Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Career Track ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Career Track

A Rocket Girls fic by AZ

Disclaimer: I don't own all the characters…

“Welcome back, you two,” smiled the head of the Solomon Space Association as his two weary astronauts disembarked the taxi.

“Don't `welcome back' us, you con man!” snapped his mission commander. “The telemetry control parameters for re-entry are still all messed up! You said you had fixed them!” complained the girl, glaring at him.

“Well, it was closer, wasn't it?” asked the man mildly, the girl's disapproval rolling off him like water off a duck's back. “We'll get it fixed so you are landing a few miles off shore next time - promise!” he soothed her easily.

“Likely story,” muttered the girl. “Come on, Akane, let's get cleaned up and grab some sack time,” Yukari said to her mission specialist.

“Hai,” agreed the other astronaut. Together, the two began to trudge toward the dormitory on the base the SSA operated out of in the Solomon Island chain. Being on the equator, it was great for launching rockets into orbit, but not so good for living conditions, due to being broiling hot. “I can't wait to get this suit off me,” the junior girl added.

“You and me both,” agreed Yukari fervently. Gotta remember to talk to someone about having normal clothes ready for us on recovery; or better, in the capsule somewhere, she reminded herself. Not that the three millimeter-thick high-tech suit wasn't good - it was generations ahead of what the rest of the astronauts were using - but after twenty two hours in it, it began to feel decidedly uncomfortable.

“Hey, welcome back,” came a voice from just ahead of the pair. Looking up, Yukari found herself looking at the medical officer in the shoe-string budget outfit. “Just who I was looking for,” the woman continued right on. “I need you two over in medical right away for an examination, so…”

“Good to see you again, too, Satsuki,” Yukari interrupted the doctor blandly. “Why, yes, the flight was a success, thanks for asking. And of course we don't mind waiting to get a shower and hit the sack, thanks once more for ASKING!!” she snapped.

“Yukari,” murmured Akane, though the girl didn't disagree with the sentiment behind the outburst from the mission commander.

“You can clean up after the examination,” Satsuki waved away the protest. “It's important that you two be in top condition,” lectured the woman. “Especially since Akane-chan is still having trouble with the G loads on launch and re-entry,” she added.

“Leave it alone, Satsuki,” warned Yukari quietly. “We got a working system going, so just keep your editorial comments to yourself.”

“I…it's ok, Yukari,” the meek Akane interjected. Seeing Satsuki draw breath to exploit the opportunity, Yukari pre-empted the doctor.

“No, it isn't,” she said firmly. “Akane, you should realize by now that Satsuki is just looking for an excuse to be sadistic. Our missions are going fine, so she has no reason to keep harping on that every chance she gets,” stated the girl firmly. “Besides, your tolerance for acceleration is getting better and better with each mission,” smiled Yukari, fondly ruffling Akane's hair.

Satsuki closed her mouth, knowing that antagonizing Yukari just made her more stubborn and intractable. Subtly, she steered the two to the medical wing. It wasn't until they were inside that the two realized where they were. “Satsuki, we're really tired…” began Yukari.

“Yukari! Akane! Good job!” came a happy voice. Yukari smiled as a tanned, dark-haired blur grabbed her into a hug. “Welcome back, sister!” Matsuri greeted her half-sister.

“Hi, Matsuri,” Yukari replied. It was good to see her sister again. Akane got a hug as well. “What are you doing here, Matsuri?” asked Yukari, beginning to strip off her space suit as Satsuki locked the room's door.

“Getting a check-up,” shrugged Matsuri, unworried. “Dad says `hi' as well,” added the half-Tariho tribe girl. Yukari sighed.

“Yeah, whatever,” she replied. Guess mom was right; it's easier to just accept his actions and move on, philosophized the young astronaut. Like her mother before her, she had given up on her father shortly after meeting him. He hadn't been in her life until she came looking for him, and after that, she realized that she didn't need him in her life. Still, good to know that he isn't throwing curses on us any more, the girl thought, a small flicker of a smile crossing her lips.

Satsuki was already preparing the battery of tests she was supposed to run on the astronauts. Since their first major mission - working with NASA to get the Pluto probe off safely after a few small mishaps and the resulting near-fatal miscalculations - the SSA had been getting more and more work, as well as greater respect and shared data from the other space agencies. Still, for a private venture run on a shoe-string budget, we are second only to NASA in manned space missions, thought the doctor with not a little pride. And soon, we will be launching more manned missions than anyone else!

Of course, that was part of the reason for the battery of tests. With greater access to the cumulative knowledge and records of NASA and the European Space Association came a more complete picture of what their astronauts were risking every time they went up. The director was already working on several issues. An hour and a half later, Yukari and Akane were helped back to the dorm by Matsuri, where they grabbed a quick shower before falling into bed, asleep before they even fully settled.

In the office of Nasuda Isao, the head of the SSA, Satsuki was giving her preliminary report on the condition of the pilots. When she concluded, she looked at him. “Well? Why the concern?” she asked bluntly. While she had no qualms about keeping the pilots out of the loop - even about outright lying to them - she disliked it when she was the one being treated like a mushroom.

In answer, Isao pulled out his planning book, sliding it across his desk toward her. Picking it up, she glanced at him before opening it. Seeing what was written down, she blinked. “Wow.”

“Yes, that sums it up nicely,” Isao agreed.

“We don't have enough staff to cover this,” warned Satsuki. “I can come up with stimulants for Yukari and Akane to keep them going, but…”

“No,” Isao shook his head. “That isn't a real answer, and we'd get in trouble if anyone ever found out we did something like that to our pilots,” he pointed out. Satsuki shrugged.

“So, what then? Even with Matsuri, we can't put up two Mangosteen-type orbiters, because we only have three pilots. Likewise, Matsuri isn't suited to technical work like Akane is. So, what do you have up your sleeve?” asked the doctor.

“Given how splendidly our three astronauts have done, I think we are on the right track using lightweight high school girls in our program,” Isao explained. “So, obviously, that means that we need more Yukaris, Akanes, and Matsuris, correct?”

“And how do you propose to get them? We got lucky with our three,” Satsuki said. “And then, there is this other issue with using young girls,” the doctor touched obliquely on one of the issues that was foremost in her mind. Isao sighed.

“That is going to have to be your problem; for now, anyway,” he said. “As for the other, I think I have come to the only real solution to the problem we have.”

“What?!” exploded Yukari. She, Akane and Matsuri were in the conference room with the heads of the divisions of the SSA. “No way!” she denied.

“Um, that's too many for us to handle, sir,” Akane agreed.

“And we only have one orbiter now, right?” Matsuri joined in.

“Correct,” nodded Isao. “And since Matsuri and Yukari managed to trash the Coconut and the Tanpopo, we can't even send up single-person missions right now.”

“Then, why are you accepting so many jobs?” demanded Yukari.

“Because if we don't, we will all be out of work, and we have fought too hard to let that happen,” said Isao firmly. “For us, our entire lives have been focused on this goal, and now that it is within our grasp, we will not fail!”

“Maybe you spent your whole life for this,” murmured Yukari. But I didn't even think of doing this before I got here, looking for my dad, she thought.

“So, you would go back to being a high school girl again, taking classes to be…what? A secretary in some company? Maybe a business woman?” challenged Isao. “You would give up space for that?”

“Well…” Yukari said slowly, “no,” she reluctantly admitted. Man, this stuff gets into your blood or something, thought the girl.

“So, then you are one of us,” interjected Kinoshita, their Launch Director.

“Fine, whatever,” sighed Yukari. “What crazy idea are you thinking of to get all these jobs done, then?” she asked suspiciously.

“I'm glad you asked,” smiled the head boss, making all three pilots groan. “Our next two missions have been delayed while NASA fine-tunes the satellites, and the one after that can't be done until the ESA figures out just what they need us to do to fix their busted bird, so we have a few weeks to work with.”

“Doing what?” wondered Akane. “Training for missions takes time, and the more complicated the tasks to be done, the longer I need to train on them,” she reminded the man. He smiled at her.

“Oh, don't worry,” he said, “the two jobs for NASA won't require more than a few days training - tops! - since you have already worked with the type of satellite you will be repairing; and you know the crew of the Atlantis, who will be supporting you again,” he dismissed the next two missions. “Our client in the ESA thinks it will take them as much as two months to find the problem, make the new components, package them and send the technical to us, so we'll worry about that when they get their stuff done,” he dismissed the third mission.

“So, what are we supposed to do between then and now?” asked Yukari firmly.

“You three are going to be recruiting,” said Isao, smiling winningly at the three.

“Recruiting? For SSA? Us? Are you nuts?!” exploded Yukari.

“No, I don't think I'm nuts,” came the calm reply from her boss. “We need girls with special skills. And who better to assess if a girl has those skills than you three: the ones with the missions under your belts?”

“Yeah, which is why we're not so keen on dragging more girls into this,” muttered Yukari.

“Well, if you'd rather not, I guess Satsuki and Kazuya can see if they can recruit some more pilots for us,” began Isao.

“Fine! We'll see if any high school students are crazy enough to want to be astronauts with us,” Yukari huffed. Images of legal accusations of kidnapping, child abuse and other sordid things streamed through her head at the idea of Satsuki and Kinoshita `recruiting' for them.

“Excellent,” Isao smiled. “Here are your itinerary and airline tickets,” he said, handing the three a large manila envelope. “You can just make your flight,” he added, glancing at the clock. Yukari glowered at him. Just then, there was a knock on the door to the conference room, and a moment later, Haruyuki Yasukawa - former astronaut for the SSA before he quit to save his life - stuck his head in.

“Hey, girls! Ready to go?” he asked them. “Meter's running, you know,” he grinned.

“But we haven't even packed yet!” protested Yukari.

“Really?” asked Yasukawa, frowning. “Then what were the suitcases Motoko gave me?” he asked, looking at Isao and Satsuki suspiciously.

“Oh, I packed for them while they were eating breakfast,” came the voice of the SSA's Chief Chemist, who was in charge of propellant and suits. “You are ready to go,” she said to the three. “And I have finished the test batch of the new propellant, too,” she said to Isao.

Yasukawa gave the adults in the room a disapproving look before herding the girls toward the front of the main building on the SSA complex. Pausing, he turned back to the group. “You should be ashamed of what you do,” he murmured before closing the door behind him.

“What's his problem?” wondered Satsuki.

“Welcome home, Yukari, Matsuri, Akane,” said Hiroko Morita.

“Hi, mom,” smiled Yukari, giving her mother a big hug. Matsuri did the same, Akane getting the same treatment. Arriving at Narita, the three had found themselves something of a novelty or semi-secret celebrity. Just outside the arrival gates, they had found Hiroko waiting for them.

“Akane, your parents were delayed at work, but will come by our place this evening to see you,” Hiroko assured the girl.

“Hey, can I have your autograph?” came an amused voice from behind Yukari's mother. An instant later, Akane was looking at her younger brother. Akane laughed with him. “No, seriously, sis,” he said after she stopped laughing. “Do you know how much money it is worth? And how much more it will be worth later?” he asked her. Akane blinked.

“I, um,” she hedged. Yukari shook her head, fumbling in her pocket before pulling out a marker. Swiftly, she spun the young man around and scrawled her name on his shirt. Grinning, she handed the marker to Matsuri, who wrote her name - in her native language. Offering the marker to Akane, the two sisters smiled at her encouragingly. Taking the marker, she added her name to his shirt.

“There! Happy now?” Yukari smirked at him. He shrugged.

“I can buy another shirt,” he replied calmly. Looking at her watch, Yukari groaned.

“We're supposed to be meeting with the administration of the school in an hour,” groaned the girl.

“Oh?” asked her mother.

“Yeah, we have to find out when we are giving our little song and dance number,” Yukari answered unenthusiastically. Fishing out her itinerary, she showed it to her mother.

“My, they have you three busy,” noted Hiroko mildly. Yukari nodded.

“Barely an hour a day that isn't already scheduled!” she carped, the five moving to where her mother had parked her car. Each astronaut carried the small suitcase they had been given as they boarded the plane in the Solomon Islands. “And we haven't even looked in our suitcases yet, either,” recalled Yukari.

“Back again,” sighed Yukari, looking at the familiar school before her. Akane nodded.

“Yes,” she said softly. “I feel a little awkward, coming back like this, but also a little nostalgic,” she shared. Yukari shrugged.

“Just another day,” she said confidently.

“Oh, this is the place we landed the Coconut that time!” Matsuri exclaimed.

“Yeah, my old high school,” Yukari confirmed, a wry smile on her lips. Feels kind of good coming back like this, she thought.

“Miss Morita,” a stern voice came from just inside the gate. Flinching, Yukari and Akane turned to see their former nemesis, the headmaster. “I hope you are ready to give your presentation,” the old woman said firmly. “We do not normally hold special assemblies here at Nerisu Girls' Academy, you know.”

“Y…yes, headmistress,” Akane said contritely. “Thank you for making an exception for us,” she added politely.

“Yeah, thanks,” Yukari added. She and the headmistress had had their fair share of disagreements, but she bore the older woman no ill will. “Still doing assemblies in the gym?” asked the mission commander of the SSA program.

“Yes, miss Morita,” the headmistress replied. “We made the announcement this last Monday, so the student body has had notice, though I did not make the assembly mandatory,” the headmistress continued. “Students can choose to go to the special assembly or study in their classrooms as they so choose. I personally disapprove of this job you and Miss Miura have taken on, but I see no reason not to allow you to address those students who might wish to hear what your job is like,” she finished.

