Hotarou landed the craft after flying through the grimy, dark atmosphere that belonged to Saturn. Not only was it a gas giant, but the industrial smoke that came from its small-inner core didn't keep the air very clean either.
Saturn, like most of the planets, was inhabited by the extreme poor. The moons of planets were smaller and more private and had a clearer view of space, not that any of the rich cared to look at it and not that the poor had the time to admire it. On the planets, especially the gas giants, the poor very rarely saw the rich, or even the poor that lived on the moons.
Hotarou briefly checked in with a person at the front desk then continued on with Eru and Ibara in stride. They were about to enter the city when Hotarou make them stop and wait while he disappeared into a store. He returned with a hat and some makeup and handed it to Eru.
"People around here don't like the wealthy," he answered her questioning gaze. "so you need a disguise." He glanced at Ibara who understood the look.
"Miss Eru were going give you a make over," Ibara said, still a little pale from the flight and re-entering the atmosphere. She took the items from Hotarou and had Eru turn towards her. After a few minutes Hotarou turned to see a much tanner Eru with her hair tied up and hidden in the cap.
"Well?" Eru asked shyly.
"Perfect," Hotarou replied curtly. "let's go." He took long strides through the gate and off towards the center of town.
After a long while of walking Hotarou found the inner sanctum of the city. Houses were close together, the pavement, once white cobblestone, was stained black and brown from soot and mud. This was the hub of all activity in town: the market. While it had been given the name Ch?shin Market, by the common people it was known as Yamiichiba or the black market, because many things sold weren't necessarily the most legal substances.
As the group walked gazes started to follow them, making Ibara and Eru nervous. Hotarou noticed them too, but decided that walking with confidence was the best was to blend in. He searched either side of the street for the silver shop then, upon finding it, ducked in quickly. The shop was dark, but any kind of light bounced off the shiny objects that lay around the area. Both girls took a few steps closer to Hotarou, who seemed to know what he was doing.
He glanced around and, not seeing the shop owner called out. A lanky man with light brown hair wandered out carrying a large package with his back to the group.
"Welcome, welcome!" he said casually still working with his back turned to them. "Wat'cha needin' ta'day, sir?"
"I need 250 Troy ounces of silver."
"That's sure a lota silver. What'cha makin' with that much silver?" the man continued casually.
"A silver chest. And I'd like that today please."
"Ya foor shoor sould like one of 'em flakes frim the moons. 'I want it tooday' 'n rushin 'n stuff. Why're ya in such a hurry, eh?" he turned and looked at Hotarou and his demeanor suddenly darkened. "yoose one-a those rich folks ain't ya? I don't serve no rich folk."
Hotarou looked slightly confused and glanced at Eru. It surely couldn't be her, you couldn't see her hair at all. "I don't know what you mean..."
"Ya do too! Don't try 'n pass yerself off fer one of us. I know yer kind 'n you look jist like one of them rich folks." The man raised his voice, causing his wife and kids to enter the shop out of surprise.
"I'm not one of those rich people," Hotarou insisted firmly.
"Yeah then why do ya have this?" the man grabbed and tuft of Hotarous hair and pulled him towards him. The girls gasped.
"What are you doing?!" Hotarou yelped angrily.
"Ya don't belong here!" the man bellowed in his face. "Ya rich people think ya can waltz 'round 'n life's good it's yer fault!"
Hotarou forced the man hand away then stood up straight again. He had some choice words he'd like the man to hear, but the man was already blurting them out and more. A crowd began to gather around the shop and upon seeing the grew and their angry comrade began to become riled up. The shop filled with people, making a ring around the three as an angry mob. Others began joining in: "Ya don't belong here!" "Go home!" "Die!" "Low-life moon flakes!" were only the beginning of the jeers and scoffing of the masses.
Hotarou stood, partially from fear, but mostly confusion of what went wrong. He had it all planned out. Eru was in disguise so this wouldn't happen. This shouldn't have happened. They needed to get out, but how? He brain worked at 100 miles a minute trying to figure out a solution, but accomplishing nothing. Both girls had grasped his arms and were trembling beside him.
