Planet 188604
Osman City
Anastasia arrived to her hotel room in a very solemn mood. Still dressed in her bike gear from the show, she had worn her tinted visor down the whole way to her room to avoid bringing any more poorly-timed attention. The day had fallen from one of her proudest to absolute shit in the matter of minutes. The Elysian tore off their helmet, letting it fall where it may on the carpeted floor. It was a rather secure and cushy room covered by Havok to her protest of staying in a space station, but she couldn't bother to stop and appreciate the view.
There were things to prepare for and she didn't feel herself in any of it.
Ana stripped off her riding jacket, tossing her concealed pistol onto the bed-stand. A lot of good that did. She felt like a coward. She could have said something, followed someone. Thoughts probed her mind as the Elysian shuffled about her room, collecting the pressed bag of blue fabrics she had left in the bathroom closet. Why didn't she try and follow? For a moment she had everything she could have wanted and more, and the next it was all gone. She was indecisive, either on the verge of tears of backhanding the next S6 officer she saw.
Minutes of self-brooding and a cold shower later, Anastasia returned to the room sheathed in a dark blue dress composed of several layers of wrapped fabric, gilded with little patterns of light lines running across every which way on the interwoven sheets. With a sigh, the Elysian laid back on the white sheets, letting her damp hair form a dark halo around her head. The inexpiable sound of nothingness moved in around her like lapping waves- It was a feeling of void and that stalked her at her lowest, leaving her helpless as it crept. The ambiance of the empty room had been drowned out by muffled buzzing, accompanied by an ever-encroaching series of beeps. Alarms.
Anastasia jolted upright, clutching the downy white blankets below her as she came back to reality. Her breathing spiked and slowed as she confirmed she was still in the room. A few minutes had passed, that much was clear as she padded her almost dry hair. She rested, looking around as she remembered the situation at hand. Curious, she twisted her neck slowly as she realized the buzzing alarm continued. It was coming from the display across the room from the foot of the bed. She read the number on the screen, her eyes widening slightly as it displayed a familiar caller ID. She pulled herself around the side of the bed, running her hands through her hair until it formed an almost normal shape.
---
Uesureyan Fields
Yamatai
The volumetric screen showed Eden her own reflection for a split second before flickering to life. She caught her stern expression and tired eyes and wished she had the capacity to smile after a vacation, but the will was barely there.
Finally, the screen’s call began and Eden saw Anastasia’s ghostly image sitting on the other side.
Eden began, “Ana, konichiwa.”
Anastasia wiped away her emotions and tried to greet Eden with a straight face. Eden had known her well long enough to see that the Elysian was still visibly distressed over the fiasco that unfolded at the festival earlier today. She spoke up, looking up at the display. “Hey Eden… I- uh… I’m sorry about what happened earlier today…”
Eden replied, her mood shifting, “I didn’t know our presence would be such an interference. I wish we could have done it differently. That planet is… Something else… I called to convince you, though, of something.”
Anastasia looked away from the display, letting out a small, muted chuckle. “Yeah… I prefer being over in Yamatai honestly. The ‘security forces’ here may as well be a bunch of for-hire thugs...” Anastasia’s voice trailed off for a moment. She raised her head to look back at Eden. “What did you mean by, ‘convince’ me?”
“I would,” Eden said as she thought out her words, “like you back for one more engineering job.”
The Elysian cocked her head to the side, a confused smile breaking past her lips for a moment. “We aren’t running a mafia here, Eden. What do you mean, ‘job’?”
“...We need to go somewhere only we have gone,” Eden said firmly.
Anastasia fell quiet for a moment, bouncing the thought around in her mind and jog her memory. It didn’t take long for her to realize what Eden wanted, something both women knew. She came back out with a small question, that she felt she already knew the answer to. “...for Yamatai, I assume?”
“For the empire, yes.” Eden said “For Yui’s Yamatai.”
Anastasia sighed, pulling herself off the edge of the bed and letting herself wander along with her mind. There was already a little hole burned into her heart telling herself “yes!”, but she didn’t feel entirely there yet. She needed to be level-headed before throwing herself into a contract. She stopped, her cobalt wings facing the volumetric display. “...and I would be reimbursed for my time spent on this job, correct?”