“Why, thank you,” Yukari said, bristling slightly. I may not have wanted to be an astronaut at first, but damn it, I'm one now! And a good one, too! she thought tightly.

“The assembly has been scheduled for third period, so you have about three hours to set up your stuff and prepare,” the headmistress said, bowing perfunctorily before turning and moving off. “We are closing the gate now,” she added a moment later. The trio of astronauts scurried inside as the iron gate ground closed on the tracks.

“It occurs to me to ask a question,” Yukari observed, looking around the empty courtyard. She could see several students looking at them through the windows of classrooms that faced the main entrance. “What stuff are we supposed to have to set up?”

Akane frowned. “You're right, we weren't given any materials for our presentations, were we?” the mission specialist recalled. “Not even a single hand-out,” she added, sounding a little worried.

“Doesn't surprise you, does it?” asked Yukari sourly, pulling up her cell phone. Scowling, she punched in a number. After several moments, her party picked up. “It's me, Yukari. Give me Nasuda,” she bit out. “No, I don't want to leave a message! Get him now!” she snapped. “Not there? What do you mean, not there?” demanded the mission commander a moment later.

“Problem?” wondered Matsuri.

Waving a hand at her sister, Yukari kept her attention on the phone. “Well, if you don't know, you don't know,” growled the head astronaut. “Who is in charge? Kinoshita?” guessed Yukari. “He's gone too? How about Satsuki? Vacation?! What the…!” Yukari bit back the rest of that sentence. Taking a calming breath, she broke into whatever the other party was saying.

“Fine, whatever! Who is there that can answer me two questions?” she said, her tone clipped and even. “He'll do!” she bit out. Akane and Matsuri could tell that Yukari was steamed. Several seconds later, she spoke again. “This Mukai? Yeah, Yukari here. Listen, what's the deal with the lack of material for our presentations? What? You know, material. Handouts, slides, CAD demonstrations, that sort of thing. No, there wasn't anything in our suitcases! Oh! Well! That makes a fat lot of sense, then!”

Yukari muttered to herself angrily. Exhaling, she jumped back in. “Never mind; it's too late now. Just get some stuff together and over-night it to my mom's place. We need some handouts, a few fact sheets, some sort of presentation so the people can get a general sort of…well, why not?” Yukari's jaw dropped as she stared at her fellow astronauts in stunned disbelief. “You've got to be kidding me!” she yelled. “If this is a joke, I'm going to…!” she trailed off, groaning.

“No, you don't sound like you are joking, Mukai. Sorry. You aren't the one I want to strangle right now. Yeah, sorry again. Do for me? Well, you could start by shooting the director…ok, ok, aside from that…” her expression turned thoughtful. “Hey, can you email me the basic diagram of the Tanpopo, and that schematic thing you showed us of the Mangosteen and LS5 rocket? You can? Great! Also, can you get the orbital trace of our NASA mission from Kinoshita? Yeah, that one! Send that, too. What else? Oh! See if you can sneak a few pictures of the LS7 fuel test Mihara did that time. And can you scan the Association's logo into a Photoshop file and send that? If you happen to have a good picture of the facility from seaward, scan that and send it to - scale it to magazine res when you do. Yeah, might as well toss in some pictures of the island.”

Akane and Matsuri watched patiently as Yukari - clearly on a roll and working on a plan - nodded, hummed and said `yes,' into her cell phone. Nearly a minute later, a smiling Yukari was ending the call. “Oh! Mukai? I need them within the next half hour,” she said. Clearly, she was amused by what she heard on the other end of the line. “Don't say that! Doesn't the director always say that word doesn't exist?” she giggled. “Gotta run! Bye!” she said, closing her phone.

“So?” Akane asked her.

“So, we have a lot to do and little time to do it,” said Yukari confidently. “Akane, you have your laptop with you? Excellent,” she said. “Take Matsuri with you. There shouldn't be a gym class, so look and see if the stage is ready. Matsuri, follow Akane's directions. And see if they have a projector or something like that so we can hook up the laptop.”

“Ok, but what are you going to be doing?” Akane wondered.

“I have to make some calls and visit the school office then I'll be right there with you,” she said, moving off toward the classroom block where the school office was located. “You have your cell phone? Call me if there isn't a projector we can hook up to, and let me know as soon as possible if there is some other issue that needs to be addressed,” she directed.

“'Kay!” Matsuri called back cheerfully. The Tariho tribal girl followed after Akane, smiling and eager. Yukari was smiling herself as she moved through the doors to the classroom block and down the hall toward the school office.

It was good to be back. She enjoyed seeing her mom again, and her mom was happy to have Yukari and Matsuri back with her. Yukari could easily see that her mother had decided that Matsuri was as much her daughter as Yukari was; not that Yukari minded. Matsuri was her kid sister, anyway. Half or not, she is my sister and fellow astronaut, the young girl thought. It occurred to Yukari that she had never gotten around to meeting Matsuri's mother, the Tariho woman called Toto. She had been given to understand that Toto was the daughter of the previous chief, a sort of princess in the tribe, but beyond that, she had never met the woman. Making a mental note to do that next chance she got, Yukari closed in on the office to the school.

After eating and chatting with Hiroko - and catching a half hour or so of TV - the three had retired to Yukari's bedroom. It was then that the three had looked in the suitcases that had been packed for them. Each of them found that the majority of the room in their suitcases was taken up by their space suits. Even at only three millimeters thick, the suits still weren't as compact as normal clothes. Going through the suitcases, they had found that they had toothbrushes, toothpaste, three changes of clothes, and precious little else.

Yukari had not been amused, but her mother had calmly told her that it wasn't worth getting worked up about; they could slip down to the store to pick up what they needed for hygiene and that she had a closet full of clothes to wear. Realizing that her mother was right, Yukari had swiftly pulled together a list of what they needed and slipped out to grab it while Matsuri found herself some clothes from Yukari's closet. It was something of a surprise to find that her clothes were a little loose on her since she had lost weight for the space flights.

Akane's parents had dropped by, and been introduced to the other two. They had stayed for dinner and been very interested in talking about the SSA and how things worked. It was also crystal clear to Yukari that they were very keen on sizing up the girl who held their daughter's life in her hands: Yukari Morita. Overall, Yukari was pretty confident that she had made a good impression on them. And once they had discovered they were a little under-equipped, Akane had called her parents and asked them to bring her some clothes the next morning. Sure enough, while the three were eating breakfast, Akane's younger brother had knocked on their door, holding a small pack of clothes.

Now, they were supposed to be getting ready to give an important presentation, and had found another unexpected hurdle before them. Same old, same old, Yukari thought, entering the school office. “Hello?” she called out. A moment later, she saw the middle-aged woman who ran the office appear from around the corner of the `T' shaped space.

“Can I help you?” asked the woman.

“Yes, please,” Yukari replied, bowing to her. “I'm Yukari Morita, and…”

“Oh, my! I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you without your uniform or that space suit!” the woman said, cutting her off. “Our very own astronaut!” gushed the woman. Yukari managed a smile.

“Yes, ma'am,” she replied. What about Akane? wondered the mission commander.

“You must be getting ready to give your presentation,” guessed the woman. “I can't wait to see it!”

“Yes, about that,” Yukari said, “due to a small oversight, our materials didn't make it here, so I was wondering if I could borrow the school's…”

“I'll be glad to help you!” agreed the woman. Yukari felt a little better at hearing that, but also couldn't help but feel a little creeped-out at the over-eager tone of the woman. It didn't take long for Yukari to explain what she needed from the woman, and while she was waiting for the email to arrive, she got out a phone book and made some calls. When the email arrived - fully one minute early, Yukari noted with pleasure - she was ready. Swiftly dividing up the attachments, she explained what she wanted done, created a basic layout on a piece of paper, and copied the other attachments to her cell phone's memory.

Dropping by the gym, she checked up on Akane and Matsuri, who were busy with the preparations. Fortunately, the projector had a USB port, and Akane had a USB cable with her laptop's accessories, so they were in business. Transferring the files from her cell phone to the laptop, she explained to Akane what she needed her to do and gave her two co-workers the rough plan she had worked out.

“So, we aren't going to get any help from the SSA?” wondered Akane. Yukari scowled.

“Apparently, the entire budget for this mission was used up flying us here and back,” she said sourly. “What a sloppy way to do things,” she disapproved.

“Nothing new,” shrugged Matsuri. “We can handle it!” she boasted.

“Yes, we can handle this. Right, Yukari?” smiled Akane. Yukari nodded her head, smiling back.

“After the Orpheus mission, this is nothing,” she confirmed, giving the other two a thumbs-up. “Piece of cake, in fact,” she added. “But right now, I have to go get the placards printed up,” explained Yukari. “Be back in a bit.” Turning for the door to the gym, she heard her phone ring. Picking up the call, she found herself talking to her mother.

“Quite the crowd,” noted Yukari, peeking out from behind the curtain. Fully ten minutes before the scheduled time, students had begun to drift into the gym. Looking at them, Yukari found that they were third-years. At the door, the astronauts had put up a small table and a stack of pamphlets, the office woman standing by the table and handing each student one of the simple, black-and-white tri-folded hand-outs. On the front was the Solomon Space Association's logo, a simple line-art of the LS5 system with the old single-seat capsule, and the caption `so you want to be an astronaut?' Yukari had been leery of using the line, but had allowed herself to be over-ridden by Matsuri and the office lady.

Heh! It'd serve them right if they got flack from that line, thought the girl nastily. It struck her just then that here she was, a teenage astronaut giving a career presentation to a bunch of girls who - mere months ago - had been her classmates and sempais. It's a strange, mad little world sometimes, she thought, amazed at how things worked occasionally. Her mind turned back to what was about to happen.

Inside the fold, the first of three columns was taken up by a brief - Spartan, even - overview of what she and the others did. Next section was a list of terms she would be using in the presentation. One of the things she had realized early on was that it would waste nearly all the time they had available to try to explain terms as they went. They had forty minutes to give their pitch, and another twenty to field questions and set up follow-up sessions if any students wanted to learn more, so time was limited.

After the glossary was the third column of the tri-fold paper. It was packed with the key mathematical formulas needed to do what they did. The Hohmann transfer orbit formula, the translation orbit formula, angle-thrust formula and a few others were listed. Yukari doubted that anyone not in the advanced physics course or the math club would be able to grasp those formulas. Kami knows I didn't get them, recalled the girl. She smirked, wondering if it was worth explaining reverse Polish calculations to the girls gradually filling the chairs the three had set up. Guess I will point anyone who wants to know more toward the physics club and math clubs, decided the girl. Without scientific calculators, it was pointless to try and teach the girls learning about these formulas for the first time.

On the second column on the back was the Association's contact information, as well as a list of the four primary people: Program Director Nasuda Isao, Launch Director Kazuya Kinoshita, Chief Medical Doctor Satsuki Asahikawa, and Chief Engineer Hiroyuki Mukai. It was Yukari's opinion that giving that information to the students who attended was fair punishment for the bungled mission planning. And if it gives them a little back, so much the better.

The last open column was a thumbnail of what it was like living on the base in the Solomon Islands. Nothing fancy, just a brief description of the general living conditions. Akane had written it, so it was much better crafted than the section she had written. Reading it, Yukari had almost believed it, too.

“I'm ready,” said Akane, looking up from her laptop. Yukari nodded. Glancing over at Matsuri, she saw that her sister was locking the gloves on her suit.

“Ready?” she asked her sister. Matsuri nodded, smiling brightly.

“Ready!” she chirped. Yukari checked the board she had set up to the side of the screen the projector would display the main make-shift presentation on, verifying the large boards were in the correct order and situated correctly. Glancing at her phone, she checked the time before setting it to vibrate and tucking it into her skirt pocket.

“Showtime,” she said to the other two, tugging on the cord that retracted the curtain. Looking out from the stage, Yukari blinked, seeing that all the chairs were full, and a number of students and even some faculty were standing near the back of the group of chairs. Did every student come to assembly? she wondered briefly. Reaching behind her, she turned on the cordless mic she had talked out of the broadcast club, a short squeal coming over the PA system as it activated.

“Good morning,” she greeted the students. “Thank you for coming to this assembly. I am Yukari Morita, mission commander for the Solomon Space Association's manned flight program. With me are mission specialist Akane Miura and Matsuri Morita, our backup pilot and mission control liaison,” she began.

“Many of you already know Akane and me, because we used to attend this school. Now, we are astronauts. I have five space flights under my belt and two full-profile missions in conjunction with NASA. Akane has two flights and two full-profile missions under her belt. Matsuri has two flights and a rescue mission to her credit.”

Flicking her hand at Akane, who was operating the laptop, she got down to business. “I'd like to start by explaining what exactly we do,” Yukari rolled into her presentation. She had barely managed a rough once-over before they ran out of time, and though it seemed to go ok for her in practice, she was all too aware that it was mostly off-the-cuff. In a way, doing it for the first time at her old high school was a welcome break.

Steadily moving through her presentation, following the basic layout that the hand-out had, she didn't really have time to study how the audience was reacting to what she had to say. By the time that she made her closing remarks, she was three minutes behind schedule. “So,” she concluded, “now that you've had the show, are there any questions?”

Of course there were, and most of the girls raised their hands. “Ok, let's start with any questions not related to what we covered in the presentation,” Yukari took control of the situation. Roughly half the hands dropped. “You,” Yukari indicated a girl.

“I was wondering what kind of pay you got,” the girl said. Yukari frowned.

