Galen Soranus looked up at his fellow members of the 8th Company command staff, who sat in judgment of the Sanguinary Priest. Captain Matarno had summoned Galen to answer for his unapproved gifting of a spare dreadnought to the Hoshinos.
"Brother-Apothecary, you have been charged with misappropriating company property. By transferring an unused dreadnought to civilians, you have deprived the company of potentially life-saving technology and overstepped your authority. Furthermore, that the civilians in question were not citizens of the Imperium greatly increases the recklessness of your action. Do you deny the charge?"
"No, Brother-Captain."
The company Techmarine's scowl deepened, feeling undermined by Galen.
"Before we pass judgment, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"Yes, Brother-Captain. When I requested the delivery of the dreadnought, I had encountered a mother on the verge of death surrounded by her weeping children. I saw in their eyes the same pain that each and every Blood Angel knows well. As a medical officer, I had an opportunity to save innocent human life, and I took it. I do not regret my decision."
The command staff murmured amongst themselves. While all looked sympathetic when Galen mentioned Ai's plight, they were still unconvinced that the apothecary had made the right call. Before Matarno could make a decision, Galen spoke up again.
"It was not just mere compassion that motivated my actions. When I looked into the civilians' eyes, I saw unnatural forms, as if entire stars resided in their souls."
"Could this have been a mutation?" asked the Librarian.
"I cannot say for certain, but I believe it marks them for greatness. That family has a part to play in our galaxy, I know it to be so."
With that, the command staff retreated to debate what should be done with Galen. After a long deliberation, Captain Matarno led his peers back into the Oratorium.
"Galen Soranus, as punishment for misappropriation of company property, you are removed from your position as company Apothecary and reassigned to the Death Company. There you will provide your medical services to our brothers who suffer from the Black Rage until you have been deemed worthy of returning to regular duties. In the Emperor's name, I pass this judgment."
And thus Galen's fate was decided.
Of course, the concert at the Tokyo Dome had to be canceled. With Ai still adjusting to her new body and the media circus around the attempt on her life, there was no way B-Komachi could perform that night. Ai apologized profusely for ruining everyone's big night, no matter how many times her group mates and producers insisted it wasn't her fault. It was so like Ai to only worry about how her life-altering condition would affect others. Not wanting to drag down the rest of B-Komachi's careers, Ai insisted on having a comeback concert. It went as well as you might imagine. Ai had her dreadnought painted to match her signature outfit, but capturing her old look didn't mean capturing her old skills. Ai's choreography was clumsy and out of sync with the other dancers. Her modulated voice lacked the sweetness and hypnotic charm it once had. The worst was when it was time for the band to jump, and the weight of Ai's dreadnought created a large crater in the stage. No one was hurt, except Ai's career. You'd think the fans would be understanding given everything Ai had been through, but the public was as merciless as always. Nasty criticisms flooded social media, and no one was taking it harder than Ruby.
"What do they mean, 'she dances like she's handicapped?' Her body is literally disabled! 'Her voice sounds autotuned?' She can't help that! Mama almost died, but she still tries to entertain you all, so you go insult her!? You people care more about an idol's performance than whether she's on life support!" Ruby screamed at her phone. Ai, Aqua, and Miyako were also present, having decided to go over the concert's reviews together.
"Ruby, it's ok," assured Ai.
"IT'S NOT OK! They don't have the right to say all that crap about you! They don't know what you've been through!"
Ai sighed. "It just comes with being famous. The fans paid for a good performance, and I couldn't give it to them. In a way, this is all my fault. I should have learned how to better move in this new body, or even avoided putting everyone through this in the first place."
Aqua frowned at Ai's self-deprecation. He hated it when she blamed herself for being stabbed. A part of Aqua wanted to find who was truly to blame for what happened, but he knew all his energy needed to be focused on helping his mother adjust.
"Don't say that!" Ruby sobbed. "It's not your fault. Every time you talk bad about yourself, it makes me want to die."
Ruby's crying had transitioned into soft hiccups, and it tore Ai up inside to see her children worry over her.
"Put the phone down, Ruby, and let Mama give you head pats. Those always made you feel better," Ai suggested.
Ruby ran to her mom and held her head up expectantly. Unfortunately, moving the dreadnought's arm felt disconnected from moving her real arm, so when Ai tried to pat Ruby's head, she went too fast and gave her a smack instead.
"Ruby!" Ai cried as her daughter hit the floor. "I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"
"I'm ok, Mama. It doesn't hurt." Ruby tried to sound assuring, but she was visibly biting back tears.
Aqua ran up to Ruby and inspected her head. "There's a lump forming, but it doesn't look serious."
Ai was relieved, but she still hated herself for hurting Ruby in the first place. I can't even show my children love in this thing, she thought.
The day's emotions were starting to catch up with Ai, and she felt as though a great weight was pulling her down. "I think I need to go to bed."
"But Mama, you slept all yesterday! Can't you stay up a little longer?" Ruby pleaded.