Eden sat, waiting. “If that’s what it takes to convince you, then I can’t say anything but yes,” She replied warmly.
Anastasia let the thought race around her head, thinking off all the risks involved with going back to that hell. She knew what it could entail, but it just wasn’t enough to get past that unrequited itch. The Elysian turned back to face the display, nodding slowly. “I’m a little out of practice, but I think I can help you out with this job.” She looked out the window at the vista beyond, continuing. “But… I have a few requests.“
Eden spoke again, watching. “We will accommodate you in any way possible.”
Anastasia smiled a little bit, forming a mental list. “Well… I would like to be roomed with Orion again, if possible. And…” Her voice trailed off as her head filled with static, trying to find the words to put together. After a few attempts, she made a cohesive statement. “I- I, don’t want to wear the suit again.”
“You can of course share a room with Orion. He needs you, Ana.” She hesitated, then said, “I will not call you on to an away mission, if that is what you mean. You won’t have to suit up.”
Anastasia exhaled the weight off her shoulders, she took a seat again, looking at the camera. “Thank you, Eden.” Her smile widened as she held her head a little higher. “I guess…. I’ll be seeing you after the festival.”
“I will be seeing you then, on Yamatai. We’re at Uesureyan Fields for the time being,” she replied.
Anastasia nodded. “We’ll be wrapped up here before long, then I’ll be back there soon enough.” Before Eden could finish the call, she spoke out again. “And Eden…”
The Elysian looked up with a sly little smile across her face. “Be sure to bring extra coolant this trip.”
Eden gave a small laugh as she thought back to the past event that had retired the Kaiyo I, “I will be sure to.”
---
The call ended, and the screen dissolved away to show the cream-colored walls of the hotel room yet again. Anastasia stood, resting her palms on the desk in front of her. Her mood had been lifted considerably, filled now with both excitement and trepidation. Before she could continue racing around with her thoughts, she checked her phone, realizing just how much time had passed in the call. She could still get a ride, but it would be close. She held her finger over the speed dial for Jackson, but resisted. She could talk to him in person.
She strode towards the door, not bothering to stop fix her hair- the diva look wasn't in her heart anyways.
Instead, she grabbed her helmet.
Osman City
Anastasia arrived to her hotel room in a very solemn mood. Still dressed in her bike gear from the show, she had worn her tinted visor down the whole way to her room to avoid bringing any more poorly-timed attention. The day had fallen from one of her proudest to absolute shit in the matter of minutes. The Elysian tore off their helmet, letting it fall where it may on the carpeted floor. It was a rather secure and cushy room covered by Havok to her protest of staying in a space station, but she couldn't bother to stop and appreciate the view.
There were things to prepare for and she didn't feel herself in any of it.
Ana stripped off her riding jacket, tossing her concealed pistol onto the bed-stand. A lot of good that did. She felt like a coward. She could have said something, followed someone. Thoughts probed her mind as the Elysian shuffled about her room, collecting the pressed bag of blue fabrics she had left in the bathroom closet. Why didn't she try and follow? For a moment she had everything she could have wanted and more, and the next it was all gone. She was indecisive, either on the verge of tears of backhanding the next S6 officer she saw.
Minutes of self-brooding and a cold shower later, Anastasia returned to the room sheathed in a dark blue dress composed of several layers of wrapped fabric, gilded with little patterns of light lines running across every which way on the interwoven sheets. With a sigh, the Elysian laid back on the white sheets, letting her damp hair form a dark halo around her head. The inexpiable sound of nothingness moved in around her like lapping waves- It was a feeling of void and that stalked her at her lowest, leaving her helpless as it crept. The ambiance of the empty room had been drowned out by muffled buzzing, accompanied by an ever-encroaching series of beeps. Alarms.
Anastasia jolted upright, clutching the downy white blankets below her as she came back to reality. Her breathing spiked and slowed as she confirmed she was still in the room. A few minutes had passed, that much was clear as she padded her almost dry hair. She rested, looking around as she remembered the situation at hand. Curious, she twisted her neck slowly as she realized the buzzing alarm continued. It was coming from the display across the room from the foot of the bed. She read the number on the screen, her eyes widening slightly as it displayed a familiar caller ID. She pulled herself around the side of the bed, running her hands through her hair until it formed an almost normal shape.