“Pay. Hmm. Good question,” she replied. “To be bluntly honest, we don't make much, due to our particular business model. However, to off-set this, the living costs are included, and the scenery can't be beat,” smiled Yukari. She wasn't sure what kind of money she was making, since it had never really mattered to her. Supposedly, the SSA was putting her piloting funds in a bank account for her, but she had never seen the register for the account. And I wouldn't put it past old man Nasuda to be skimping on my pay, Yukari thought.

“But, how much is that?” pressed the girl. Yukari frowned.

“If you want money, look somewhere else for a career,” the girl killed the question. “Next question,” she moved on immediately, pointing to another girl.

“Do you have to wear those skin-tight suits all the time?” asked another girl. “They look so…indecent!” she blushed. Yukari smiled thinly.

“In space, they are all you have to keep you alive, so yes, you wear them,” she confirmed. “You aren't the first to think that, either, but after seeing what NASA and the ESA are using, I'm beginning to agree with Mihara about them.”

Pointing to another girl, Yukari fielded the next question. “You mentioned that there was a problem with the LS7 series of rockets. What exactly is wrong with them?” wondered the girl. Yukari shrugged.

“I'm not an engineer, but whatever is wrong makes them explode mid-flight,” she replied.

“It's `cause daddy puts a curse on them to make fireworks,” Matsuri threw in. Yukari sighed.

“A curse?! Really?” squealed a number of girls.

“Matsuri is a Tariho tribeswoman, so you have to understand that her views are a little different,” Yukari headed off the tangent. “How about your question?”

“I wanted to know if there were any openings in the program for non-pilots,” a first-year girl asked.

“I would guess there are, though I can't say for sure. On the back of your pamphlet is the contact information for the Program Director. Please contact him for more accurate information on that,” Yukari side-stepped.

“What kind of training do you have to have to be an astronaut?” the next girl asked.

“Brutal training,” Yukari replied immediately. “Jungle survival training, physical conditioning to build up your tolerance to G-forces, marksmanship training, emergency escape from the capsule, dietary restrictions…it's no fun at all to train,” replied the mission commander. “And then there is the technical side. Orbits to calculate, trajectories to memorize, docking protocols, control manipulation and a million other things. You are constantly having to correct on the fly and adjust as you go. And all of that is before you even begin to train in the mission's precise job requirements. Akane has to train as much as sixteen hours a day for days on end for some jobs.”

From the sound of things, a lot of the girls found that too much like work. It surprised Yukari to find that she was happy with the results. When she was completely honest with herself, she would admit that she wouldn't want to go on a mission with nearly any girl in her school, for one reason or another. So, she made no move to sugar-coat how things were.

When the school chimes sounded, signaling the end of their time, Yukari was still fielding questions, though most of the less intelligent ones had been weeded out. Complaining and moaning, the girls began to move out of the gym, a few staying back as Yukari and her two comrades quickly and efficiently dismantled the presentation. Of those who stayed back, three wanted to talk to the astronauts about signing up.

“Welcome home,” said Hiroko as the three made their way into the apartment.

“Hi, mom,” Yukari said, exhaling as she kicked off her shoes. It had been a long day. Akane was looking pretty well exhausted, though Matsuri seemed to be energetic enough. “Thanks for helping us out,” added Yukari, pausing to hug her mother.

“Well, it is what I do, you know,” Hiroko replied easily. “Oh, have you seen the news?” she asked. Yukari frowned.

“News?” she asked. Hiroko nodded. Picking up the remote, the young astronaut turned on the TV. Quickly finding a news station, she wondered what her mom was talking about. It didn't take long for her to discover what her mother had meant.

As she watched the news, her phone rang. Picking it up, she glanced at the screen. “Yukari,” she said simply. “Yeah, I'm watching it right now,” she said. Akane and Matsuri came into the living room, sinking down to watch along side Yukari. “Director, what is this about?” she asked.

Listening to the man who had `recruited' her, Yukari began to feel concern growing inside her. “I see,” she murmured. “So, what's our move?” she asked. “Cancel the tour and come back to base?” guessed the girl. Hearing the man tell her that they were in a holding pattern for the moment, she frowned. “Can they really do something like that?” asked Yukari.

“Let's hope not; for all our sakes,” Nasuda Isao said. “I have to go now, Yukari. I'll keep in touch,” he said, ending the call.

“Yukari?” asked Akane as her mission commander closed the phone.

“We're in a holding pattern until this thing is fixed,” said Yukari.

“Can the UN really shut us down?” asked Akane. Yukari shrugged.

“I wouldn't think so, but then, I'm not a lawyer,” replied the girl. “For them to claim domain over space travel is a bit much, but the director thinks it is because as a private enterprise, the SSA isn't under their oversight,” Yukari relayed what their boss had told them.

“But, what can we do? Legal proceeding could take years and years to work through, and by then, even if we win, it will be too late for us,” Akane worried.

“Guess it will come down to which side the other space agencies come down on,” Yukari sighed.

“More likely is rather or not the companies seeking your services are willing to lobby on your behalf,” Hiroko interjected. Seeing all three young space travelers turn to look at her, she smiled. “Tell me, do you want to remain astronauts?” she asked them. Slowly, all three nodded. “Then you need a good PR campaign,” Hiroko explained.

“PR campaign?” wondered Akane. Hiroko nodded.

“Yes. And I just happen to know a vice president of an advertising company,” smiled Hiroko. “Selling ideas is my stock and trade.”

Yukari sighed. Being on down-time was wearing on her nerves; even if it was at her home. She found herself missing the SSA compound and the faces she was used to seeing. Other than sporadic emails and one other phone call, the three had not heard from Nasuda. Yukari had made the call to push forward, and contacted the next school on the list about doing their presentation, only to be informed that the school didn't have an open time available at the moment. Yukari was not stupid. She understood what the school was really saying. Even so, she called the other schools on the first-week schedule, and to a school, they begged off, asked to re-schedule or courteously declined to continue with the tour.

So, four days after her first PR mission, Yukari was sitting in her living room, Matsuri beside her, watching Akane work on a training program on her laptop. Without the simulator, she couldn't train herself, but as mission specialist, Akane could use the training simulation they had used for the second NASA mission to keep her skills sharp. Looking at the half-read manga volume she had been working on for an hour, Yukari groaned. “I can almost feel my mind getting rusty,” she sighed.

“Ya think?” wondered Matsuri. “How about we play dodge orbit?” smiled her sister. Yukari blinked.

“You want to play dodge orbit? But you suck at that, Matsuri,” noted Yukari. In truth, Matsuri was far more suited to the physical side of astronautics than the math side, whereas Yukari was stronger on the math side than the physical side. Dodge orbit was a `game' that Kinoshita had come up with so the two could learn to handle orbit changes on the fly. Deviously simple, it was nevertheless pushed one's mental abilities.

“Can't have your mind getting rusty,” shrugged Matsuri, smiling easily. “I got the calculators,” she enticed, grinning. Smiling back, Yukari rummaged around for a legal pad and pencil.

“Akane, you might want to get in on this,” Yukari said. Blinking, Akane shifted her focus to the other two.

“In on what?” she wondered.

“Dodge orbit,” said Yukari. “We need to stay sharp so we're ready to fly at a moment's notice,” explained their mission commander. “Get a display of the NEO six delta orbit data on the screen and grab a seat. I'll go first, taking middle translation orbit, Matsuri will take transition orbit and you can do the transfer from apogee to re-entry,” directed Yukari.

“Ok!” agreed Akane. Her technical skill set was the highest of the three, hence her taking the most difficult profile. In dodge orbit, each of them was on intersecting orbits, and they had to calculate a pattern of burns to avoid the others without losing orbital orientation or craft stability. When the display came up on the laptop, each astronaut copied their core orbit data to their pads, and then began to make calculations.

When a cell phone rang, the three blinked, being jarred from their concentration on their calculations. After a moment of determining which phone it was, Yukari connected the call. “Yukari,” she said, not recognizing the number on the screen, but catching the international designation.

“Konichiwa, Yukari-chan!” came a badly-accented voice. Yukari blinked.

“Norman-san?” she wondered.

“Hai!” laughed the man on the other end of the line. Yukari smirked.

“Your pronunciation is terrible, Norman,” she said, switching to English. “And that accent makes it hard to understand what you are saying, too,” she added, digging back at him.

“Well, I've only been studying Japanese for four weeks,” he defended himself. Yukari frowned.

“Why are you studying Japanese?” she wondered.

“Because I hate not being able to speak the local language,” the NASA mission specialist replied nonchalantly.

“Huh?”

“NASA has set up a joint inspection/training program with the SSA, and I and commander Wayne are going to be on-site at the SSA for a few months,” revealed the older man. “I trust you can show us the good places to eat and how things work there?” he baited.

“Of course,” Yukari smiled wickedly, “after all, we can't have a bunch of Americans running around loose, messing everything up,” she dug back at him. It made her feel better to fight with the man.

She heard him grunt. “You should learn to show respect to your elders, girl,” he replied.

“You might be older, Norman, but I have more missions, so I am your sempai,” shot back Yukari.

“Sempai?” wondered the man. Yukari laughed.

“Look it up in your Japanese dictionary,” she teased him. “So, when are you and commander Wayne arriving at the SSA?” she wondered.

“We're actually about to board our flight to Japan right now,” he said. “From there, it's down to the Solomon Islands,” he explained. Yukari perked up a little.

“Well, we're in Tokyo right now,” she said. “How long is your lay-over?” asked the girl.

“Almost thirty hours; we have a few small things to do before heading down from Japan,” Norman said. Yukari glanced at her two fellow pilots, who nodded.

“Call us when you hit the airport, and we'll come meet up with you,” she said, almost eagerly. “It's easier with a local to guide you, and we can show you some good places to eat, too,” enticed the girl. Over the phone, she heard some muffled talk, and then Norman came back.

“You're on, Yukari,” he agreed. “Our flight is boarding now, so we have to go,” he added.

“Oh, ok,” Yukari said, “see you when you get here,” she added. A moment of silence, then Norman had one final thing to say.

“Yukari,” he said quietly, “keep your chin up, eh?” Before Yukari could answer, the phone went dead. Yukari closed her phone, feeling a lot better than she had for days.

“So, how are Norman-san, Wayne-san and the others doing?” asked Akane. Yukari smiled.

“They're doing well,” she said, stretching her arms. “Norman said that he and Wayne were on some sort of exchange program, and would be at the SSA for the next few months,” she relayed. Akane perked up.

“Oh! That will be good,” she said. As it was now, the only ones that the pilots could talk to about being in space were each other. It would be nice to have other astronauts to talk with.

“You know, I wonder how they got my cell phone number?” Yukari wondered aloud.

“Good news, Yukari,” said her mother as she came home. “You are on for giving your presentation tomorrow mid-morning and later that evening at two local high schools,” she said. Yukari blinked.

“What?” she wondered. Hiroko smiled.

“I made arrangements for you to give your presentations at two high schools tomorrow,” repeated her mother.

“But, the thing on the news…” Akane began.

“That doesn't bother the schools,” Hiroko casually replied, “besides, you should be looking forward, not backward,” added her mother. Spotting three legal pads on the coffee table filled with mathematical formulas, she smiled at her daughters. “Isn't that what those calculations are for?” she wondered innocently.

“Which schools?” wondered Yukari, fumbling for her list.

“Diamon high school and Jindai high school,” supplied her mother, moving into her room to change out of her business attire. Scanning her list, Yukari spotted Jindai high school. It was one of the ones on the second week's list. But she couldn't find Daimon anywhere on the list.

“Well, Jindai was on the list, but Diamon…” Yukari began.

“Right now, you need to get your name and message out. Which schools you speak to is less important than what you say,” her mother explained to her, emerging from her room in casual clothes of a tee shirt and light skirt. “So, I did what I do and now, you can get back to what you were here to do,” finished the woman happily.

“But, Wayne-san and Norman-san are going to be arriving in a few hours,” Akane reminded the group.

“Friends of yours?” Hiroko cut in smoothly.

“NASA astronauts,” Yukari replied, smiling. “They were crewing on the Atlantis when we did the Orpheus mission,” she nut-shelled. “Wayne was mission commander, and Norman was the mission specialist.”

“Well, I look forward to meeting them,” smiled Yukari's mother. “Now, what do you girls want for supper?” she asked them.

It was pretty late when Yukari's phone rang, but all the astronauts were still up. Confirming where the two NASA astronauts were, the three of them quickly gathered their things and departed the apartment. After getting to the rail station nearest to the airport the two had flown into, they didn't have a problem spotting the pair. There was a bubble around the men, who were very clearly gaijins. Smiling, Yukari and her two made a bee line for them.

As they got nearer to the pair, Yukari heard the two practicing their Japanese by trying to talk to passing girls. Of course, the girls were too shy to talk with the tall, strong gaijins with the bad accents. Smiling, Yukari stopped right in front of them, grinning up at the two. “Welcome to Japan,” she said in English.

“Yukari, Akane,” greeted the astronauts.

“You must be Matsuri,” Wayne said to the dark-skinned tribal girl.

“Yep!” she agreed easily. After a brief introduction for Matsuri, Yukari got down to business.

“Hungry?” she asked them. The two nodded. “Right! Ever had sushi?” smirked Yukari. “Or, if that is too daring for your taste, there is a killer ramen shop just around the block,” taunted Yukari.

“We'll take the sushi,” said Wayne, glancing at Norman, who nodded. Grabbing their bags, the pair followed the trio onto a train, having already obtained rail passes. Yukari spotted a rail map with notes on it in Wayne's shirt pocket. Settling into the train, Yukari once more saw that the two were creating the `gaijin bubble' around them. It was strange to think about it, but less than a year ago, she would have been one of the ones avoiding the two. Now, she didn't even think about the fact that they were foreigners.