"Ruby, you remember the instructions Apothecary Galen gave us. Mom needs her rest," Aqua chided.
Ai wanted to stay up longer for her children's sake, but the physical toll of being trapped in a walking coffin made it hard to function. She couldn't feel any sensation or movement, and even thinking was hard from always being on the verge of death. Ai felt like she was frozen in the seconds before she passed out from bloodloss the day she was stabbed. Never healing, never dying. It was like spending every second wrapped in a blanket without the benefit of the blanket's warmth. As much as the former idol loved her children, she had started to hate being awake.
As Miyako started the process of powering Ai down, she whispered to her former client. "I moved the kids to my family register like we talked about. They won't have to worry about the media or stalkers. I know you'll always be their real mother, but I promise to care for them like my own."
Ai nodded as much as the dreadnought would allow, to tired to thank Miyako verbally. She knew she could trust Miyako to be a good guardian while Ai slept. As for Ichigo, the man had grown more and more distant since the incident. It was clear he blamed himself for what happened to Ai and sunk into a bottle for relief. Ai couldn't help but think her condition had ruined the Saito's marriage, another thing to feel guilty for. In the end, Ai's sad thoughts were chased away by the release of sleep.
The Hoshinos tried to create a routine for when Ai would be awake, but keeping it became harder with each day. In the beginning, Ai tried to be awake for every other day. After a few years that became too stressful, so she switched to being awake for weekends. Ai tried to keep this new arrangement, but all too soon the alienating nature of the dreadnought became too much to do even that. Eventually, Ai could only will herself to awake for birthdays, holidays, graduations, and other major events. It was during one of these routine awakenings that Ai made one final change.
"C'mon, you're still not ready, Ruby?" Aqua's chiding voice was the first thing to register for Ai. When had it grown so deep?
"Jeez, just wait a minute, bro," Ruby replied. "This uniform may be cute, but it's pretty complicated. But it sure is cute!"
"You don't want to miss Mom's awakening before school," Aqua reminded.
"I know," said Ruby as the twins charged into the garage. "Mom, we're heading out soon. What do you think of my uniform? Pretty cute, right?"
Ai took a good look at her children. "Aqua. . . Ruby. . . you've grown so tall. I thought you were still in preschool."
The twins frowned. "Mom, don't you remember? You were there when we graduated from junior high. Today is the first day of high school," said Ruby.
"All my memories feel jumbled, I can't place what happened when. You're starting high school? That must mean you're both sixteen now? Has time really gone by that fast? Have I really missed so much?" Ai whispered. She wished she still had eyes with which to cry. "I'm a horrible mother, I slept through your entire childhoods."
Ruby ran up and hugged her mother's frame. "It's not your fault, Mom! We know you need your rest. We are happy with what days we do get with you."
"Well. . . I'm not," said Ai. "What's the point of living if I can't live with my children? What's the point of saving my life if I spend most of that life asleep? I love you both so much, and I promise to never miss another day of your lives!"
Ruby teared up at her mother's declaration. "I love you too, Mom!"
Aqua on the other hand did not visibly react. "Can you really do this? What about the strain on your health?"
"I don't care what happens to me. Being a parent means being there when my children need me, no matter the cost."
Aqua wanted to believe in Ai, but even though he understood the reason why she had been absent from his life, the fact was that she still wasn't there for him or Ruby. No matter how badly Ai wanted to stay awake for their sake, Aqua knew the issue of the dreadnought's fatigue would have to be addressed to make it work.
"Alright, then we must find Galen or someone else who understands dreadnoughts. Then we can have Mom's body modified so she won't tire out," said Aqua.
"Yeah! Let's save Mom!" Ruby cheered.
"Hold on kids, we don't even have a spaceship. Even if we did, Galen could be anywhere," Ai pointed out.
"We could ask Miyako! Ever since becoming president of Strawberry Productions, she's made tons of business connections. I bet she knows somebody with a spaceship!" Ruby said.
"Wait, Miyako is president now?" Ai asked.
As Ruby filled Ai in on everything she had missed, Aqua was deep in thought. Between Ruby's naivete and Ai's physical limits, the Hoshino family was unprepared for whatever danger was waiting for them out in space. Ai's absence had taught Aqua he couldn't always count on others being there, and it would be wrong to allow someone as pure-hearted as Ruby to be put in danger. Aqua prepared himself to take a leading role in what was to come. He would make his family whole, even if he had to do it alone.
As it turned out, Strawberry Productions did not know anybody with a spare spaceship. They did, however, know someone with access to the Imperium's embassy nearby. Miyako's research had led the Hoshinos to believe their best bet was to get the Imperium to make them Rogue Traders. Then they could explore the galaxy with the backing of the Imperium's vast resources. That is of course, if a high school girl could persuade the High Lords of Terra to grand a Warrant of Trade.