---
Uesureyan Fields
Yamatai
The volumetric screen showed Eden her own reflection for a split second before flickering to life. She caught her stern expression and tired eyes and wished she had the capacity to smile after a vacation, but the will was barely there.
Finally, the screen’s call began and Eden saw Anastasia’s ghostly image sitting on the other side.
Eden began, “Ana, konichiwa.”
Anastasia wiped away her emotions and tried to greet Eden with a straight face. Eden had known her well long enough to see that the Elysian was still visibly distressed over the fiasco that unfolded at the festival earlier today. She spoke up, looking up at the display. “Hey Eden… I- uh… I’m sorry about what happened earlier today…”
Eden replied, her mood shifting, “I didn’t know our presence would be such an interference. I wish we could have done it differently. That planet is… Something else… I called to convince you, though, of something.”
Anastasia looked away from the display, letting out a small, muted chuckle. “Yeah… I prefer being over in Yamatai honestly. The ‘security forces’ here may as well be a bunch of for-hire thugs...” Anastasia’s voice trailed off for a moment. She raised her head to look back at Eden. “What did you mean by, ‘convince’ me?”
“I would,” Eden said as she thought out her words, “like you back for one more engineering job.”
The Elysian cocked her head to the side, a confused smile breaking past her lips for a moment. “We aren’t running a mafia here, Eden. What do you mean, ‘job’?”
“...We need to go somewhere only we have gone,” Eden said firmly.
Anastasia fell quiet for a moment, bouncing the thought around in her mind and jog her memory. It didn’t take long for her to realize what Eden wanted, something both women knew. She came back out with a small question, that she felt she already knew the answer to. “...for Yamatai, I assume?”
“For the empire, yes.” Eden said “For Yui’s Yamatai.”
Anastasia sighed, pulling herself off the edge of the bed and letting herself wander along with her mind. There was already a little hole burned into her heart telling herself “yes!”, but she didn’t feel entirely there yet. She needed to be level-headed before throwing herself into a contract. She stopped, her cobalt wings facing the volumetric display. “...and I would be reimbursed for my time spent on this job, correct?”
Eden sat, waiting. “If that’s what it takes to convince you, then I can’t say anything but yes,” She replied warmly.
Anastasia let the thought race around her head, thinking off all the risks involved with going back to that hell. She knew what it could entail, but it just wasn’t enough to get past that unrequited itch. The Elysian turned back to face the display, nodding slowly. “I’m a little out of practice, but I think I can help you out with this job.” She looked out the window at the vista beyond, continuing. “But… I have a few requests.“
Eden spoke again, watching. “We will accommodate you in any way possible.”
Anastasia smiled a little bit, forming a mental list. “Well… I would like to be roomed with Orion again, if possible. And…” Her voice trailed off as her head filled with static, trying to find the words to put together. After a few attempts, she made a cohesive statement. “I- I, don’t want to wear the suit again.”
“You can of course share a room with Orion. He needs you, Ana.” She hesitated, then said, “I will not call you on to an away mission, if that is what you mean. You won’t have to suit up.”
Anastasia exhaled the weight off her shoulders, she took a seat again, looking at the camera. “Thank you, Eden.” Her smile widened as she held her head a little higher. “I guess…. I’ll be seeing you after the festival.”
“I will be seeing you then, on Yamatai. We’re at Uesureyan Fields for the time being,” she replied.
Anastasia nodded. “We’ll be wrapped up here before long, then I’ll be back there soon enough.” Before Eden could finish the call, she spoke out again. “And Eden…”
The Elysian looked up with a sly little smile across her face. “Be sure to bring extra coolant this trip.”
Eden gave a small laugh as she thought back to the past event that had retired the Kaiyo I, “I will be sure to.”
---
The call ended, and the screen dissolved away to show the cream-colored walls of the hotel room yet again. Anastasia stood, resting her palms on the desk in front of her. Her mood had been lifted considerably, filled now with both excitement and trepidation. Before she could continue racing around with her thoughts, she checked her phone, realizing just how much time had passed in the call. She could still get a ride, but it would be close. She held her finger over the speed dial for Jackson, but resisted. She could talk to him in person.
She strode towards the door, not bothering to stop fix her hair- the diva look wasn't in her heart anyways.
Instead, she grabbed her helmet.