Chatting easily, the group of astronauts made their way to the sushi place, found a table, and settled in. Ordering for all of them, Yukari and the others continued to talk. It was the first time that they had talked about non-work related stuff, and Yukari learned a lot about the two. Wayne had been a naval aviator before joining NASA, while Norman had been an Air Force fighter pilot before joining the space agency. Norman had never been married, while Wayne had been married, but had ended up divorced years back.

The two NASA men had learned about the story of Yukari's father running off on his honeymoon, of Yukari's quest to hunt him down and how it had ended up sending her into space with her half-sister. Norman had learned about Akane's choice to join the program, and he and she had shared stories of how hard it had been for them to make the mission list. Seems that Norman used to have a lot of trouble with zero-G sickness during training. Akane still suffered from a low G-load tolerance, though she was getting better.

Almost by accident, the conversation fell to what the trio was doing in Tokyo. Yukari regaled the pair with the story, ending with the problem the ruckus with the UN was causing. “Oh, mom managed to get us a spot for our presentation at a couple of high schools tomorrow,” recalled the young woman.

“Well, we'll see if we can attend,” Wayne said, glancing at Norman, who nodded. “We're really interested in seeing this presentation you three put together on the fly,” he grinned.

“Are you sure you won't be too busy with this other stuff?” asked Akane. Wayne shrugged.

“To tell the truth, either one of us could do the errands, so if we have a scheduling issue, one of us will do the errands, and the other will come with you; if that's ok with you three,” he added before taking the last bit of sushi off the platter.

“You three get enough to eat?” wondered Norman. The girls hadn't eaten a lot, after all.

“We have to watch our weight very carefully,” shrugged Yukari. “Until and unless they get the LS7 working right, we are limited to a one hundred kilo payload mass-to-orbit, and after the weight of the suits is taken out…” she shrugged. Wayne and Norman exchanged looks. “What?” wondered Yukari.

“Before, when you first came up during the Orpheus mission, we all kind of thought you girls were mascots or some sort of gimmick,” admitted Norman. “After we landed, we told the others about you, and even then, they weren't convinced that you were serious astronauts. I'm glad to say we were completely wrong about you girls,” he said quietly.

“Speaking for the crew of the Atlantis, we're proud to be fellow astronauts with you girls,” Wayne said, raising his glass of beer. The girls - drinking tea - touched their glasses to his and Normans. When the time came to leave, Wayne grabbed the check, saying that he was on an expense account and NASA would be happy to treat the SSA pilots to a meal.

With a lot to do, the girls helped the pair navigate to the hotel they were in, giving them careful directions to a meeting point for the next morning, as well as a time to meet them. As they were about to leave the two in their lobby, Yukari remembered something she had been wondering about.

“Norman,” she said, turning to look at the mission specialist, “how did you get my cell phone number anyway?” she asked him.

“That boss of yours, Nasuda, I think it was? He was over at Kennedy and gave it to me,” said the man. “Why?” he wondered, seeing Yukari scowl.

“Just like that old guy,” huffed Yukari, though her scowl softened. Norman shrugged.

“He seemed like an OK sort of boss,” opinioned the NASA man.

“I guess,” Yukari said, waving to the two. “See you tomorrow!”

Yukari and her fellow astronauts had finished their breakfasts and were getting ready when someone knocked on their door. Frowning, Yukari went to see who it was. Looking out the peephole, she saw the two NASA men standing outside the door. How did they find their way here? wondered Yukari, opening the door. “Wayne, Norman, how did you find my apartment?” wondered the girl, gesturing an invitation to the two.

“Hey, we're astronauts!” grinned Norman insolently. “Highly-trained, intelligent problem-solvers. Little thing like finding an apartment in Tokyo is nothing!” bragged the man. Yukari gave him a level stare.

“We might have happened to have gotten a few tidbits of data from Houston,” Wayne interjected blandly. “And you did tell us where your apartment was last night, too,” he added.

Yukari blinked. Did I? she wondered. I think I told him about the building, maybe what district it was in… she couldn't recall if she had specifically said or not.

“Bath's open,” came Matsuri's voice from back in the apartment. Yukari's eyes shot open. Crap! I forgot! she recalled.

“Matsuri, we…!” she yelled out, turning to see her sister walk into view, drying her hair with her towel. Other than her wet hair, she was naked. Looking over toward the door when she heard Yukari call out, she smiled at the two men.

“Hey!” she greeted them, as if nothing was wrong.

“Matsuri! Clothes!” Yukari barked at her. Blinking at her sister, Matsuri nodded.

“'Kay!” she said, moving along unhurriedly. Yukari groaned to herself. Matsuri will be Matsuri, I guess, thought Yukari. Guess her people's lack of concern over nudity is already fully ingrained in her, Yukari thought. Snapping her head around, she eyed the two men suspiciously. Probably staring and drooling, she thought darkly.

Instead, neither man seemed to have any reaction to Matsuri having walked past them stark naked. In fact, she wasn't sure they had even noticed, the two looking at the photos on the wall of the apartment and commenting on the certificates, awards and diplomas her mother had put up along with the pictures. It had always sort of puzzled her why the awards and diplomas were printed in both English and Japanese, but now, she could see the advantages of that.

“Your mom is quite the over-achiever, isn't she?” Wayne noted, seeing a lot of heavy paper on the wall. Yukari shrugged.

“I guess,” she said. “Never really thought about it,” explained the girl. “She's just mom, you know?”

“Yukari, do you want the bath next?” called Akane from back in Yukari's room. Yukari turned her head and called back.

“You go ahead, Akane,” she called back. “I'll go last. Oh, and Wayne and Norman are here, just so you know,” she warned her shy young mission specialist.

“O…ok!” called back Akane. Yukari turned her attention back to the two.

“Have you eaten yet?” she asked. Both men nodded. “Then, how about some tea while we finish getting dressed and ready?” the girl adjusted immediately and seamlessly.

“That'd be nice,” Wayne said, following her to the kitchen of the apartment. In short order, Yukari had the tea ready. “Sorry it's not much,” she said, offering them a brief head-bow. “I guess you two are used to coffee, huh?” she said, making casual conversation.

“We go either way,” Norman said, carefully sipping his tea. “This is pretty good,” he added.

“Mom doesn't drink coffee, so tea's all we have,” Yukari explained.

“Your mom is an architect, right?” Wayne asked. Yukari nodded. “Must be good, judging from the awards,” he continued. “She work for a firm, or is she in business for herself?” he asked.

“She's a senior project manager for one of the firms; handles their international division's work,” Yukari replied. “Why the curiosity?” she wondered.

“When I was in college, I took several architecture courses as electives. I might have gone into it myself if I hadn't joined the military and then gotten into NASA,” he shared. “What were you looking at doing before the SSA hooked you on space?” he wondered. Yukari frowned.

“Nothing, really,” she admitted after a moment of reflection. “I never had any career in mind or even any real interest in any sort of career track. I guess I was just drifting along,” she frowned. Man, I really was doing nothing with my life until the SSA got me, the girl realized.

“Sounds a little like me,” Norman said casually. Matsuri appeared, dressed in one of Yukari's miniskirts and a tee shirt she had tied so her mid-riff was bare. Being more developed than her sister thanks to her genetic mix, the skirt was tight on her hips, and the tee shirt was stretched over her breasts.

“Are the materials packed and ready?” Yukari asked her sister as Matsuri paused to pat her sister's shoulder.

“All ready,” confirmed the girl happily as she took the seat next to Yukari.

Wayne and Norman looked back and forth between the two. “You know,” said Norman, “I am really looking forward to getting to the SSA and meeting your father,” he said.

“Well, here we are,” said Yukari, looking at the school before them. “Jindai high,” she announced. The group found themselves looking at a school that was one of the more prestigious high schools in Tokyo. The gate was closed, though that was to be expected with them arriving about the middle of the morning class hours.

“So, we jump the fence or what?” asked Norman. The tall blonde man seemed to be eager to do that.

“Excuse me, are you Morita-san and her friends?” came a voice from the other side of the gate. Looking over, the five astronauts from two nations found themselves looking at a short young man in glasses.

“That's us,” agreed Yukari. The young man looked at the tall Americans standing behind the girls. Sensing what was about to be asked, Yukari pre-empted him. “These are our friends, NASA astronauts Wayne Burkheimer,” she indicated the commander, “and Norman Randolph,” she indicated the blonde. “They crew the Atlantis,” she added.

“Wow!” breathed the young man, bowing to the group. Pressing a keypad, he opened the gate. “Please, come in, and welcome to Jindai High School,” he greeted them formally. “I'm the acting student council president, and will be assisting you in whatever way I can. My name is Shinji Kazama.”

“Acting student council president?” wondered Akane. Shinji nodded.

“Yes, the president is out with a fever. I apologize for that,” he added, bowing. Yukari waved it off.

“It's nothing,” she said. “So, where are we supposed to set up?” asked the girl. Shinji indicated a direction.

“We've got you in Chidori Hall's main lecture room,” he explained, leading the group toward a building that was clearly brand new. “This hall is where all third-year students have their classes, so you should find things in good order,” he explained, leading them through the halls - after changing their outdoor shoes for slippers. Moving past several classrooms, Yukari found herself wondering why she got the funny feeling that something was odd about the building. Can't figure out what it is, but something seems out of place about this building, thought the girl.

Reaching a set of double doors at the back of the first floor, their guide unlocked them and ushered them into the lecture hall. Turning on lights, the group found themselves looking at a bowl-type lecture hall, with a raised Dias at the center of the bowl. Giving a presentation or lecture here, and everyone had a good view of the speaker. She guessed that the acoustics of the room were tweaked as well.

“Is there anything you need in the way of special gear? Most of the stuff you will need is in the equipment room,” explained Shinji, showing the group a carefully-concealed broom-closet of a room with the normal tri-pod stands and a folding podium and the other stuff commonly associated with a presentation.

“Does the room have a projector? We have a PowerPoint presentation and some CAD segments on our lap-top,” began Yukari.

“Three different types, actually,” Shinji said, reaching to the side of the stage area and showing the group an interface and control panel. “Slide projector, film projector and general projector. Your ports are here, for the computer hook-up. USB, Firewire and e-SATA II so you shouldn't have a problem connecting to the projector. Though,” he added, “if you do, we can visit the computer club or A/V club and get whatever we need,” he assured them.

“Does the screen automatically extend?” wondered Akane. Shinji nodded.

“Yes. If you want to hook up your laptop, I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have. Never hurts to test things out,” he smiled. Akane nodded, pulling out her laptop.

“Well, no chairs to set up this time,” Yukari said. “Matsuri, we will need a small table by the door for the handouts, so take Wayne and see what you can find. Once you have that, stack the handouts. Norman, give me a hand getting the stand set up, ok?” she directed.

“Sure,” agreed the man, grinning at his mission commander. It only took the group about ten minutes to get all set up, and after two practice runs to make sure all the materials were in order and everything was working, Yukari settled in to review her `revised' presentation. Turning pages on her pad, she silently mouthed the speech she would give, one hand absently keeping pace with a tapping finger. Watching her, Wayne and Norman couldn't help but relate to what she was doing. Practice, after all, was what astronauts did. Both men could relate to her dedication to her job as well.

“I can see why she is mission commander,” murmured Wayne to Norman, who nodded.

“Bossy, dedicated and driven; perfect material for mission commander,” he smirked back.

“I heard that,” came Yukari's voice, her eyes never leaving the notes before her. Akane and Matsuri giggled. “Make yourselves useful and see if they have some soda around here; I could use a drink,” she added, eyes still on her pad.

“Roger,” said Wayne, giving her a half-wave, half-salute.

“Akane, go with them - make sure they don't get lost or wander into the girls' locker room,” Yukari directed her mission specialist.

“Hai,” Akane said, leading the two away. Matsuri settled down next to Yukari, silently watching her sister finish up her review of her notes. When Yukari reached the last page, she checked her watch and nodded.

“Ready?” asked Matsuri. Yukari nodded.

“Sure,” she agreed. Silence reigned for a few moments, then Yukari spoke up again. “Hey, Matsuri, do you miss the SSA compound?” she asked her sister. Matsuri nodded.

“Yep,” she replied without any hesitation. “The jungles here are different and exotic, but way too crowded to have any sort of fun in,” she explained. “And there isn't a sea to swim in, either,” she almost-complained. “And it's cold here,” she noted. Yukari laughed softly at that.

“You've just lived your entire life at the equator, that's all,” she dismissed the cold comment.

“True,” shrugged Matsuri without any concern. “Do you miss the island?”

“I think I do,” admitted Yukari. “For the longest time, I just wanted to drag dad back here and leave the island, but now that I am here, I keep wanting to swim in the ocean, or practice in the simulator, or yell at Motoko about being too reckless with her fuel experiments, or argue with Director Nasuda about his careless treatment of us,” she shook her head. “Can you believe that just this morning, I was thinking about Satsuki and her crazy obsession with the centrifuge? I must be losing it,” she barked a laugh.

“I don't think so,” Matsuri dismissed that suggestion. “The rocket place is our tribe now, that's all,” the girl explained. Yukari considered that. “And our tribe includes Norman and Wayne and the other people who fly rockets,” philosophized the girl. Yukari blinked at her sister. That was…uncommonly deep for Matsuri, she thought.

