. He then turned to Minna and said, "By the way, Minna – what's the deal with the lack of respect the generals give you. General Maloney in particular didn't seem to treat you with very much respect." Minna sighed as she explained, "Despite the witches' success, there are still a number of people amongst the brass that don't like the idea of girls – particularly teenage girls – being the ones to lead a fight of this magnitude."
Daniel then 'humph'd' in annoyance as he said, "Jeez, what a bunch of chauvinistic fools! The fate of humanity is at stake – the issue of who the leading force is behind stopping the Neuroi shouldn't even matter as long as it's successfully done by somebody. Whoever gets the job done with the most success should be supported accordingly!" Minna slightly giggled and smiled as he responded, "Thanks. I must say, it's refreshing to hear someone like you actually say that aloud."
Daniel briefly smiled before his expression turned serious again. "Also, Minna, I think General Maloney may be up to something," he said. "Oh?" Minna asked as she turned to Daniel again. "When he was discussing the budget with you and Mio, he was clearly lying about the reasons for cutting it. He's definitely hiding something from you."
Both Minna and Mio then looked at him in confusion before Minna asked him, "How are you so sure of that? Neither Mio nor I could see anything amiss with what he was saying." Daniel then explained, "It's one of my abilities. Do you know what a telepath is?" They both thought for a moment before Mio replied, "That's someone who can read the thoughts of others, right?" Daniel nodded as he continued his explanation, "My ability is similar to that, except I'm an empath – what I can do is sense the feelings and emotions of others. When I was sensing General Maloney's emotions during your conversation, I could not only sense his hostility towards you, but also a lot of deception coming from him. He's definitely hiding something from you"
Minna and Mio both nodded at Daniel's explanation as Minna replied, "Thanks for the heads up. It looks like we will need to be on our guard when dealing with General Maloney in the future."
The group arrived back at the base that evening, but not without first having to deal with a Neuroi that decided to come after then. While Sanya was able to chase it off, it was decided that this particular Neuroi required more people to take the night patrol. Yoshika and Daniel were assigned to temporary night patrol duty, with Eila volunteering as well. While the girls spent the day resting up together, Daniel slept in his own room (for obvious reasons).
A couple of nights later, they were able to combat and destroy the Neuroi that had been causing them such trouble – a reason for celebration itself, though that became secondary, as the unit celebrated Yoshika and Sanya's birthday – each sharing the same birthday, though neither had said anything in advance. Though it was last minute, joy and celebration was had by all.
Meanwhile, Daniel continued to settle into life on the front lines with the 501st. Thanks to his deal with the allied brass, he was able to arrange for special fuel to be sent to the fighter wing's base for his X-wing. He also arranged to receive regular captain's pay while the various aspects of the agreement were being finalized – he had even arranged to receive back pay for the time he had already spent with the witches.
Several days later, Daniel was finishing up the paperwork with Minna when he thought of something. "Minna – do you remember our conversation regarding General Maloney?" Minna looked up from her work and replied, "Yes. Why, what are you thinking?"
Daniel then leaned back in thought and explained, "I'm thinking that if Maloney is, in fact, lying to you about the budget, then he may be altering the budget documents he provides for you in order to cover his tracks." Minna nodded as she could see the validity of his theory. "What do you propose we do about that?" she asked.
Daniel then continued his train of thought, explaining, "If you send me with written orders saying that you need copies of the budget documents – some place where there might be unaltered copies – we may be able to find proof that Maloney is doing something he ought not."
Minna thought carefully as she considered Daniel's idea. "If we could get such proof, the brass would have to do something about it. The public fallout would be enormous," she said. She then turned to Daniel and said, "Alright, I'll let you put your idea into motion. Let me call the administrative office to arrange pickup." Daniel quickly, but gently, prevented Minna from picking up the phone, stating, "It would be better if you just sent me with written orders signed by you. This way, Maloney won't have a chance to get wind of this before I obtain the documents."
Minna then nodded, agreeing to Daniel's plan. "As it happens, there is an allied military administrative office in the middle of downtown London where the documents are likely to be kept. I'll provide you the address so you can go tomorrow."