"Oreki!" both cried, "what do we do?!"
If only I could prove that I'm not rich! How did they get that idea anyway? I need to protect the girls so I can't just run for it! I don't know. I don't know!
Suddenly loud high-pitched sound echoed across the masses, silencing them in an instant. As the sound died out a murmur began then a person shouted, "Look out!" and a small metal ball fell outside of the shop and clanked to the ground. From inside the shop, the trio looked out to see what was happening, but there was nothing to be seen. The crowd jumped back in waves as a loud snap erupted from the metal ball that had fallen. Those inside the shop felt the ground shake and the people started to run away as fast a possible. Those who were in the shop took the others' warning and fled the seen as well. With the people clearing the scene the three saw the metal ball emitting blue sparks and flashing with electricity.
While the girls stood in awe of the little machine, Hotarou understood that they had outstayed their welcome. He grabbed the hands of both the girls and pulled them along after him as quickly as possibly could then made for the space jet. He pushed the girls inside then jumped to the front and started the ship. The old machine wheezed and coughed, but plowed and climbed up into the atmosphere in a matter of seconds.
The girls remained in stunned silence until they broke through the atmosphere and into space. Then the stream of questions began.
"What happened, Oreki?"
"What was that thing?"
"Why were they so upset?"
"Who threw that little metal ball?"
"Shut up!" Hotarou growled. "I don't know what happened, okay? I've never gone shopping for something like this before! I don't know where that electric ball came from!" But I have a hunch... "So quit asking questions!"
An awkward quiet followed for a duration of time during which Hotarou tried to process the events and the girls tried to understand them.
Eru spoke up slowly, "O-Oreki? Where are we going?"
"Hmm?" he replied deeply.
"Oh!..um..." she stuttered shyly. "Where are we going? This is not the way back to Dione..."
"Yes, I know that," Hotarou replied vaguely.
"Well then, where are we going?" Ibara insisted, jumping on the wagon.
"For a little 'drive-around' you could call it."
"Seriously, Oreki? How can you be so relaxed after that!? You're really an idiot."
As if I'm relaxed. He sighed in response. "Sit down and buckle up."
"Why?" Ibara argued.
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Mayaka, please just do it...I am sure he has a good reason for it..."
"I want to know where we are going and I won't sit until he tells me." Ibara stood with her arms crossed.
Hotarou hit some buttons at the front then a female voice came overhead. "Hyper-drive set: engaging in five..."
"Mayaka!"
"Not until the idiot tells me where we're going."
"Four."
"Oreki!"
"I don't respond to being called idiot."
"Three."
"Oreki! Mayaka! Stop! Please sit down!"
"Two."
"MAYAKA!"
"NO!"
"One."
Ibara felt herself pulled down.
"Hyper-drive engaged."
"Orekiiiiiiii!" Mayaka screeched as the jet blasted off full-force into space.
Hotarou closely monitored all the systems, having finally grasped how old the machine really was. He glanced at the map on the screen, noticing that it was blinking on and off like there was a bad connection. With the jet in hyper-drive, it automatically had auto-pilot take over, but it the auto pilot was fizzing out then they could be lost in deep space. It could just be the display, I hope that's the case because then I could use my watch to track where we are...then again that woman said that she could only go into hyper drive for a few seconds...it's been a lot longer than that. Let's giver her a rest...
Hotarou fought against the forces and flipped the switch to turn off the drive. The jet slowed to drifting in the forward directing allowing its crew to take a breath.
"What happened?" Eru wondered aloud.
"Oreki! I could have died, you idiot!" Ibara barked irritably once she had caught her breath. "This is the last time I ever go with you somewhere!"
Hmph, that's why you never should have come in the first place.
"So tell me where we're going!"
"You're starting that again?" Hotarou sighed folding his arms behind his head.
Ibara glared at him, hand-on-hips.
"It's nothing for you to worry about."
Ibara threw her hands in the air to show that she gave up.