“We found the vending machine,” reported Akane from the door. She had three cans of soda in her hands, and Norman and Wayne both held a can each. “I didn't know what you liked, so I got a little of everything,” her mission specialist reported, offering Yukari her pick of the cans.

“I'm pretty easy,” shrugged Yukari, selecting a melon soda. Matsuri grabbed the familiar blue and white can, leaving Akane with the red and white can. Wayne and Norman each had a red and white can in their hands. Cracking the tops, the group slowly drained their cans. As the last of the soda was consumed, Shinji stuck his head in the door to give them a five minute warning. Disposing of their empty cans in the recycling bin by the door, the girls hurried to get ready. Matsuri stepped to the girls' restroom to change into her space suit - Yukari had brought a robe from home for her this time - while Akane and Yukari did a final check. Matsuri slipped back into the hall just as the bell rang.

“Ready?” she asked her two co-workers. Both nodded.

“Mission is `go',” Matsuri smiled, giving her sister and Akane a thumbs-up. The three shared a brief laugh.

“Good luck,” said Norman before selecting a seat in the center of the left bank of seats.

“This should be interesting,” agreed Wayne, selecting a seat in the center of the right hand bank. Yukari settled behind the podium as the first of the students found their way to the hall. Watching closely, Yukari found she was able to tell which students were underclassmen and which were seniors. She could also tell who was there for curiosity, and who was there to actually learn about what the SSA did. Glancing at Wayne and Norman, she found that they were casually observing the students entering as well.

Hearing a chime, Yukari glanced at the clock above the double doors. Making sure her mic was on, she silently drew in a breath. “Good morning, and thank you for coming to our presentation,” began the girl. “I am Yukari Morita, and I am an astronaut for the Solomon Space Association. With me today are my two fellow astronauts, Akane Miura and Matsuri Morita,” she indicated the two in turn. “I will begin by telling you a little about what it is we do at the SSA…”

Thirty minutes later on the tick, she closed her remarks. “Are there any questions?” she asked the group. There were the usual sloppy questions, a few irrelevant ones and a couple that were just plain harassment, but Yukari calmly and coolly fielded them all as they deserved. Her biting replies to the harassment questions left no room for misunderstanding how serious she was; they also tended to leave the heckler looking like a moron.

“Excuse me,” a girl asked when called on by Yukari, “but I was wondering what you did about going to the bathroom. You said that the suits were three millimeters thick, correct? And it doesn't look like there are any…facilities,” she blushed a little. “So, what do you do?” wondered the girl. Yukari nodded.

“The suits are thin to allow greatest dexterity and maneuverability in addition to protection, but that means that other areas have to be sacrificed. Our mission packs have a small collector for urine, and a catheter in the suit takes care of that. By and large, our missions are rarely longer than twelve hours, launch to recovery, but sometimes they go longer. Diet is important both for weight control and for mission duration.” Yukari didn't even blush as she said that. She had long since gotten used to - and comfortable with - the unique job aspects.

“But, don't NASA missions last days? Or longer?” a student cut in.

“Yukari-san, if I might?” said Wayne, standing. Yukari nodded. Wayne moved down to the foot of the stage and turned to face the group of students. “Pardon the interruption,” he said - in English - “but I am better qualified to answer that question. Yukari-san will translate what I am about to say for those of you who speak English as well as I speak Japanese,” he smiled. Most of the students shared the laugh. As an elite school, a large percentage of the students spoke English well enough not to need a translation.

“I am Wayne Burkheimer, NASA astronaut,” he introduced himself. “In regard to the question about NASA, I would point out that our missions are entirely different in focus and nature to what the SSA does. The Shuttle is equipped with bathroom facilities, showers, sleeping areas and other living spaces because our missions are geared to long stays in space. We launch satellites, conduct experiments and work on the International Space Station.”

“On the other hand, the SSA is a mission-focus group. They fly small, fast, maneuverable ships that are stripped down to do one job, do it fast, and return to Earth,” he explained. “Everything from their suits to their ships to their training is based on quick preparation, fast execution and tightly-focused parameters. We - NASA astronauts - wear diapers under our suits, which are far bulkier and heavier than what Yukari and her group use. This is because we are often EVA for longer than their entire mission lasts.”

Yukari swiftly translated, and when she was done, Wayne went on. “It's not that one is better than the other, so much as we are different tools. Our system requires us to pre-breath pure oxygen before EVA work cycles, while the SSA's system has them jumping in and out of their craft easily and quickly. Speaking strictly about space suits, I envy the suits the SSA use; though I'd probably not look half as cute,” he chuckled. There was general laughter to that comment. Giving the group a bow, he returned to his seat.

A few more questions were fielded before another one came up that Yukari was expecting. A boy in the back of the room asked why the SSA was looking for girls. “It's not so much that they are looking for girls,” Yukari explained, “as they are looking for small, light-weight pilots due to technical restrictions,” she explained. “Generally speaking, boys are too tall and heavy for the payload the LS5A is currently delivering, and the plans for the LS7 - if they get it working right - is to use the added lift to LEO for the addition of a third astronaut for more complex jobs as well as having a mass assignment for tools or parts related to the job of the mission specialist. Even so,” she paused, “the LS7 is by no means a powerful rocket when compared to other systems like the Atlas series, so the crew will still need to be light and small,” she explained.

“And do you really want to wear one of those skin-tight suits?” taunted one of his fellow students. The young man blanched, much to the amusement of the other students.

“Uh, they…um, would look better on girls,” he managed. Yukari offered him a thin, edged smile.

“What sort of requirements do they have for astronauts, aside from the mass restrictions?” wondered a freshman girl.

“You have to be able to handle hard math, for one,” Yukari said. “Also, dealing with stress is a mandatory skill. Candidates should also have some basic physical capabilities and be able to take heavy training in a centrifuge as well as survival training,” she continued. “But I personally think that the greatest ability any hopeful should have is perseverance. Don't even try if you aren't absolutely certain this is what you want. Right, Akane?” she said, looking over at her mission specialist and offering her a smile. Akane blushed, but smiled back, nodding.

“Right!” she agreed.

“Any other questions?” asked Yukari, eyes on the clock. Aside from a few crass questions about money or `getting astronaut chicks' there were none. Yukari closed the presentation, and the students began to file out, a small group of mostly males gathering around the NASA men, while two women and two men came up to talk to Yukari and her two co-workers.

“So, what did you think?” asked Yukari as the group stopped off at a restaurant for lunch. The NASA men had been surrounded by the older boys for a while, while Yukari, Akane and Matsuri had ended up talking to the two girls and two guys who had approached them for nearly two hours, the students skipping their classes to ask detailed questions, talk to the three about what space was like, and other details of what it was like to pilot for the SSA. Yukari had given the four the contact information for Director Nasuda, Akane had told them how to find the site from Tokyo, and Matsuri had drawn them a helpful map of Axio Island.

Done with that, the three had run off the boys and the group had picked up and moved on, bidding Shinji farewell as the gate. The acting student council chairman had expressed his regrets that the president had not been able to meet them. From odd comments and partially-spoken sentences from the student body and faculty, Yukari had gotten the feeling that there was some sort of issue with the president of the student council - the sort of issue that schools like Jindai tried hard to keep quiet and out of sight. Just before the group had left, Shinji had hesitantly asked if the girls would autograph a publicity picture of themselves `for the school'. Shrugging, Yukari and her co-workers had autographed the five by eight matte photo of them in their spacesuits, a ready-to-launch LS5 in the background.

Now, they were taking lunch - once more on NASA's dollar, since Wayne again insisted that it wasn't his money and they were happy to be able to treat the girls that saved their mission weeks before - and Yukari wanted to know what the older, more experienced astronauts thought of her thrown-together presentation. “And be honest,” she admonished the two.

“Your style is a lot more comfortable and personable than the sort of interviews and presentations we give in NASA,” Wayne said. “It has a flow and feel to it that is much more relaxed than ours. And you are going after high school students, where NASA prefers to put the idea of being an astronaut in the heads of grade-school children, given that our program is far more complex and demanding than your own mission profile,” he said, pausing to sip his beer.

“I won't say that you were selling the program, but I will tell anyone who asks that you certainly made clear what was expected of anyone looking to join you, as well as how bad the training and missions can get,” shrugged Norman. “If NASA was as up-front and brutally honest about how long, hard and irritating it is to get a spot on a shuttle mission, I bet we'd be starved of applicants over there,” he chuckled.

“So, no good, then?” wondered Yukari.

“No, far from it,” came back Wayne immediately. “I think you style is going to prove to be the best in the long run. You have a good balance between being honest about the drawbacks to the program, and still putting enough face on it to make the more serious ones curious,” he assured her.

“The fact that you came up with this all on your own without any help from your director is saying something about how suited you are to space missions,” Norman smiled, taking a pull of his beer. “Can't speak for the other astronauts in NASA, but I'd go on a mission with you any day,” he winked at her.

“Perv,” muttered Yukari, looking away. Akane saw her lips twitch into a smile, though.

“Speaking of missions,” Akane cut in, “are you two going to be crewing with Gordon-san and Louis-san on this upcoming mission with us?” asked the mission specialist. Wayne and Norman glanced at each other.

“Well, Gordon is going to be overseeing training of new candidates for the next year or so, and Louis is grounded due to a medical issue for at least the next six months or so,” Wayne said.

“And we're going to be with you all for a couple of months, so you will be working with a new crew up there,” Norman finished.

“I see,” Akane said softly. “I hope Louis-san is ok?” she asked. Yukari was watching and listening as well.

“Routine medical work-up found a polyp, so medical pulled his flight cert until they can determine what it is and rather or not it is benign.” Wayne said. Seeing the looks on the girls' faces, he waved a hand. “Don't worry; he should be fine. Probably just a run-of-the-mill short-term condition.”

“Why are they pulling the crew off flight status?” asked Matsuri, direct as always.

“Just routine,” Wayne said. Seeing Matsuri staring at him, he gave a little. “Each astronaut is rotated to limit the radiation exposure we get, as well as to allow our bodies to regain Earth-normal status,” he explained. Yukari frowned.

“Radiation?” she asked, as if she had never thought of that before.

“Yeah,” Norman said, taking a bite of his steak, “we're outside the atmosphere, so we lose the protection from radiation. The Shuttle is partially shielded, but even so, our saturation EVA missions and long-duration orbits load us up pretty fast, REM-wise. So the docs rotate us out to let the radiation subside before it can get dangerous,” he shrugged off the concern.

“Your medical staff does the same, right?” Wayne pressed. Yukari's lips thinned as she traded looks with Akane.

“Yeah. Sure, she does. Stupid fox woman,” growled Yukari.

“Then, that last time…?” Akane murmured. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah.” Oh, we will have some things to discuss when you get back from your `vacation', you stupid fox woman! Yukari thought angrily.

“Well, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it,” Wayne said smoothly. “Your missions are shorter, so your exposure index will be less than ours is,” he explained. “Hell, Gordon was once caught outside doing an EVA when a solar flare hit us,” he told the girls, “he got half a year's worth of radiation exposure in one minute, and even that didn't red-list him!”

“Red-list?” wondered Akane. Norman answered, since Wayne's mouth was full of food.

“Red-list is NASA slang for permanent flight status revocation. Usually only used in cases of radiation poisoning or other serious, non-recoverable accidents,” he said quietly. “It doesn't happen much, and those who are red-listed usually take over teaching new recruits or go into flight control slots inside NASA, so they are still working,” added the blonde.

“But they aren't going to space,” Yukari murmured, mostly to herself. Hearing the two NASA men chuckle, she focused her attention back on them. “What's so funny?” she asked crossly.

“You've caught the bug, too,” snickered Norman.

“Bug? What bug?” wondered Yukari.

“The space bug,” Wayne said. “Something about going into space gets into your blood, and you can never get it out of you again,” he explained. “You and Akane are hooked; believe me, we can see it in your eyes,” he smiled.

“You make it sound so…sordid,” complained Yukari. Wayne shrugged.

“It is what it is, Yukari,” was all he said. Before she could pursue the question further, her cell phone rang. Pulling it from her skirt's pocket, she checked the screen before connecting the call.

“Hi, mom,” she said. A moment later, she blinked. “Well, if you want,” she said. “We're over at Shirokiya - in Shibuya. Yeah, that place. What? You're just down the street? Well, ok, sure.” A moment later, Yukari grinned. “Trust me, you won't be able to miss us,” she giggled before ending the call.

“You mother?” guessed Norman. Yukari nodded.

“She's going to be joining us for lunch; seems she was in the area for work,” shrugged Yukari. Sure enough, about seven minutes later, Hiroko stood by their table, greeting the two American astronauts. In short order, the three were chatting away like old friends. Yukari and her two fellow rocket jocks watched in relative silence.

Akane was going to spend the night with her family, which left Yukari, Matsuri and Hiroko together for the evening. It was kind of nice to have their odd family together. After supper, the three of them sat on the patio and talked of little things for nearly an hour. Finally, as it was nearing bed time, Hiroko's mother brought up the two astronauts she had met that afternoon. “Wayne and Norman seemed like nice men,” she opinioned. “It's good to know that you will be working with good people,” she added.

“Yeah, I guess they're ok,” Yukari said easily, smiling a little.

“They said that they are going to be at the SSA for a few months, some sort of training or evaluating program between your company and NASA?”

Yukari hummed. “I'm actually looking forward to showing them around,” she replied.

“I see,” her mother replied. Yukari knew that tone of voice.

“What?” asked the girl suspiciously. Hiroko looked at her daughter and adopted daughter.