It being lunchtime, the two decided to make their way to the mess hall to join the others for some food. As they sat down, Daniel made started talking with Minna again. "On a more personal matter, I would like your permission for a day pass to London. This can coincide with my pickup mission." Minna turned to him and asked, "What for?"
"The main reason is that I need to get some civilian clothing for myself. What I have with me doesn't exactly conform to contemporary fashion, and I would prefer not to stick out like a sore thumb when I'm in civilian clothing." Minna nodded in understanding as Daniel continued, "The only problem is, I don't know where the best place to go would be." At that moment, Lynne approached the two, having overheard their conversation. "If that's the case, then I may be able to help you, Daniel. My parents run a department store in London, and I'm sure I can convince them to give you a good deal."
Daniel immediately jumped at the idea, seeing that this was likely his best bet. "That would be an enormous help, Lynne, thank you!" Yoshika then interjected, exclaiming, "That sounds like fun! Can I go, too?" The three of them turned to Minna expectantly. She then smiled and said, "Very well, then. You've all earned a break. I'll provide the three of you with day leave passes for tomorrow."
As they traveled into the city the next day, Daniel explained to Lynne and Yoshika about the side mission he was doing for Minna. He then explained that he would take care of that first, and would meet up with them at the department store as soon as he was done. Lynne nodded as she provided him with the department store's address and wished him luck.
As luck would have it, Daniel's mission went as smoothly as could have been expected, as the office clerks didn't even question the request after seeing the orders and written explanation from Minna. After being handed copies of the requested documents in a manila envelope, he placed them into his bag, and headed off to the department store.
After meeting up with the girls out front, the trio headed inside, where they were met by Lynne's mother, who immediately greeted them, excited that Lynne had made friends in her unit and that she had now brought a couple of them with her. She was especially intrigued at exactly whom Lynne had brought, having learned about both Yoshika and Daniel through her daughter's correspondence.
As they made their way to the men's clothing section, Daniel expressed his gratitude. "Thank you so much for being willing to do this, Mrs. Bishop – I really appreciate it!" Mrs. Bishop smiled back and replied, "You're very welcome. My daughter had told me of your unique situation, and I agree with her that especially in times like these, we need to help each other out whenever and however we can."
As Daniel began to look at and try on the various selections available, Mrs. Bishop turned to Lynne and spoke softly to her with a hint of suggestion in her voice. "Such a nice, polite, and handsome young man. And he's a Jedi, to boot!" Lynne's face immediately turned pink in embarrassment as she retorted, "Mooooom! We're not like that! He's just a friend." Mrs. Bishop just continued to smile as she replied, "Of course, dear. Whatever you say." Lynne was thankful that Daniel didn't overhear the conversation.
After looking at all of the available options, and listening to the opinions of the ladies present, Daniel picked out a few sets of clothing (shirts, pants, and even a tweed jacket) that were casual, yet nice. Most importantly, they would allow him to blend in better in this world. He also picked out a pair of nice shoes and a few pairs of socks to go with it. After paying, Mrs. Bishop told him and the other girls that she would arrange to have everything shipped back to base. "Go out and enjoy the rest of the day," she said. Daniel thanked her profusely as the trio headed out to enjoy what London had to offer.
As they were riding back to base late in the afternoon, Daniel reflected on the day. Not only did they do the touristy things such as the Tower of London and Big Ben, but they also stopped at a bookstore. With some of his remaining funds, he picked up a few things to read during down time (you shouldn't try to entertain yourself with electronic devices alone). He bought a copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a couple of Jules Verne novels, and even found a copy of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin tucked away for a good price. In between, they also found time for lunch, with Daniel treating everyone to some delicious fish and chips.
"This was nice," he said aloud, "it's been such a long time since I was able to just spend the day out and about with friends." Lynne then looked at him curiously. "You weren't able to do that with your friends in your old unit?" she asked. "Let's just say that my commanding officers weren't as generous with our freedom as Minna is." Lynne just 'oh'd' in response, not sure how else to respond to that.
Yoshika then exclaimed, "I'm glad you enjoyed it – that was fun!" Daniel smiled back at her as he replied, "Yes, it was. Let's do it again sometime." The two girls then smiled and nodded back in agreement. Yes, it had definitely been a good day.
A day out with good food and good friends always leads to a good time, if you ask me! Tune in next time…