Gemini Star Fortress
Crew Cabin 701
7日 6月 YE 39
0700 Hours
Taiyou Hoshi walked briskly through the fortress to the cabin of the former captain of the YSS Kaiyō. The pink-skinned Chusa rapped slightly on the door and took a step back while placing her hands in front of her groin. The Neko on the other side of the door walked through the cabin to the door and opened it.
Teien Eden, having been recently revived from a ST backup too old to tell her how she died or why, was groggy but willing to salute to a superior officer when she saw one. The off duty former captain was wearing running shorts, tennis shoes, and an oversized shirt that was too billowy to be a volumetric projection.
Hoshi, on the other hand, was wearing a crisp and projected Formal Type 35 with white panels and her Chusa rank pin as well as her full ribbon assortment.
"You've come to tell me they died," Eden said after her salute was finished. Her lip quivered and her golden eyes slid down away from Hoshi's face and looked at the ground as she squeezed her hands and unclenched her fingers.
Hoshi pushed her hands forward, gripping Eden's now-shaking fingers in her own. "No, no. It's not like that, Shosa."
Eden took a deep breath and gripped Hoshi's hands in hers.
In a trembling voice, Eden asked, "They're alive?"
"They're alive," Hoshi said, looking up into Eden's light amber eyes.
Eden sniffed and released her grip on Hoshi's hands and looked up to the ceiling of the hallway outside of her temporary cabin.
Eden asked after taking a short breath in, "When?"
"When what?" Hoshi asked, perplexed as she looked up at Eden.
"When will they be with me again?"
"A fortnight at most." Hoshi said. Eden sighed out and Hoshi asked, "Teien Shosa. May I come inside?"
"Yes," Eden said. "Yes, please."
Hoshi stepped in and looked around the suite, then sat down in the front room. She draped one thin leg over the other and sighed deeply.
"They're alright," Hoshi said. "But are you?"
Eden looked at Hoshi as she stayed standing with only an ounce of trust. She didn't know the woman beyond what PANTHEON told her.
"Yes, Chusa Taiyou."
"Then let me get some things off of my chest," Taiyou Hoshi said. "You went to an alternate universe, correct?"
Eden's stare said volumes, but her mouth said none.
"I've been briefed, Teien Shosa. You have no need to worry. You don't even need to tell me anything." Hoshi went on, "I have come to tell you some things. Best to sit down." Eden complied and was sitting when Hoshi said, "There will be another Kaiyō. Your old ship was destroyed. You all fought valiantly as your MEGAMI, Boss, has told us. That is why you are getting to be on the crew of a ship class you helped design."
Eden's eyebrows knit together. "Ketsurui Fleet Yards took my designs to heart..."
"Yes, they did. They created a Fuji-class Expeditionary Gunship from them and other input. But, predominantly yours. Your crew and civilian compliment is what this ship was designed for. Command jumped at the opportunity to put them in one."
"I couldn't be more happy," Eden said, though inside she was still pained from the frighten Hoshi given her earlier. She spoke out without meaning to, "They're really alive..."
Hoshi reached over and put her light rose-colored hand on Eden's creamy one. "Yes, Eden."
Eden's eyes flickered to Hoshi, then away.
"Your family is safe. Your crew and those you know and love are well. Everyone survived, even you, when you think about it long enough to realize that. Your memories are gone for," Hoshi said. "For how many days?"
"All I remember is the first of the month and everything before that," Eden told the blue and white haired Chusa.
"Six days. That's not too much to bear. When I died during the Second War, I lost two and a half months. I met and made a lover in that time. When I came out of the tube, I didn't know who I was looking at as they cried on my shoulder." Hoshi had grown cold and added, "That's not easy for me to talk about." She coughed tersely and looked at Eden, who looked up at her. "My pain is not as deep as yours, or it is. I don't know your pain. All I know is that it is a side effect of the lives we lead."
Eden nodded, numb, as she looked away.