“Nothing,” she said, smiling at the two. “You'll find out as time goes by,” she said mysteriously.

“Whatever,” Yukari rolled her eyes. “Hey! Why not come with us, mom?” she suggested eagerly. “You haven't taken a real vacation in longer than I can remember, and the island is a nice place; well, once you get used to the nutcases there,” she snickered to herself. “You have got to see the beach to the north of the launch pads! The water is so clear and filled with life it's crazy!” she enthused. “And you could even talk with dad if you wanted,” added the girl.

“I might take you up on that, dear,” Hiroko said easily. It has been a decade or more since I really took a real vacation, mused the woman. I should have a lot of vacation time coming to me, and we are between projects right now, she considered.

“How did you like Jindai?” asked Hiroko, changing the topic.

“It was nice,” shrugged Yukari. “How did you get us in so quick?” wondered the young spacer.

“I graduated from there,” laughed Hiroko. “And the current principal was my homeroom teacher,” she added easily. “Did you find any likely candidates?” she wondered. Yukari shrugged.

“Maybe two who will try, and a couple of boys who might have an interest in an internship with the build team,” she said.

“What are your impressions of the two girls?” wondered Hiroko. Yukari frowned.

“One of them probably won't make a mission seat,” she said slowly. “She seems smart enough, and looks healthy enough, but her eye sight isn't going to work for our kind of jobs. The other should do fine, if she can stick with it. I don't know how much backbone she will have when it come to it,” judged Yukari.

“I think she will do ok,” Matsuri interjected. “Once she sees the ships, she'll be fine!” the girls confidently predicted.

“We'll see, Matsuri,” Yukari shrugged.

“Any from your old high school?” wondered Hiroko. Yukari shrugged.

“None of them seemed like they have what it takes,” she said. “Though, maybe one or two will surprise me,” she added casually.

“I guess two or three girls aren't bad for a first recruiting tour,” Hiroko said calmly.

“Guess not,” Yukari began to agree, before blinking. That's right; what are we going to do with recruits if we get shut down by the UN? she wondered. After a moment, she forced that thought away. The Director is in charge of that, and there isn't anything I can do about it anyway, so no point worrying about it, she told herself.

“So, are you going to train the new astronauts, honey? Or will the staff at SSA do that while you and Akane-chan fly the missions?” asked Hiroko. Yukari frowned.

“You know, I doubt that the old man has even thought that far ahead,” Yukari complained, resigned to working for a maniac.

“This must be the place,” Yukari said, looking at the imposing gate before them. Emblazoned in polished brass letters was the name `Diamon High School'. Further back, they could see a high spire. Flooding into the gate were students. Yukari noticed that the uniforms seemed to lean heavily toward super-short miniskirts and tight white blouses. She also realized with more than a little annoyance that most of the girls were already taller and bustier than she was.

“It's her! She's coming!” squealed a mass of girlish voices from behind her. Turning, Yukari saw a gaggle of shrieking girls forming a knot just down from the gate. Over their heads, though, she saw a bright red shock of hair, done up in a pony tail with a yellow ribbon. Wow! She's tall! marveled Yukari.

“Ryoko-sempai!” chorused the other girls, “Good morning!”

“Yeah, good morning to you, too,” sighed the tall girl, moving past and through the clutter of sighing, blushing school girls. Over her shoulder, Yukari spotted a covered bokken, secured with a simple looped cord held in the same hand as she held her book bag. Beside the tall, curvy, busty girl walked a shorter - but no less busty and curvy - girl, absently adjusting her glasses.

“Why am I more popular with girls than guys?” complained the red-head to her brunette companion.

“Probably because you're the K-fight champ,” opinioned the shorter girl, smiling easily. “And besides, Shizuma has been keeping the other guys back with this on and off dating thing you two do,” she giggled.

“Hitomi!” protested the taller girl. Her friend raised her hands in a placating gesture.

“Now, now,” chided the shorter girl. “Don't forget that Principal Todo asked you to greet those visitors this morning,” the brunette reminded her tall, stacked friend.

“Yeah, yeah,” complained the tall girl. “Isn't that something that the student council should be doing? And why me, of all people? Did anyone even tell me what they look like?” she asked.

“Just as a guess, I would say that it's them,” a voice came from behind the tall red-head, making her twitch.

“Diasaku, one of these days, your little fetish is going to get you maimed,” bit out the girl as a short, camera-wielding boy appeared from seemingly-thin air. He only smiled in a disturbingly eager way.

“If it's you, Ryo, I don't mind,” he said. The red-head winced.

“Freak,” she muttered. “Which ones?” asked the girl, seeing Diasaku point at Yukari and her group. “Those?” she asked, seemingly surprised.

“You are the astronauts from the SSA, aren't you?” asked the young man, seeming to teleport over to the group.

“Well, yeah,” Yukari managed, wondering if she should have brought the big handgun that Chief Kurosu - head of security at the base - had tried to train her on. Maybe he was right about that Colt Government, a part of her reflected. She really would have liked to feel the reassuring weight of that steel artillery piece right about then.

“Down, freak-show,” sighed the tall red-head, grabbing the short young man by his head and forcing him aside. “Hi, I'm Ryoko Mitsurugi, and I have been asked to show you to the hall,” began the girl. An instant later, though, her sword was in her hand, and a pair of strangely-dressed students were lofting toward the grass on the other side of the wall surrounding Diamon High. “You bunch again?” she taunted the attackers.

“I challenge you to a K-fight, Ryoko!” yelled a man, appearing in a flash of smoke.

“Ugh. Didn't you learn last time?” sighed Ryo. “Fine, whatever! But I've got to show some visitors to the auditorium, so it will have to wait!” she snapped at the man. Yukari glanced at Akane seeing the girl slowly edging closer to her and Norman.

“Interesting school,” observed Wayne sotto voice.

Almost before he finished, the school PA blared out with some sort of theme music and a hyper-active-sounding girl's voice crackled forth. “A challenger has appeared! K-fight established. Challenging our reigning idol champion, Ryoko Mitsurugi, is the head of the Modern Ninja Club, who you will recall suffered a humiliating defeat at our idol's hung-over hands the last time he challenged her. The track record for the ninja club against our Ryoko stands at 0-6. Betting is now open!”

“What the hell?!” exploded Yukari, her face flushed. “Is this a school or a circus side-show?!” she yelled angrily.

“Little of both, unfortunately,” the tall girl sighed, covering her bokken again. “Sorry about that,” she added, indicating the suddenly-incapacitated man and a half dozen others. “How about I show you to our lovely auditorium?” she said, a large - yet false-looking - smile plastered over her face.

“Ryo,” chided her shorter friend.

“I can't wait to graduate,” shrugged Ryoko. Spotting someone, she waved.

“Aoi-chan!” she called out. Yukari spotted a slim girl - only slightly shorter than the red-head - pause and look their way. Her bangs covered her left eye, and her short hair accented a strangely aristocratic bearing. Yukari spotted a leather bokken case in the girl's hands. “Hitomi?” Ryoko said, getting a nod from the shorter girl.

As their `guide' rushed off, Hitomi stepped in.

“Sorry about that,” said the glasses-wearing girl. “Ryo and Aoi have a couple of things to discuss, that's all,” she said, gesturing to the gate. “Shall we?” she smiled. Her smile was very real. Slowly, the group made their way into the school proper. Just before they lost sight of the pair Yukari saw the two women speaking softly together, both absently fondling their wooden swords.

“This is one freaky school,” Yukari observed to her friends. All around them was seeming chaos. No less than a half-dozen fights were in progress, though it didn't seem that anyone was worried or upset about the fights.

“Oh, it's not so bad,” Hitomi said. “Once you get used to it, it actually makes sense,” she added.

“Sounds like what you said about the SSA,” noted Matsuri, grinning. Yukari grunted.

“Let's just get this over with,” she said sourly. When they reached the auditorium, they found that they were looking at a place that resembled a sports venue. Even the center stage looked like a fighting ring.

“This is our auditorium,” Hitomi said unnecessarily, “home to our famous K-fights. Right down there is where the legendary fight between Shizuma and Saotomi-sensei took place. As well as the most intense match in K-fight history, the grudge match between Ryoko and Azumi the Buddha!”

“Really don't care about all that,” Yukari muttered. Hitomi blinked.

“Oh! Right! Sorry; you just kind of get caught up in this stuff after a while,” she apologized.

“Just tell us where to set up,” Yukari said tightly.

“I'm worn out,” groaned Yukari, collapsing on the couch in her house. Matsuri was lacking her usual energy as well. Akane stumbled over to the couch, landing beside Yukari.

“What is with that place?!” she burst out.

“For a jungle with so much energy around it, it sure is draining,” Matsuri agreed. Yukari shook her head.

“Don't know,” she replied. “But I'm glad that's over,” she added. I am never going back to that lunatic asylum again! she swore. They had set up, prepared and braced themselves, but even so, the entire thing was like trying to recruit in the middle of a riot. The tardy arrival of the school principal had helped a little, since until he got there, the students seemed to think that the three on the stand were there to fight in some sort of no-holds-barred personal combat. Wayne and Norman had taken up body-guard positions, serving as a buffer. Thanks to being bigger than all but a couple of students, combined with being foreigners, the SSA astronauts were more or less safe with the NASA men guarding them.

But things didn't settle down until the red-headed girl reappeared, bokken in hand, along with the slim girl she had been talking to. Just behind the two came a wild-looking young man in strange clothes. Almost instantly, the crowd of rowdy students fell silent. The young man had jumped up onto the stage, waving his arms like some kind of nut. “That's right! I have returned!” he yelled.

Almost accidentally, Ryoko had knocked his feet out from under him with her sword, grabbed his ankle and jerked him off the stage. “Who cares, you rabid dog?” she had growled.

“Hey! Let go of me, mountain monkey!” he had protested. A flurry of blows from her bokken shut him up.

“Don't call me a mountain monkey, dog-boy,” she muttered, dropping his limp body by the table the Principal was at. “Sorry! Please, begin,” she had called out to the three sweetly. A little off-balance, Yukari nevertheless dove into her presentation, eager to be done and away from that place.

After the presentation, there had been very few questions, and only one or two even related to space work. Once more, the red-head had jumped in hard, shutting up the group through means of judicious violence. After ten full minutes of melee combat, the other students had surrendered to the red-head. In short order, the auditorium was empty - even of the casualties, which were carried off by their fellow club-members, friends and/or allies.

“Once more, sorry about that,” Ryoko had said. “I did like your presentation, by the way. If it weren't for that mass limit thing, I would try out myself,” she said. Clearly, there was just no way that the girl could be a pilot for the SSA, but Yukari had to admit, if not for the mass limit, she might have made a good one; same for her friend, Hitomi.

“All that and not one prospect,” Akane moaned.

“Like mom said, right now, we just need to keep our names in circulation; I guess,” Yukari said, yawning. Fumbling around, she found the remote and clicked on the TV. Flipping through the channels, she paused on a news one. Looking out at her from the screen was her boss, Nasuda Isao.

“It's Director Nasuda,” Matsuri said, sitting up. Scooting around, she leaned against the couch just past Yukari's head, her sister draping an arm over Matsuri's shoulder, Akane propping her head up against Yukari's hip. Turning up the volume, the three saw that Nasuda was sitting at a table with three other men. In front of their boss was a placard with the SSA logo on it. On his right was a familiar face.

“Doctor O'Reilly,” Akane said, recognizing the man's Einstein-like hair-do. In front of the doctor was a placard with his name, prefaced with `Professor' and under his name was `Advanced Robotic Space Exploration Foundation'. To the man's right was another old guy, his placard reading NASA. To the left of their boss was a man with ESA on his placard.

“Some sort of press conference,” Yukari murmured to her two friends. The three watched.

“I say again,” their boss said, flashes from cameras going off, “the notion that space belongs only to governments flies in the face of all previous stances on the issue. To claim regulatory authority over space programs is nothing short of arrogant and short-sighted,” the director said. “Our program is a private enterprise, and not under the authority of any super-governmental organization,” he added.

“But such a business can't possibly operate in an environment as hazardous as space while using out-dated technology and teenage pilots!” protested a reporter.

“Why do you say that?” wondered the doctor. “If not for those teenage astronauts, the Orpheus mission would have been a scrub, at a cost of billions of dollars and nearly twenty years of effort. Surely even ill-informed, ignorant politicians can grasp the simple fact that the SSA provides a vital service that can't be done by conventional space programs,” he said harshly.

“Isn't it also true that their program is endangering the flights of NASA and the ESA as they build the International Space Station? They abandoned a capsule in orbit, didn't they?” a reporter accused.

“If you mean the single-seat capsule Tanpopo unit, it has disintegrated during re-entry weeks ago. It burned up over the Indian ocean, not even a single piece surviving the orbital decay,” Nasuda interjected.

“NASA has seen nothing to indicate that the operations of the SSA endanger any on-going missions,” the NASA man said.

“We at the ESA agree with that,” seconded the man from the ESA.

“Then the ESA and NASA support the SSA?” asked another reporter.

“Yes, we do,” said the head of NASA, the man from the ESA nodding as well. Yukari's phone rang. Pulling it up, she opened it.

“Yukari,” she said, turning the volume down on the TV. “Oh, Director! We just saw the news conference…!” Yukari began.

“Well, that's good,” the man said. “However, that is just the first step,” he cautioned her. “Already, there are more groups lining up to attack,” sighed the man. Yukari frowned.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because everyone who is afraid to risk it all for their dreams hate and fear those who do have the courage to risk everything in the pursuit of their dreams.”

