The events of the day before had been a revelation for every operator aboard Rhodes Island. No one could believe that they had a time traveller who had been among them all this time; what was even more shocking is that said time traveller was the daughter of the doctor and Ch'en. Nobody could stop talking about it. Many operators wanted to know what their fates were in the future.
Said parents of the time traveller, however, prevented them from finding out the truth; that was only to be known by those who needed to know. This left many operators coming up with their theories of what happened to themselves in the future. For many, it was exciting to think about.
For some of the female operators, however, the news they received yesterday was nothing short of heart-breaking. Many of them imagined a future alongside the doctor, but the news that Yua was the daughter of the doctor and Ch'en shattered those dreams. One operator who wasn't deterred from obtaining the doctor's heart, however, was Skadi. The aegir still believed that the doctor would be hers. She just needed to get Ch'en and Yua out of the way for that to happen. Currently, Skadi was trying to think of a way to get that to happen, but, no idea came to mind; at least one that didn't incriminate herself if she carried it out.
This frustrated the aegir. She couldn't think of any plan that didn't end up with herself as the enemy of the doctor. "I could try that...no that won't work, too many witnesses. Maybe this instead? No, they would know it was me instantly. I can't think of anything...this is hard. I just want these pests gone." Skadi was trying to think of a plan to get rid of the two lungs, but everything she could think of would connect her to it, Skadi was at a dead end. Just then, the voice in her head came up with a plan in mind, "I can call upon my kin to assist us in this endeavour. We will be heading to Rim Billiton, correct? It is near the sea, if you let me I can call for my kin to eliminate the interloper and her spawn."
This felt wrong to Skadi. Getting help from the seaborn felt like a huge betrayal, not just to her homeland, but to the comrades she had lost fighting these monsters. She also remembered what she had seen in her alternate self's memories: the seaborn had destroyed Terra. Skadi wanted to say no. To reject the offer immediately. But the aegir was desperate; she was willing to do anything that got rid of Yua and Ch'en that didn't point to her being the culprit. With a heavy heart, Skadi asked the voice, "Very well, I accept your help. How will you call upon your kin?" The voice replied in a chilling tone, "Do not worry. When you are ready, I will take control." The voice then went silent. Skadi had a bad feeling about this; she wanted to ask the voice what it meant, but got no reply. The aegir hoped that she wouldn't come to regret this decision in the future...
Rhodes Island had arrived in Rim Billiton, the nation of the cautus. Amiya's homeland. Kal'tsit only intended to stop here to obtain supplies. They would then push on to Laterano. However, Amiya had convinced her to stay here for a few days so that the operators could relax. They had all been pushed hard recently. Amiya also wanted to spend some time with Yua and show her around Rim Billiton.
Amiya also wanted to spend some time with Ch'en; as she was Yua's mother, the blue-haired lung was practically Amiya's family as well. Kal'tsit wanted to object to Amiya's plan. The ancient feline wanted to get to Laterano as soon as possible to look for Mostima. In the end, the cautus convinced her. Kal'tsit realised she could use this time to gather possible components for her own time machine. Stopping here as well would give Kal'tsit time for a plan on how to deal with the Skadi and Yua situation. In the end, a few days in Rim Billiton would do everyone in Rhodes Island some good.
When Amiya, Yua, the doctor, and Ch'en stepped outside the landship, they were hit with a very warm wind and the sound of the sea. Rhodes Island had come to the Copper Coast, a tourist region of Rim Billiton. Many cities and towns in Rim Billiton were named after metal, and the Copper Coast was no different. Despite not being a mining settlement, everyone could understand why it was named after said metal. Along the shoreline, the sand on the beach was as brown and glistening as the metal itself, an incredible sight to behold. Many hotel chains and restaurants dotted the area near the sea. A true tourist area, it hid the grim underbelly of the nation, a nation ruled by corporations.
Amiya felt excited to be back home; there was so much she wanted to show the people with her. However, the first goal of the group was to book into one of the hotels. They wouldn't be spending their time on the landship. Amiya wanted this time to be with people who were family. The cautus led the group to one of the hotels on the coast, one that looked incredibly lavish.
For most people, this hotel would have been out of reach financially, but because of the partnership with Penguin Logistics, Rhodes Island had plenty of money to spend. When they walked up to the receptionist, they could see a cautus tale man in a smart, expensive-looking suit. Amiya introduced herself and asked what rooms were available. The man replied that he would check. While the man was checking for rooms, Ch'en was dealing with negative thoughts. The lung felt out of place here. She felt like she didn't belong, that only the doctor, Amiya, and Yua should be here.
Yua could see that something was wrong with Ch'en and spoke to her mother, "What's wrong, Mother? You don't seem yourself." Ch'en looked at her daughter and replied, "This doesn't feel right, Yua. Being here with all of you. I don't know how to explain it." The white-haired lung could tell what was wrong after listening to her mother, Ch'en was still feeling strange being part of a family. "Listen, Mother. I know that this situation is strange, but I believe you do have every right to be here. I'm still adjusting to having you both back. So we will work this out, Mother. Together." Ch'en smiled at her daughter, glad that she wasn't the only one having trouble adapting to this situation, but together, they would find a way to make it work. When they finished talking, Amiya walked up to them and handed them a room key each. They all had separate rooms, but on the same floor.