"Have you thought about retirement?" Hoshi asked, looking directly at Eden as she bent her neck to try to see her facial expression as she asked the question.
Eden's face swung to look at Hoshi, saying simply, "No."
"Good. You will be XO of the Kaiyō II. Orders will be sent shortly but we wanted to confirm that you were behind the idea."
"XO? Where is Chui Teien going?" Eden asked, thinking of Saki. Of Kikyō.
"She will be aboard. This is not a demotion Shosa Teien," Hoshi said slowly.
"It feels like it," Eden said, gritting her teeth.
"This is an experimental ship and your crew just went through things they will need you to be strong for, Shosa Teien."
"I will be, just not in the command chair."
"You will be commanding the away team on missions during this shift in position," Hoshi told her, as if that would make the pill easier to swallow. "You will be expected to be a part of the briefing before Kaiyō sets out and I will look to you to put on a happy face for the crew." Hoshi looked at Eden with a wan smile, "This is a god thing. It will work out for everyone involved."
"It is a shift in position," Hoshi said. "That is true."
"What makes you capable of commanding this ship?"
"I don't answer to you, Shosa," Hoshi said. "But if you must know, I did not ask for this position. It was given to me. If I could, I would have you be captain of the ship you built and died for. That will be our secret." Hoshi floated out of her chair and used gravity manipulation to go to the door of the room. "Will it?"
"It helps knowing that," Eden said, putting on a strong farce of a face.
"Then we are done here, Shosa?" Taiyou asked.
The Chusa had called Eden by her given name only once to help calm the black-haired Neko, but part of her wanted to call Eden by her given name again and again. She wanted to speak to someone frankly and plainly if she were to work closely with them, but that time had passed and it was important to keep a professional face.
Hoshi put a hand up to open the door, then looked back at Eden.
"We are," Eden replied belatedly and Hoshi nodded before she left the cabin. Eden rubbed her hand through her hair, about to sigh out, exasperated, but instead smiled.
"They're alive," Eden whispered to herself as the smile widened.
Crew Cabin 701
7日 6月 YE 39
0700 Hours
Taiyou Hoshi walked briskly through the fortress to the cabin of the former captain of the YSS Kaiyō. The pink-skinned Chusa rapped slightly on the door and took a step back while placing her hands in front of her groin. The Neko on the other side of the door walked through the cabin to the door and opened it.
Teien Eden, having been recently revived from a ST backup too old to tell her how she died or why, was groggy but willing to salute to a superior officer when she saw one. The off duty former captain was wearing running shorts, tennis shoes, and an oversized shirt that was too billowy to be a volumetric projection.
Hoshi, on the other hand, was wearing a crisp and projected Formal Type 35 with white panels and her Chusa rank pin as well as her full ribbon assortment.
"You've come to tell me they died," Eden said after her salute was finished. Her lip quivered and her golden eyes slid down away from Hoshi's face and looked at the ground as she squeezed her hands and unclenched her fingers.
Hoshi pushed her hands forward, gripping Eden's now-shaking fingers in her own. "No, no. It's not like that, Shosa."
Eden took a deep breath and gripped Hoshi's hands in hers.
In a trembling voice, Eden asked, "They're alive?"
"They're alive," Hoshi said, looking up into Eden's light amber eyes.
Eden sniffed and released her grip on Hoshi's hands and looked up to the ceiling of the hallway outside of her temporary cabin.
Eden asked after taking a short breath in, "When?"
"When what?" Hoshi asked, perplexed as she looked up at Eden.
"When will they be with me again?"
"A fortnight at most." Hoshi said. Eden sighed out and Hoshi asked, "Teien Shosa. May I come inside?"
"Yes," Eden said. "Yes, please."
Hoshi stepped in and looked around the suite, then sat down in the front room. She draped one thin leg over the other and sighed deeply.
"They're alright," Hoshi said. "But are you?"
Eden looked at Hoshi as she stayed standing with only an ounce of trust. She didn't know the woman beyond what PANTHEON told her.