"So let me get this straight," said the Imperial representative over a video call. "You have no noble heritage, no experience in business, no Imperial citizenship, no voidship or crew, and you have never left your home world. . . and you expect us to just hand you one of the most important responsibilities in the Imperium?"
"Um, yes?" replied Ruby through a nervous sweat.
The diplomat sighed. "What would you even be selling to potential customers?"
"I'd be selling performances as the Imperium's first idol!"
"As what now?"
Ruby shared a video of one of Ai's more famous concerts. "See? Cute girls go from place to place singing and dancing and making everyone really happy!"
The diplomat watched the video with a baffled expression. "Are you seriously telling me the people of your world are stupid enough to pay to see this? And a young woman can make a career off of an enterprise that creates nothing of value?"
"That—that's not true!" Ruby gasped. "Idols make the world a better place! There are lots of people who don't have the opportunity to do anything exciting with their lives, and idols bring that energy to the people! As an idol, I can inspire people the way the idols of my childhood inspired me!"
The star in Ruby's eye practically glowed, and the diplomat found it hard not to be sucked in by her enthusiasm. "If some silly song and dance makes the rabble content with their lot in life, I can see the potential. And I suppose no one else in the Imperium has cornered this market. . ." The diplomat then saw Ai watching from the corner of Ruby's screen. "Hold on, what is that?"
"Oh that? That's my mo—I mean, my dreadnought."
The diplomat's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You have the sanction of the Emperor's Angels themselves? Tell me, which chapter does he hail from?"
Ai awkwardly stepped forward as Ruby tried to think of a convincing Space Marine name. "Oh, they're called the um. . . Space Idols?"
"I have never heard of such a chapter. Then again, there are many lesser-known chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. If you are truly favored by the Space Marines, then this changes things. I will present your application to the High Lords immediately. Ave Imperator."
As the video call ended, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't believe he bought it. We'll get the job for sure."
"I'd say it was risky to lie like that, but that'd be hypocritical coming from me," said Ai.
In the days that followed, the High Lords said they'd grant a Warrant of Trade on the condition that the Hoshinos could provide their own ship and crew. Even as they had no idea how they'd afford those things, Aqua set about finding more potential idols for Ruby to perform with. Fate had reunited him with Kana Arima, and while she was a prickly girl with self-esteem issues, she was someone Aqua could trust Ruby with. More importantly, she could be played like a fiddle. Once Kana had been convinced to join Ruby as a Rogue Idol, the twins introduced her to Ai.
"Ai!" Ruby called. "Our newest partner is here! She's a genius who can lick baking soda like that!"
"Hey, if you're going to keep calling me that, I'll just leave!" Kana pouted.
"Nuh-uh, you signed a contract. Back out now and we'll sue you," Ruby teased as she stuck out her tongue.
"Ugh, why did I let Aqua talk me into. . ." Kana's complaint died in her throat as she took a good look at Ruby's "mentor." "You're Ai, the genius idol who almost died but got put into a robot!"
Ai would have smiled if she still had lips. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Arima. I haven't seen you since that short film we both acted in."
The words "haven't seen you" felt like a stab to the stomach, but Kana kept it professional. "I'm just glad you still remember me. I haven't been as active since my child actor days."
"Oh you've done good for yourself. Aqua tells me your acting was amazing in I'll Go With Sweet Today."
"He—he really said that about me?" blushed Kana.
While Kana and Ai caught up, Ruby went to talk with Aqua.
"Are you sure we have to lie about Ai being our mentor instead of our mom?" Ruby asked.
Aqua nodded. "It might be awkward if Kana knew what we had been through, or what our real goal behind becoming Rogue Traders is. Trust me, it's better this way."
"I guess, but I feel bad lying like this, even to Loli-senpai."
Before Aqua could respond, he got a call from Miyako.
"We have a ship."
The twins, Ai, and Kana made their way to a spaceport where a crew was busy painting the ship that would become home for the new B-Komachi.
"It's so big!" declared Ruby.
"It looks expensive," observed Aqua.
"It's a piece of junk," deadpanned Kana.
"Where did this come from on short notice?" asked Ai.
As if to answer the former idol's question, a bearded man with a bandana covering his forehead approached.
"Welcome to the Star Crow. I know armored freighters aren't exactly luxury flying, but it was hard to find anything affordable."
"Did you really buy this for us?" asked Ai.
"Not just me. When Strawberry Productions put out a memo that Ai needed a spaceship, fans from all over Japan crowdfunded this. Everyone in the crew is also a diehard fan of yours from the old days. We don't mind volunteering if it'll help restart your career.
"Strawberry Productions? That must mean. . . oh Miyaemon," whispered Ruby.
"Thank you all so much. You have no idea what this means for my fam—for me," cried Ai.
Aqua stepped forward. "I heard we need a special kind of navigator to make this thing fly. Does anyone in the crew have the right skills?"
The man laughed and pointed at his bandana. "Let's just say I have it covered."
Ruby beamed with excitement. "Our life as Rogue Idols begins!"