They all took an elevator to the floor where their rooms were located, then they all entered their rooms and began unpacking everything they had brought from the landship except Yua. Yua decided to lie down on the bed and contemplate that she had not experienced a vacation like this since she was a child. "It's been so long since I've been on a vacation with my mother, father, and Amiya. I never thought I would get to do this again. This all feels so surreal; if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." Yua was looking forward to this; there would be no fighting, no struggling to survive, and she would get to spend time with her family.
The lung promised herself she would enjoy every moment of this; she didn't know when she would get to do this again. The doorbell rang to Yua's room, and she went to answer it. Amiya was standing outside, dressed in summer clothing: a red coat, white shirt, shorts, and sandals. The cautus could see that Yua hadn't changed; "Hurry up and change, Yua! We are all going down to the beach! The doctor and Ch'en have already gone down there! Come on!" Amiya exclaimed sounding very excited.
The lung could sense her sisters excitement, and this put a huge smile on her own face. She could tell Amiya was just as happy as she was. Yua told Amiya, "OK Amiya, I'll get changed. You head down and tell mother and father I'll be there soon. I'll try not to be too long." Amiya nodded and left Yua to change. A short time later, Yua was on the beach and began looking for any sight of Amiya or her parents. The lung was dressed in a white tank tip, black shorts, and blue sandals. Yua didn't bring anything that covered her scars, and this made her feel self-conscious. She knew the others would notice them on her arms and legs.
After a few minutes, looking around the beach, the lung located the other people she was with. They were sitting at a beach hut, and each of them had a drink in their hand. The doctor wasn't wearing his hood. He was dressed in a shirt with flowers and dark blue jeans with black sandals. Ch'en was dressed in a blue tank top with matching shorts and sandals and wearing a cap. Amiya spotted the lung and waved her over to join them.
When Yua was closer to the trio, the first thing they noticed about her was the scars on her body. Yua could tell they were looking at them and began to squirm under their collective gazes. She was incredibly uncomfortable. The doctor was the first to comment, "By the gods Yua. What happened to you. I knew that you got injured because of the fighting, but I didn't believe it was this bad." The doctor said with concern in his voice. He knew that Yua must have suffered injuries because of fighting the seaborn, seeing her scars, however, drove home that the future that his daughter was from was truly a fight for survival.
Ch'en also could see all the scars on her daughters body. It pained her knowing that Yua must have been in some horrifying battles. The blue-haired lung promised herself that Yua would not have to go through this on her own anymore. If Yua called her for help, she would come to her aid no matter what it took. Amiya was simply saddened seeing the condition of her sister. She wished she knew what to say to help. Words would not help in this situation. However, all the cautus could do for Yua was be there for her when she needed her.
Sensing that the mood with everyone near her had dropped, the white-haired lung spoke to try to brighten it up for the others, "I know my scars look bad, but please don't feel upset by them. What happened to me couldn't have been avoided. But I'm still here, and I don't want this time together to be a sad time. I want it to be happy for everyone." Seeing Yua didn't want anyone to feel upset or guilty, they all tried to look happy in front of her, Yua's scars, however, reminded them all of what she had been through. They would all try to be happy for her sake, but the lung's grim future would constantly be in the back of their minds. "Well, this is a nice surprise. Good to see you bonding with your family, Ch'en." A voice brought the attention of everyone, looking who it was, everyone could see Hoshiguma and Swire had arrived. They were in their own summer attire.
"What are you two doing here?" the blue-haired lung asked her friends. Both former LGD officers had come to enjoy some time away from the landship. They expected to see their friend Ch'en alone with her daughter, not with the family she had in the future. The pair wanted to speak with Yua on her own away from Ch'en, the fact that the blue-haired lung was with the doctor, Amiya, and Yua presented them with the perfect opportunity to do so. Hoshiguma grabbed the white-haired lung's arm and spoke to the group, "We have something to discuss with Yua, don't worry Ch'en, we will return her later, we promise." Hoshiguma then dragged Yua away with Amiya and Ch'en's protests in the distance.
When they were a suitable distance away, Yua managed to wriggle her arm out of the oni's grasp. The lung wanted to know why she was dragged away. "What's the big idea?" Yua clearly wasn't happy with being taken away from her family. Hoshiguma held her hand up to tell Yua to calm down. "Relax, Yua. We just have some questions about the future. We wouldn't be able to ask you with Ch'en and the doctor there. Sorry, we had to pull you away from them." Now that Yua understood the situation, she quickly calmed down. The lung should have suspected that the two people who she saw as her aunts would have questions about the future.