"Yes, Chusa Taiyou."
"Then let me get some things off of my chest," Taiyou Hoshi said. "You went to an alternate universe, correct?"
Eden's stare said volumes, but her mouth said none.
"I've been briefed, Teien Shosa. You have no need to worry. You don't even need to tell me anything." Hoshi went on, "I have come to tell you some things. Best to sit down." Eden complied and was sitting when Hoshi said, "There will be another Kaiyō. Your old ship was destroyed. You all fought valiantly as your MEGAMI, Boss, has told us. That is why you are getting to be on the crew of a ship class you helped design."
Eden's eyebrows knit together. "Ketsurui Fleet Yards took my designs to heart..."
"Yes, they did. They created a Fuji-class Expeditionary Gunship from them and other input. But, predominantly yours. Your crew and civilian compliment is what this ship was designed for. Command jumped at the opportunity to put them in one."
"I couldn't be more happy," Eden said, though inside she was still pained from the frighten Hoshi given her earlier. She spoke out without meaning to, "They're really alive..."
Hoshi reached over and put her light rose-colored hand on Eden's creamy one. "Yes, Eden."
Eden's eyes flickered to Hoshi, then away.
"Your family is safe. Your crew and those you know and love are well. Everyone survived, even you, when you think about it long enough to realize that. Your memories are gone for," Hoshi said. "For how many days?"
"All I remember is the first of the month and everything before that," Eden told the blue and white haired Chusa.
"Six days. That's not too much to bear. When I died during the Second War, I lost two and a half months. I met and made a lover in that time. When I came out of the tube, I didn't know who I was looking at as they cried on my shoulder." Hoshi had grown cold and added, "That's not easy for me to talk about." She coughed tersely and looked at Eden, who looked up at her. "My pain is not as deep as yours, or it is. I don't know your pain. All I know is that it is a side effect of the lives we lead."
Eden nodded, numb, as she looked away.
"Have you thought about retirement?" Hoshi asked, looking directly at Eden as she bent her neck to try to see her facial expression as she asked the question.
Eden's face swung to look at Hoshi, saying simply, "No."
"Good. You will be XO of the Kaiyō II. Orders will be sent shortly but we wanted to confirm that you were behind the idea."
"XO? Where is Chui Teien going?" Eden asked, thinking of Saki. Of Kikyō.
"She will be aboard. This is not a demotion Shosa Teien," Hoshi said slowly.
"It feels like it," Eden said, gritting her teeth.
"This is an experimental ship and your crew just went through things they will need you to be strong for, Shosa Teien."
"I will be, just not in the command chair."
"You will be commanding the away team on missions during this shift in position," Hoshi told her, as if that would make the pill easier to swallow. "You will be expected to be a part of the briefing before Kaiyō sets out and I will look to you to put on a happy face for the crew." Hoshi looked at Eden with a wan smile, "This is a god thing. It will work out for everyone involved."
"It is a shift in position," Hoshi said. "That is true."
"What makes you capable of commanding this ship?"
"I don't answer to you, Shosa," Hoshi said. "But if you must know, I did not ask for this position. It was given to me. If I could, I would have you be captain of the ship you built and died for. That will be our secret." Hoshi floated out of her chair and used gravity manipulation to go to the door of the room. "Will it?"
"It helps knowing that," Eden said, putting on a strong farce of a face.
"Then we are done here, Shosa?" Taiyou asked.
The Chusa had called Eden by her given name only once to help calm the black-haired Neko, but part of her wanted to call Eden by her given name again and again. She wanted to speak to someone frankly and plainly if she were to work closely with them, but that time had passed and it was important to keep a professional face.
Hoshi put a hand up to open the door, then looked back at Eden.
"We are," Eden replied belatedly and Hoshi nodded before she left the cabin. Eden rubbed her hand through her hair, about to sigh out, exasperated, but instead smiled.
"They're alive," Eden whispered to herself as the smile widened.
