Chapter Five
Beta Posted 07/05/2007
Author's Note
Views: 35
Reviews: 3
Not much happening in regards to my fanfiction, still churning along with this one. Figured to break the manga chapter apart into two chapters since there will be a lot of development soon. I really need a Beta-reader/editor since this feels a bit... choppy.
- Free Corp Knight -
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- Chapter 5 -
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Month: July
Year: 2047
"Hey! Wait up!" Mikako yelled, racing down the dimly lit corriders of the Lysithea. The girl ahead stopped and turned, taking a short break to stick her tongue out before running again. The 15-year-old girl growled in frustration, the distance between them hardly changed despite that. "Hisa! That's not fair! You were on the track team!" Laughing in reply, the other girl continued to lead all the way to the predetermined finish line, one of the ship's lounges.
Totally exhausted, the two collapsed against the wall, the sound of their heavy breathing filling in the silence. Across them, a projector screen showed a beautifully clear view of space, millions of stars shining against the backdrop of infinite darkness. "It's... pretty... isn't it?" Hisa managed to say, still trying to recover from their race. The smaller girl could only nod in reply, not yet ready to talk. They spent a few more minutes there, gazing into the depths of space while letting their bodies rest.
"Hisa..." Mikako said, disrupting the momentary peace. "We should do this more often." Her suggestion earned a laugh which she soon joined.
The sound of their laughter must have been a bit too loud, attracting the attention of nearby people. One took the time to approach them with a lecture in mind. Flashing in the dark, the gold leaf attachment on his collar marked him as a commander, probably the same rank as their squadron leader.
Noticing his approach, the two stood up straight and saluted him.
"At ease... Mind telling me what's going on out here?" He asked, tapping his foot when neither spoke up. "Nevermind, I probably won't understand it. Try to be more serious here. This isn't a sightseeing trip for youngsters. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Mikako affirmed. Hisa mumbled the same though a bit miffed by his last statement.
After seeing their faces in a better light, the other commander recognized them, though not in a good way. "I remember now... You two... skipped my briefing last week. Am I correct?"
Hisa didn't say anything but Mikako whispered a soft apology. They were definitely in trouble now.
Taking out a pen, he questioned them. "What's your squadron number and who's your commander? I have to let him know about such indecent behavior... especially among Selected Members." The last two words were spelled out as if the girls weren't worthy of the title.
"Ahem... That would be me." Miwa interrupted, revealing herself. The two commanders must have known each other since the male immediately lost interest. Shaking his head, he put his notebook away. "I see now. They're your girls. That would explain a lot of things..."
Miwa only smiled, ignoring his remark. "Is there a problem here?"
"Just telling your pilots to grow up a bit. They're playing around when there's more serious work to do." He replied.
"I don't see anything wrong with taking a break now and then." Miwa defended.
"They should act like other Select Members. I don't see any of them slacking off. None of my men do." He said, adding fuel to the fire.
"That's your men. You can do whatever you want with them, but these two are mines." She hissed. "Besides, the reason why we're picked as Select Members isn't to prove how good of a soldier or researcher we are."
"Oh? I've been told that our mission objective was to gain information about the Tarsians." He folded his arms. "Do explain."
"Well, what do we know about Tarsians besides the Mars expedition?"
"Enough to know..." He started before being cut off.
"We know nothing except they're more technologically advanced than us." Miwa said. "We're dealing with an unknown entity here so we need a wide range of perspectives. That's why people other than scientists and soldiers are here."
"So you're telling me... This project chose these two..." He was about to insert something demeaning when the other's glare caught his eye. Coughing, he continued. "The agency chose these two girls just because they're... different? That hardly makes any sense."
"Have you been listening to me? We need people of different backgrounds in this mission. Having a one-track mind is hardly a smart idea." She admonished.
"I see your point but their behavior is not appropiate for this mission. Maybe they don't understand the weight behind this expedition." The two Tracer pilots were about to protest, but Miwa beat them.
"I taught my girls already so they understand." Mikako nodded, remembering the talk on Europa base.
"Fine, but keep this in mind, if they ever fall under my command, I expect them to be professional pilots... not some giddy schoolgirls on a field trip." He warned.
"Whatever but remember they, like you and I, are one of mankind's many representatives. This diversity makes this fleet flexible, able to adapt to any change in the situation. Who knows, maybe these giddy schoolgirls will save your life someday?"
"Hmph! As if! Do what you wish with those two. I've wasted enough time already." The other commander stomped off, leaving the three females alone in the lounge.
- - -
The three walked back to their quarters, their footsteps being the only sound in the bleak halls. They continued until one of them couldn't take it any longer.
"Arghhh!" Miwa yelled out in frustration, unable bear the silence even if there was nothing to talk about. "Standby duty sucks! It's so booooooooring." She exaggerated, hoping to get something from the other two. There was no immediate response which made her frown.
A short while later, Hisa stopped. "Miwa?"
Their superior turned around, waiting for her to continue. The younger girl seem to be uncertain about something. "About earlier..."
"We're sorry." Mikako finished. "We're sorry that we've caused you trouble. We promise..."
"Bah!" Miwa threw up her hands in frustration. "Don't worry about that guy. There's a bunch of those stiffs onboard. Too bad there aren't too many like us." She said with a smile, patting them on the shoulder. "You know, its those by-the-books guys who crumble first under pressure. We're the ones that's going to have to save them."
The girls laughed at that. Making them laugh even more, Miwa revealed a secret. "You know, that commander guy you two talked to. He asked me for a date the other day..."
Listening to herself laugh, the young woman thought it was good to have her girls back to normal.
- - -
Back on Earth, Noboru woke up to the blaring sounds of his alarm clock. It would be another normal day for him or so he believed at first. After finished with his morning routine, he picked up his things for school, mainly textbooks and a homemade lunch. His hands instinctively reached for the cell phone on his desk but suddenly stopped, his fingers just hovering over the handheld device.
"Today..." Noboru said with much thought. "I want to forget."