“Well, we had heard that the big-wigs were discussing the matter, yes,” Wayne admitted the next morning when Yukari had confronted the pair about the new conference.

“Why didn't you tell us that NASA would back us up, then?” Yukari demanded, scowling at the two. “Do you know how worried we were?! Jerks,” she muttered.

“It's not like that, Yukari,” Norman said, taking his turn under fire from Yukari. “The decision hadn't been made when we left.” Yukari's scowl turned to a frown.

“It wasn't? Then, why come over?” she asked.

Wayne looked at Norman. “Those errands we had to run?” he said, not looking at Yukari.

“You were…evaluating us?” Akane figured out the meaning.

“Not exactly,” Wayne said slowly, meeting Yukari's eyes. “We were asked by our bosses to see what you were up to. Kind of like our actions between missions is loosely monitored by NASA,” he said.

“NASA's biggest concern about the SSA is actually sustainability,” Norman said. “We were highly impressed with your performance on the Orpheus mission and on the satellite upgrade mission. However, the SSA is run on a shoestring budget, it uses teenage pilots, and has a self-admitted problem with their next-gen rockets,” he said, holding Yukari's gaze.

“The main issue with teenage pilots is that teenagers grow,” Norman said. “With the tight tolerances you use for spacesuits and the narrow margin in your rocket delivery system that can mean an astronaut could be unable to fly overnight. If a critical mission comes up, the SSA could be unable to meet the need, and that could mean a much, much bigger problem - for all the space agencies. Do you understand?” he asked her.

“I understand,” Yukari said, her tone tight. “But I don't like it,” she added harshly.

“So long as you understand it, that's fair enough,” Wayne said.

“After watching your presentation, we called back and said that - in our professional opinion - you and the SSA were addressing the issue sufficiently. Wayne and I both respect your professionalism and drive for this unique job. And our superiors will back the SSA against the wolves,” Norman said. “After all,” he grinned at her, insolently ruffling her hair, “we are all astronauts, and we have to stick together,” he said. Unwillingly, Yukari smiled.

“At least we know where we stand now,” she said quietly. The house phone rang, breaking the tension. Matsuri was reaching for it when Yukari snagged it first. Matsuri was not very good with a phone, and tended to say strange or embarrassing things when answering it. “Morita residence,” she said. “Yes, this is Yukari speaking. Who is this, please?” she said, the NASA personnel and her fellow SSA pilots gathering around.

Seeing Yukari motion for a pen and pad, Akane handed her one of their pads and a pen. Swiftly writing on the pad, Yukari took information. After a minute or so, she ended the call with a promise to call the party back soon. Hanging up the phone, she turned to the people watching her. “That was St. Ignacio Girls' High School,” she said. “They want to re-schedule the presentation as soon as possible,” she said.

“First they cancel, now they want us as soon as possible?” Akane said.

“Yeah, I know,” Yukari sighed. “But, personal feelings aside, we need to keep our names in the public eye,” the senior astronaut of the SSA decided. No matter how much I want to tell them to piss off, she thought. It was insulting to her to have them cancel on her with no warning, then, just as suddenly, want them to give their presentation the next morning. She had told them that they had to check their schedule more from spite than from truth.

“Hate to tell you all this, but this is what it is always like,” Wayne warned them, accepting a cup of tea from Akane. “Every time something happens - a satellite fails, or a delivery rocket blows up, or a Shuttle is lost - everyone starts clamoring for blood. It's just how it is,” he shrugged.

“Yeah, well, NASA has a lot bigger reputation that we do,” muttered Yukari.

“Doesn't change the fact that we still get rats nibbling on us,” Norman shot back easily. Yukari and her crew act more like pros than some of my colleagues over at NASA, he thought, impressed. For not having a dedicated psychological department that oversees their mental stability, they are doing a better job than us.

“Ok,” Yukari began, only to have her cell phone ring. Retrieving it from the coffee table, she checked the screen as she flicked it open and connected the call. “Yukari,” she said. “Oh, director Nasuda,” she said, moving back to the kitchen. “Actually, we just had a school call to re-schedule our presentation. Yes, St. Ignacio. Girls' school - might have some useful candidates. So far? Maybe three for piloting program, but I wouldn't be surprised if none of them showed. Oh, has someone called about the support team? He did? Well, what did you tell him? Wow. Didn't see that coming,” Yukari said.

After a few `uh huh's and some `yes's, Yukari jerked in surprise. “What?!” she barked. “But, what about the schools?” Gesturing at Akane, she took the schedule she had been given after her mission specialist grabbed it up and handed it to her. Looking at it, she read off the ones that had cancelled. Listening to their boss, Yukari's expression grew thoughtful. “Ok, I guess that is really the only thing to do, then,” she said. “Right, we'll do that, then,” she said. Glancing at her friends and the NASA men, she remembered she needed to ask her boss a question. “Oh, did you want us to bring Wayne and Norman with us?” she asked him. “Well, they're sort of standing in front of me right now,” Yukari said, grinning at the two. “Ok, not a problem,” she said, ending the call.

“So, what did he say?” asked Matsuri.

“We're going back to base at the end of this week,” Yukari said. “We will hit the schools that ask before then, but if they don't call by Friday morning with a time available by Saturday morning, we will cancel,” said Yukari. “Looks like three schools to go,” she noted, seeing notes and circles on the program. “And Wayne and Norman are going back with us,” she added casually.

“Whatever you say, Yukari,” Norman grinned at her.

“And I think it is time to show a little solidarity, as well,” Wayne noted. “Would any of you object if Norman and I took part in your presentations? The better to show our support of the SSA as the jackals nose around,” he explained.

“Fine with me,” Yukari said, looking to Matsuri and Akane. Both nodded. “But we are tight on time in these things - as you saw - so we need to go over the thing and figure out where and what to have you doing,” directed Yukari, falling right into her mission commander role without even thinking about it.

“You're in charge,” Wayne said, smiling.

“I see,” Hiroko said. It was supper time Friday night. The next afternoon, the astronauts were flying back to the Solomon Islands, back to the SSA. “Well, I guess it can't be helped, then,” she said. Yukari frowned, not following her mother's cryptic comment. Picking up the apartment's phone, Hiroko dialed a number, spoke softly with someone, then hung up before dialing another number and having another quiet conversation. Yukari tuned her mother out, turning her attention back to the game of re-entry roulette. Like dodge orbit, it was a game that helped the three stay in practice with fixing problems that could arise in orbit. The names might be lame, but the skills being honed were life-or-death for their orbiter program.

Hiroko returned to the living room a half hour later, settling in to watch her daughters and Akane play the game. As an architect, she had the math background to follow the game, but not the specific skills set to participate. Mostly, she just enjoyed watching her daughters and Akane doing something they loved together. Eventually, the group went to bed; it would be a long day tomorrow.

When they arrived at the airport, Yukari was surprised to see her mother had a suitcase with her. More surprising was Hiroko picking up a ticket at the airline counter that the others were flying. “Mom?” wondered Yukari. “Going somewhere on business?” she guessed.

“No, actually,” Hiroko said, touching Yukari's cheek fondly, “I'm taking some of my vacation time to be with my daughters,” she said. Yukari's face lit up.

“Really?!” she squealed excitedly. “How long?!”

“A few weeks at the least,” Hiroko said. The HR director seemed almost orgasmic when I told him I was taking some of my vacation time, she recalled. Apparently, the company was getting worried about burn-out and the fact that I have more than a year of vacation time accumulated. Her boss had emailed her that she should take her time and relax. He would personally make sure that her department ran smoothly in her absence. She could only guess that he was as happy to have her on vacation as the HR manager was. Well, nearly a decade without vacation would make me wonder about burn-out as well, she dismissed the matter.

Boarding the plane, the group began their odyssey back the SSA's facilities. Nearly fourteen hours later, the group of six pulled through the gates of the SSA. Yukari and her two friends were greeted back warmly by the security personnel, while Hiroko and the NASA men were given visitor's passes for the time being. Tired or not, the three astronaut girls perked up as they entered their base.

Calling out greetings to their co-workers as they saw them, they stopped just long enough to drop off their suitcases in their rooms before leading the others off on an impromptu tour. Wayne, Norman and Hiroko were led through the facility at a speed that clearly told the three new-comers that the girls could run the entire place blindfolded and not stub their toes. Flight control, administration offices, medical, assembly areas, communications facility, propellant and protective equipment area - they found Motoko Mihara working on a second-gen hybrid propellant, laughing in her creepy manner as she burned and detonated things - to the engineering offices, then it was out to the flight line, a tour of the main launch pad and a brief description of how the thing worked with their capsule program. As the three were showing the visitors to their `special cove' north of the third launch pad, they ran into Kurosu, doing a perimeter check.

Having introduced the three around, he informed them that a number of nosey people had been around since the Orpheus mission, and that the base was on high-security to keep those people out. He also told the two NASA men that they would be receiving non-visitor passes the next day. Yukari asked him to see if he could arrange for her mother to stay on base with them, and he said it wouldn't be a problem. After he moved off on his rounds, the astronauts from the SSA showed the others their cove.

Seeing the stars and moon illuminating the cove, Hiroko gasped softly. “How beautiful,” she breathed.

“Like something from a post card,” agreed Wayne.

“Let's go swimming!” Matsuri exclaimed. “I can't wait to feel the sea on my skin again,” she added, swiftly stripping and dashing into the water.

“Hey! Bathing suits!” yelled Yukari, before sighing.

“She do that often?” wondered Norman.

“Too often,” sighed Yukari. “Back when I first got here, she didn't even know what a bathing suit was,” she shared. “I thought I finally taught her some modesty, but guess I was wrong,” the girl said wryly.

“Your sister was raised differently than you, Yukari,” Hiroko said. “I actually envy her in some ways,” admitted the woman. Akane had waded out into knee-deep water, holding her simple sundress up to keep the hem dry.

“Oh, this feels so good!” she called back to Yukari. Sighing, the girl kicked off her shoes and socks, dropping off her cell phone before walking out. She had chosen to wear shorts and a tank-top, so she didn't need to hold a dress up.

“Mm,” she hummed happily, “this is nice,” she agreed. Matsuri stood up, dashing over to them.

“It feels better when you're swimming!” she insisted, grabbing their hands and jerking hard on them.

“Matsuri! Wait…!” squealed Akane before she fell full-length into the knee-deep water, instantly soaked. Yukari landed right beside her.

“Matsuri!” complained Yukari, standing again. Looking at her grinning, dripping-wet sister, she couldn't stay mad. And the ocean water did feel good on her travel-tired body.

“Look!” Matsuri said, bending over to run a hand through the water. “Magic lights!” she breathed.

“Bio-luminescence, actually,” came Wayne's voice from the sand. “Caused by small organisms,” he explained.

“Come on, swim!” urged Matsuri, working on pulling Akane's sundress off her soaked body.

“Matsuri!” Yukari said, wiping sea water off her face and slicking her hair back. “We're not alone here, you know,” she reminded her care-free sister. Matsuri gave her a questioning look, Akane's sundress in her hands.

“What do you mean?” wondered the dark-skinned girl, throwing the sopping-wet sundress toward the beach. It narrowly missed Hiroko, who ducked aside as the wet dress landed on the sand with a sodden splat!

“Wayne and Norman are standing right there, you know!” hissed Yukari, fending off Matsuri's attempt to strip her as well. Akane was in the `startled nude' pose, tomato red.

“So?” wondered Matsuri, sounding puzzled. “They have seen girls before,” she shrugged. “Come on, swim!” begged Matsuri.

“Yukari, dear,” Hiroko called to her, “if it's ok with you, we're going to call it a night,” she said. “You should, too, after you swim a little,” she said, waving to the three as she and the NASA men hiked back toward the dormitory.

“Ok, mom! We will!” Yukari waved back, swiftly stripping as well. Well, it's night-time and you can't see the cove from the fence, so it should be ok, she decided. Beside her, she saw Akane remove her bra and panties as well, wringing them out before setting them on the beach, beside Matsuri's dry clothes and Yukari's wet ones.

Swiftly diving into the surf, Yukari and Akane joined Matsuri in the shallow, coral-shielded cove, relishing the feeling of being back where they were most comfortable. Nearly an hour later, the three emerged, tired, but happy. Giggling about the unfortunate lack of towels, the three dried off as best as they could before donning their clothes and making their way back to the dorm for a good night's sleep.

“So, that's where we stand right now,” Director Nasuda said. It was the morning after their return to the SSA, and the Director had called a department head meeting first thing. Theoretically, this meant that the astronauts were not going to be there, but Yukari - long familiar with how they did things - had crashed the meeting, along with Akane and Matsuri. Wayne and Norman didn't look surprised to see the astronauts enter the conference room a few minutes after the meeting started.

When told that the meeting was for department heads only, Yukari had challenged him back by saying she and the others were the heads of the capsule piloting department. Her acidic tone spoke volumes about her impression of Nasuda's protest. Sitting down, the astronauts had gotten serious.

The first half of the meeting was devoted to the issues with the LS7 platform. Motoko had some new ideas for the engine composition, but until and unless the engineering department could get the nozzle issues figured out, it was pointless. Nasuda approved a trial of the new caking compound in a LS5 test shot. No capsule, no pilot, ballistic track shot. It would leave the pad, attain escape velocity then fall into the Pacific Ocean. A cheap data transmitter would let them know how the new composition reacted to an actual launch - something that the static burn test would never reveal - and a load of cement would accurately mass the rocket for a Mangosteen-type capsule and payload. The entire thing would be discarded, but the data was what was valuable.