Looking at where she had been taken to, the lung could see they were at a bar. Swire then spoke, "It's just a friendly chat over a meal between friends. Don't worry about anything Yua, if there's anything you don't want to talk about, we understand." The three then walked inside the bar and sat at a table to order food. As they were waiting, both Hoshiguma and Swire began to ask questions. Yua answered the questions she felt comfortable with, and some of the answers surprised the two former LGD officers. They discovered that in the future, they were practically her aunts. The pair felt flattered, knowing that she also saw them as family. They also found out that they were highly ranked in the future Rhodes Island. They also grimly discovered that the future was in ruins because of the seaborn. Being told this, the two promised that if Yua needed any help, all she had to do was ask.
Their meal then arrived, and each of them had a mug of beer along with it. Yua looked at the beer and then at the oni and feline, "You both realize I'm only seventeen, right?" the lung said to the pair. "I shouldn't be drinking this." Hoshiguma replied in a relaxed tone, "Relax, Yua. It's only one drink. Besides, you've faced worse than a drink. One drink won't hurt. We'll promise to keep this a secret from Ch'en." Yua looked sceptical about drinking alcohol. She had never tasted it before, but she had seen her mother drink it in the future. The white-haired lung also remembered the state her mother ended up in sometimes when she had too much. Reluctantly, Yua took a sip and then immediately started coughing it back up. This made Swire and Hoshiguma laugh. They thought it was hilarious that Ch'en's daughter couldn't hold her drink.
The three then began to eat and talk more about the future. After some time, Swire and Hoshiguma began to have more drinks. Yua had managed to finish her first drink. Seeing this, both Swire and Hoshiguma decided to buy her more. It eventually became evening. By this time, Swire and Hoshiguma were really feeling the effects of the alcohol, Yua however was a complete mess.
The white-haired lung could hardly stand, and she was talking incoherently. Yua looked like she was going to pass out any second. Seeing the condition the lung was in both oni and feline decided to take her back to their own hotel that they had booked into on the coast, they would take her back to Ch'en and the others in the morning. Any consequences they would deal with then. "Come on, Yua, we'll take you back with us." Swire said, supporting Yua on one side, Hoshiguma supported the lung on the other. The three of them then left the bar and headed back to the hotel...
"Ugh...my head is pounding." Hoshiguma said to no-one as she woke up. The morning sun from the window had risen her from sleep. As the oni was getting her bearings, she tried to remember what happened yesterday. "Oh no! What have we done?! Ch'en's going to go ballistic when she sees Yua! We need to get her sobered up as soon as possible! Ch'en can't see her hungover!" The oni thought when she remembered what happened yesterday. Looking at the time on the wall, Hoshiguma hoped it was early in the morning, that would give herself and Swire enough time to make sure the lung was in good enough condition to be returned to her mother.
However, the oni went pale when she saw the time on the wall. It was twelve o'clock, Ch'en would more than likely be searching the area for them. Knowing the situation, Hoshiguma rose up out of bed to wake up Swire and Yua. They had to get Yua back to Ch'en as soon as possible.
Hoshiguma went into the living room and saw Swire asleep on the couch. The oni went up to the feline and shook her awake, "Swire! You need to get up! We need to get Yua back to Ch'en! Come on! Wake up!" After some more shaking, Swire finally managed to wake up. "Hoshiguma? What's going on? Why are you shaking me?" The feline said as she came to.
Once Swire was aware enough, Hoshiguma explained the situation again. Once the feline knew what was going on, she managed to sober up rather quickly. Both of them looked for Yua in their hotel room. However, neither of them could find her, "Oh no! Yua's not here! Where on Terra has she gone?! We need to find her fast! If anything has happened to her, Ch'en will skin us alive!" Swire thought when she couldn't find the lung. She looked at Hoshiguma and could see her friend was just as panicked as she was. This had gone from bad to worse. Both of them hoped this wouldn't get even worse than it already was, but their doorbell rang.
Hoshiguma went up to her door. The oni prayed it was Yua and that she was okay. However, the person who was there was the last person she wanted to see. It was Ch'en, and she looked incredibly displeased. The blue-haired lung had been searching all across the Copper Coast this morning for Hoshiguma, Swire, and Yua. She had gone into every hotel looking for people matching their descriptions. The blue-haired lung did finally find the hotel they were staying at. She was angry with what Hoshiguma and Swire did yesterday. She wanted to spend time with her future daughter and family. Ch'en didn't appreciate what they did. Right now, though, she just wanted to bring Yua back to Amiya and the doctor. She could deal with her friends later.
Seeing the lung was standing in front of her, the oni spoke in a very nervous tone, "Hey Ch'en, lovely day we are having, isn't it?" Ch'en could see her friend was nervous, which meant something had happened yesterday. The lung, however only wanted to see her daughter, whatever these two did Ch'en would deal with later, she just wanted to know her daughter was safe, "Hoshiguma, I'm just here for Yua. Can you get her for me?" The oni laughed nervously and scratched her head. She would have given Yua to Ch'en. The only problem was that the white-haired lung wasn't here. The oni didn't know what to say to her friend, she tried to think of an excuse to tell Ch'en but nothing came to mind. Seeing the oni struggling to speak, Ch'en asked her a question in a very firm tone.
"Hoshiguma...where is my daughter?"