Eru walked unsteadily to the front then sat in the co-pilot seat. "Oreki, I admit that I am worried like Mayaka is." Hotarou tilted his gaze in her direction. "I do not want something like what happened on Saturn to happen again." What, do you think I liked that? "Maybe if we know where we are going we could plan ahead..." she offered quietly. He looked at her expression and felt slightly uncomfortable and guilty.
"Don't worry your little head about it," he mumbled mostly to himself. Eru looked up. Hotarou blushed slightly. "I know what I'm doing," he assured her awkwardly. "You won't even have to get out of the ship." He thought for a second. "Yes, it would be better if you just stayed in the ship."
He leaned forward and looked at all the settings then at the monitor which held the map. He took out his watch and a cable and connected it to the dash, just beneath the map screen. The watch synced with the ship's computer and with a few clicks the screen pulled up on his watch.
"We'll be starting back into hyper-drive soon, go sit down." Eru nodded with a smile then headed back.
This time Ibara sat down as well, but not without grumbling a bit. The engines then revved up once again then the ship shot into space.
After a minute the ship slowed to a drifting stop and in the distance was a large orange and craggy-looking orb.
Eru started. "Is that...?"
"...Mars?" Ibara finished standing and making her way to the window.
Hotarou pressed a few buttons that sent the jet gently speeding towards the ball. "By the way, Chitanda," Hotarou began casually, "Don't you need to be home tonight? It's already about 7:40, Saturn time."
"No, everyone thinks I am sick and staying in bed. I already told my servants that I did not want to eat today."
"Still, though, you know someone's going to come and check on you," Ibara added.
"I set up a doll that I was given when I was younger, it moves every so often and talks if spoken to."
Smart plan...Hotarou admitted mentally. So that won't be a worry now. "You will need masks and suits if you are going outside, which I don't recommend."
"Why?" Ibara queried.
"We're not going into a dome like normal. We're landing on a different area of the surface that isn't inhabited."
Ibara and Eru looked at each other with puzzled looks. Hotarou sensed it and sighed, "If you must know, I will tell you later. We're entering the atmosphere, so buckle up again."
The jet cruised over the scarred landscape then slowed with a backward thrust and landed. Hotarou headed to the back and slid into a space suit then walked out to the front.
"That really doesn't suit you," Ibara jeered with a sly smile.
"Shut up," Hotarou retorted fastening a tank on his back. "I'll need one of you to watch the cables and the stats. Don't let any drop below 50, got it?" without waiting for a reply he pressed a button and a side door, opening into a hidden chamber opened. The door closed behind him with a sucking sound after a moment's pause a metal sound was heard and a door to the outside was opened from the chamber. Eru and Ibara looked out and watched as Hotarou bounced a couple of steps then seemed to hesitate and look around.
"Oh! The monitors!" Eru exclaimed running to keep an eye on them. Ibara watched Hotarou slowly take a shovel that he had brought off his back and stick it in the sandy dirt. Each movement was almost painful to watch from the window because it was so slow, it irritated Ibara. Gosh, can't he be any faster? She groaned inwardly. She wandered to the front of the ship, past Eru who was staring intently and the monitors, then sat in the cockpit. I wish Satoshi was here. He'd lighten the mood.
Ibara closed her eyes to take a nap while she was waiting for Hotarou to finish whatever he was doing.
Ibara woke when she suddenly felt a jolt to her seat. She cracked open her eyes to see Hotarou standing above her holding a large sack.
"Get in the back."
"Wha-?"
"I don't want to stare at your sleeping face when I fly. So get in the back."
"Rude much?"
Hotarou shrugged then slid into his seat while Ibara crawled out of hers.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Ibara whispered to Eru.
Eru blushed. "You were sleeping so peacefully that I simply could not bring myself to wake you!"
Ibara sighed. "How long was I asleep for?"
"About 20 minutes."
"It took him that long?"
Eru smiled in reply.
"Seat-belts..." Hotarou reminded the two from the front. Without hesitating began to start the engines. The jet turned then shot forward into space.