The Infinite Stratos was originally intended for use in space, and with some modifications from the teenage girl bloodsport load-outs, it was still quite practical for that purpose. Considering the number of times Ichika had nearly gotten killed by the machines, was it any surprise he appreciated peaceful applications?
When given the choice, Ichika jumped on the chance to take a class about using the Infinite Stratos in space. Because Ichika went for it, a whole lot of girls followed behind.
At times, it was a bit dry. Safety measures and rendezvous protocols, explanations of how maneuvering in space worked. Orbital mechanics were a tremendous pain, and for some reason, the math had to be done by hand, like they didn't have supercomputers on their wrists at all times.
(An Infinite Stratos could reach orbit with specialized boosters, and was the most maneuverable platform in space when it got there.)
The class was a favorite of less combat-oriented girls, and glory hounds weren't big fans either, not when the fame of combat was right there. It almost felt like Ichika was polluting the field, the way so many girls followed… but there were a few who grew to admire it.
Laura was his study buddy, despite her initially scorning the program as "civilian drivel". Despite that, she knew EU space regulations like the back of her hand. She also had a personal, passionate hatred for the Outer Space Treaty and the way it limited weapons.
Apparently, the IS didn't count as a WMD if it wasn't equipped with weapons, so operations in space were all above board and legal. Unfortunately, there was a whole other mire of rules and regulations before any one of them could get a spaceflight…
Simulations, excellent scores in exams, exemplary performance with the IS in flight, and testimony from several teachers. Quite a few bars to cross, but Ichika had always been willing to work hard for what he wanted. The first three were simple, and most of the fourth was good. Yamada already liked him, and the spaceflight teacher, Miss Mukai, felt similarly.
Chifuyu was the problem. She had always been one of his harshest critics, and Ichika appreciated that; however, she didn't just have concerns as a teacher. She had to sign waivers as his guardian as well.
"This could kill you, Ichika."
"And being a pilot hasn't nearly killed me?"
"You're smart enough to know those were exceptional circumstances."
"And you know equipment failure is exceptional too. The IS is the safest spacecraft known to man."
"A system is only as good as the operator."
"You have access to my test scores, Sis. Ask Miss Mukai."
Chifuyu frowned. "If something goes wrong, you'll be away from any help." It was so rare to see his sister looking vulnerable, it crushed Ichika's heart…
(Away from her help.)
"Please, Sis. Please."
There was only one other person beside him as he waited for launch clearance. Kanzashi's performance with the mech was just a bit below requirements, so that left Laura Bodewig.
(Had her shady military org signed her waivers?)
A halo of boosters extended from behind Laura's back, long and sharp and efficient. It almost made him think of a Valkyrie or something, some warrior spirit from Germany.
Maybe a little dramatic, but the IS Academy had a killer international literature program, for their diverse student body. The Academy taught him enough English to manage this mission as well.
There were a few final checks of their modified suits, to make sure life support was all good… and then there was the countdown.
"T minus ten. Nine…"
Ichika could see the planned trajectory, an arc stretching up into the air.
"Eight. Seven. Six."
The core was a seething wellspring of energy.
"Five. Four. Three."
Laura looked perfectly calm, adjusting her stance to better follow her path to space.
"Two. One-"
The engines exploded to life, and for a few moments all Ichika could focus on was trying to control that wild force. They broke the sound barrier in less than a quarter of a minute.
On his heads-up display, he could see all sorts of statistics. Speed, location, acceleration, how different they were from what they were supposed to be… unusually for a space mission, they had room for less than precise maneuvering. The efficiency of the IS was that good.
Laura was a meteor next to him, shockwaves forming in front of her suit's shielding. The world below them shrunk and shrunk, the curve grew more evident, the sky darker.
"How's your periapsis looking, Laura?"
"Good. Three hundred and seventy klicks. Rendezvous with the Romulus in ten minutes."
"Oxygen?"
Laura scoffed. "Like a worried housewife. I haven't forgotten life support."
"I thought you wanted a doting wife."
He could imagine her blush, even when her face was obscured.
Ichika could hear the shock, even through the radio. " That Orimura?"
"Maybe you're thinking of my sister?" He suggested gently. Did he perhaps rival his sister in fame? Yeah, but he didn't think he deserved to, not when he seemed to benefit from a genetic accident at best.
"The only male–"
"What do you need us to do?" Ichika sighed.
"We've got unpacking schematics, I'll send them…"
An ugly mess of piping and struts popped up in Ichika's HUD, and he groaned. "Laura? We're going to be here a while."
"I don't mind." She answered. Her chipper mood lasted even after he sent her the schematics. He supposed the military had given her a talent with maintenance and that sort of thing.
It wasn't simple work, but they got through it eventually. The craft was prepared to take a transfer to Mars, where it would settle a crew down on the surface. It felt good to be a part of something so great, even if the job could have been accomplished with robotic arms.
"We've got thirty minutes until we can deorbit above Japan." Ichika sighed.
"I wish you could see Germany." Laura sighed, looking down at the continents traced by city lights. She knew, objectively, the patch of German lights would not look all too dissimilar from French or Polish city lights, but she wanted to show off her home. Was that so strange?
"I've got another idea." Ichika circled around to her front, tiny little bursts of thrust this way or that. He floated so effortlessly… Perhaps he wasn't his sister's match in combat, but he was a marvel in space.
"Ichika?"
He held out a gauntlet. It was clunky and metallic, and she couldn't get a hint of his face with the extra protective gear, but her heart still raced.
"May I have this dance?"
"Dance?" She sputtered before some music started playing over Ichika's audio link. A waltz. "I can't possibly, I don't know-"
"I'll lead." He purred, taking her hand and pulling her into a complex series of maneuvers. Torques this way and that, retrograde and prograde and normal thrust… she knew the technical terms for each move, she knew how it would impact their orbit, but they gained a new dimension in dance.
A burst of thrust, and they were dancing over the great course of the Milky Way, the dark of the earth at night overhead.
"Don't… don't make a mistake. I'm only letting you lead! Next time…"
Ichika grinned. "Of course."
It was questionable whether the atmosphere around them was hotter than Laura's cheeks during reentry. Both glowed brilliantly as they descended back to earth.
As they approached the end of their time at the academy, they started thinking about their futures. Maintenance was a typical path for those who couldn't quite cut it professionally, and of course, being a competitive fighter was always a favorite. The representatives practically had a career laid out for them in advance.
It would be the dutiful thing to do, Laura thought, but Ichika loved to shake up her assumptions. They sat under the stars on the island's beach, and Laura tried to process his pitch.
"But a Mars transfer takes months, one way."
"Brachistochrones make it faster."
"Months. I'll get rusty after months of no fighting."
"And do you want to fight?" Ichika asked.
Laura blinked. It was what she had been groomed for her whole life; hell, it had been what she was designed for in the test tube. The whole trajectory of her life seemed to be combat…
"Oh well. I'll just spend months traveling to Mars, all on my lonesome."
"A wife shouldn't travel unaccompanied!" She scrambled for an excuse.
Technically, she was supposed to be doing a service to her home country, right? If she helped them in the domain of space, that would still be her duty to Germany fulfilled.
And it would be fulfilled without leaving her on the ground while Ichika shot for the stars.
Mukai is the family name of a female Japanese astronaut.