Norman was very interested in the way that the SSA designed, built, balanced and utilized the capsules, and since he had a lot of engineering courses under his belt - and about four years worth of NASA specialist training in that field - the engineering and construction teams welcomed his input. Yukari suspected that Norman and the ground technical people would be like peas in a pod before the week was out; though she was just as sure that the methodology used by her agency would shock - maybe even appall - the man, being used to high-tech NASA methodology. We're anything but cutting edge here, she thought, smiling a little.

With the first part done, the conversation moved to the next topic on the agenda: medical. Satsuki told her boss that her vacation had been very educational, and that forthwith, the medical section was going to be implementing new procedures and policies. Yukari had immediately jumped in, wanting to know what - exactly - she was talking about, but the doctor pretty much stonewalled her, repeating that it was `just routine' and `nothing worth worrying about' and `simply part of the on-going refinement of our operation'. Ignoring the protests from Yukari with practiced indifference, she mentioned to the Director that they would need some new equipment, maybe even a new location for medical.

Wayne, one of the senior-most astronauts from NASA and a regular mission commander, had asked to take a look at the new plans and procedures, since he was curious and had been trained in space medicine as part of his qualifications for mission commander on Shuttle missions. Satsuki had agreed, though it seemed to Yukari that her doctor was less than enthusiastic about having someone look over her shoulder. Not surprising, given her sadistic tendencies, the girl thought. Satsuki - almost as if she could hear Yukari's thoughts about her - had told the girls that they were on an increased centrifuge program to beef up their G-load tolerances. Akane was not happy to hear this, but made no protests. She felt that her susceptibility to black-outs during launch and rougher than anticipated re-entries was letting Yukari down, and wanted to become stronger.

Also covered in that discussion were new physical training cycles and dietary changes. This was, or so the astronauts were told, a preface to the anticipated re-launch of the LS7 platform. Stronger rockets meant more payloads, but also more energy in launch, so the girls would need more muscle on their frames, but would still be under certain mass restrictions. Yukari was of two minds about that, but didn't say much either way.

A short discussion of actual business concerns came and went, along with news that their operational resources would be increasing as new contracts came online and work picked up. With two more missions brokered through NASA for satellite repair, and the job from the ESA already signed, the shoe-string company had funds to last through the end of the fiscal year already in the bank. Nasuda warned all his department heads that even so, they were to maintain as lean a department as they could; development and future expansion would eat up a lot of the profits.

When the Director began to end the meeting, Yukari jumped in. “What about the potential astronauts and support personnel? What's the plan for them?” she asked the director.

“Well, we don't know if any of the students you spoke to will actually come see us, and even in the event they do, they will have to prove fundamentally capable of doing the job before we can invest money in training them,” the director began.

“So you didn't even bother to think it through,” sighed Yukari, rolling her eyes. “Look, we need some sort of plan to deal with them - when and if they show up!” she insisted, slapping the table. “I swear, for the head of this outfit, you don't plan very well,” complained the head pilot. Nasuda didn't bat an eyelash at her outburst.

“In that case,” he said blandly, smiling a little, “I'll let you handle that,” he said, shuffling his papers. Yukari blinked.

“What?”

“I said, you'll be in charge of that,” Nasuda said. “Thanks for volunteering,” he added. Yukari bared her teeth.

“You sneaky old fart,” hissed the girl angrily. “You planned this!” she accused him, an angry finger pointed right at him.

“Planned what?” he asked innocently, tucking the papers back into the folders they came from. “I heard about your presentation, by the way - excellent job, Yukari,” he said almost as an afterthought. Yukari snorted, flopping back into her chair. “The video of it was impressive as well,” the Director said, moving toward the door with the other department heads. Yukari blinked.

“What video?” she asked her fellow astronauts as they followed their co-workers out of the conference room.

Lunch found the girls dining with Hiroko and the two NASA men. The three SSA astronauts had been introduced to their new conditioning regimen and were feeling the effects of a heavier workout and centrifuge training. Not so much that they were in pain, but they were feeling the burn. Their food had changed a little as well, though the proportions were as miserly as ever.

“How was your morning, mom?” asked Yukari sitting next to her mother.

“Very interesting,” Hiroko said. She had been assigned the room next to the girls, while the NASA men were in a room at the other end of the dorm hall. Being a small, lean company, the SSA only had one dorm, and of the seven floors in total, only one floor was available, with eight rooms open, two bunks per room on that floor. The shower and bathroom facility was shared between the rooms on each floor. With barely six hundred employees, the dorm was not full, though it was busy. Yukari knew that Satsuki and Motoko had futons tucked away in their offices, and that the engineers and assembly crew had two worn couches in their areas, both with pillows on them.

“Yeah, kind of rough around here,” Yukari apologized to her mother. Hiroko shrugged.

“It's a nice change, actually,” she said, taking a bite of her pineapple salad. “The food here is good,” she noted. Yukari nodded.

“Yes, and at least you can eat as much as you want,” she added wryly. Her face lit up. “Oh! For supper, let's go to Chang's in town,” she suggested eagerly.

“Chang's?” wondered Hiroko. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah. The best Chinese food I have ever had is on this island!” she enthused. “Um, do you two like Chinese?” she asked the NASA men.

“We're easy,” grinned Norman. “If it's food, we'll eat it.”

“You'll love the shrimp chow mein there,” assured Yukari.

“And the beef with steamed rice is also good,” agreed Akane.

“I'm looking forward to that, then,” smiled Hiroko. “By the way, I heard that you are in charge of creating the training evaluation program for hopefuls?” she asked. Yukari scowled briefly.

“That old man tricked me,” she muttered, taking a bite of her food. “The whole thing was a set-up!” she complained, pausing for some water. “Sending us to Japan without any materials, not having an evaluation program in place, not having any support available to us…all just a trick to make us work hard to find a solution,” she sourly shared.

“And now, he's dumped the work on us again,” Akane agreed. Yukari blinked.

“I can take care of it, Akane,” she said, “you don't need to add that to your workload as well,” she cautioned. Akane shook her head.

“We're partners, so we will do it together,” insisted the girl.

“Right!” Matsuri agreed happily. Yukari felt herself blush slightly.

“You know,” Wayne said quietly, giving the three a small smile, “that is most likely what Director Nasuda was aiming for when he did that,” pointed out the man. “Space missions - be they Shuttle missions or your own capsule program - can't be done alone. Ground and flight work together, each one fully interlocked with the other. Without both, the mission will fail. Within the flight crew, absolute trust is mandatory, but it is no less mandatory that that same trust be between mission control and the flight crew.”

“Matsuri is our mission control liaison as well as our back-up pilot, so of course we trust her completely,” Yukari said, her tone contemplative. But, I guess I do trust Launch Director Kinoshita and the others as well, realized the girl. She certainly didn't care for their handling of her, but she did trust them. Is it because I know that they have as much or more reason to make it work as I do?

“I sort of thought that they were seeing if we could adapt,” Akane said softly. She was still a little shy around the NASA men, though not nearly as much as she had been the first time she had met them.

“Another required skill in an astronaut,” nodded Norman. Yukari was thoughtfully picking at her food.

“So, basically, we need to see if they can adapt, and work as a team,” mumbled the girl. Smiling, Hiroko slid a small pad and pen over to her daughter. Blinking at her mom's foresight, Yukari began to jot down notes.

“The math is something everyone will have to be able to do,” Akane said, “though if they can use a calculator, we can work around a weakness there,” pointed out the mission specialist. Her own math skills were higher than Yukari's, though Yukari had a better overall skill set. Matsuri's strengths were the physical skill sets, though she could pilot and EVA without much trouble - like when she rescued her sister after the Tanpopo blew out on Yukari.

“Well, we should be able to pound the equations into their heads,” muttered Yukari, making more notes. “Worse comes to worse, if we get a good candidate who is struggling with the math, we can send up formula cards with them in their mission pack,” she said, more notes on the pad.

“Physical factors will also be of prime importance,” Norman said. “You three know what it is like to launch and Yukari and Akane know what an emergency re-entry is like, so take that into consideration in your assessment exercises.”

“Well, they will need to pass minimums on the centrifuge, and while I still have nightmares about my own survival training, I think it will be for the best, given the problems we seem to have with accurate splash-downs,” Yukari thought out loud. Both Akane and Matsuri nodded.

“Survival training?” wondered Wayne, glancing at Norman. Both were ex-military, and were very familiar with survival training, though they couldn't picture the girls in the SSA going through something like they had while soldiers and then again later in NASA.

“Yeah,” nodded Yukari. “There's the logical stuff like getting out of a sinking capsule without drowning and surviving a land impact, but they also made me do a three-day jungle survival exercise and made me learn to handle a gun!” she shared. “Before I came here, I had never even seen a real gun, either!” she shared.

“They put you through jungle survival training?” wondered Norman, shocked. Yukari snorted.

“The day that my spacesuit was ready, they had me try it on. Before I knew it, I was in a chopper, being thrown out over the southeast end of the island, into the jungle with nothing but my pack and that gun,” she carped.

“But lucky for you, you found my village,” chirped Matsuri. Unwillingly, Yukari smiled.

“Yeah, lucky,” she said, glancing at Matsuri's smiling face. “I guess I had it easy, compared to what Akane went through,” she recalled, reaching over to gently squeeze her friend's shoulder.

“It…it wasn't so bad,” Akane said softly. “I thought I would die when I was doing it, but now, it doesn't seem so bad,” she repeated.

“Those idiots could have killed you with that stunt,” grunted Yukari. They knew that her physical abilities were low, yet they still threw her to the wolves! she silently bitched. “We'll need to talk with Kurosu about that issue,” she muttered, another note on the pad.

“They taught you to handle a gun?” asked Hiroko, sounding surprised. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah,” she said, “Kurosu taught me to shoot a pistol, though I don't know much more than that. I'm not very accurate with it,” she admitted.

“What do they use here?” wondered Wayne. Probably a Glock, he reasoned.

“It's some big, heavy gun that kicks hard and sounds like a cannon. He called it a Colt Government,” recalled Yukari. Akane nodded.

“It's hard for me to get my hands around the grip, so I have a hard time holding onto it,” Akane noted. “Isn't it getting close to the time we're supposed to qualify with it again?” she recalled. Yukari blinked, glancing at the large calendar near the clock in the cafeteria.

“Ugh! You're right,” she sighed.

“They have you working with a 1911,” said Norman, shaking his head.

“Full size one, too,” Wayne agreed. Yukari frowned.

“What do you mean, full size?” she wondered. Wayne hummed.

“There are smaller versions of the gun, as well as a lot of other handguns to choose from. In fact, I think I might need to make a call,” he murmured.

“You mean, there is a smaller, lighter one?” asked Yukari eagerly. Wayne nodded.

“Yep, and I think a lot of what is dogging you is the gun you are using,” he mused. “A full-size is too big for your hands, the grip panels are thick, and a government model weighs as much fully loaded as some assault rifles,” he shared.

“Not surprising you are having trouble with it,” nodded Norman. “Good caliber, though,” he grinned. “If nothing else, we can get you a better fit for your hand and build,” he promised her.

“Yukari Morita, report to the Director's office immediately. Repeat: Yukari Morita, report to the Director's office immediately,” the PA announced base-wide. Toweling off the sweat from her hour-long jog along the perimeter, Yukari began to walk toward the office building.

“What's that about?” wondered Akane, panting a little. Matsuri wasn't even breathing hard. Together, the three moved into the air conditioned building, feeling a chill as the suddenly-cooler air hit their sweaty skin. Being on an island near the equator, the heat and humidity was high, and the three had taken to exercising in as little as possible. Usually, that meant a bikini top and spandex short-shorts or bikini bottoms.

“Don't know,” shrugged Yukari. She had submitted her initial training program to the Director just the other day. It had taken her almost five days to get a program together that she was satisfied with, but when she turned it in, she had been confident that it was a sound program. “Maybe he doesn't like my program,” she suggested.

“Maybe, but why call you over the PA about it in the morning when we're doing our exercise?” questioned Akane. Yukari shrugged.

“Don't know,” she admitted. Knocking on the director's door, she opened it. “You wanted to see me, Director?” she asked stepping in so the other two could enter as well.

“Yes,” said Nasuda, puffing on a cigarette. “I want you to meet our perspective recruits,” he said. Yukari blinked, realizing that there were two girls and a boy in the room.

“Um, hi again, Yukari-san,” bowed one of the girls.

“Yes, it's good to see you again,” agreed the second girl. Yukari blinked, trying to place their faces.

“Same to you,” she replied automatically. They're not in their school uniforms, so I don't know which school they are from, she thought. They look sort of familiar, but… Yukari blinked, realizing that she was standing there, soaked in sweat, wearing a small bikini top and short-shorts, the other two in a similar condition. Wish the old man had let us at least rinse off first! she silently growled. “Please excuse our condition; we were doing our exercises,” Yukari explained.

“Well, now that you've been introduced, I'll leave them in your care, Yukari,” Nasuda said, turning his attention to the computer screen before him.

“Figures,” sighed Yukari. “What are their assignments in the dorm, and do they have their passes yet?” asked Yukari.

“No and no,” Nasuda didn't even look up. Yukari glowered at him.

“Fine, I'll take care of that, too,” she said sarcastically. Turning to the three, she sized them up. “You - Ibari, was it? - were interested in the technical division, right?” she asked the young man. He nodded. Great, forgot to take that into account, she realized. “Yeah, ok,” Yukari said. “Follow us,” Yukari directed, tossing her head toward the door.

“Where are we going?” asked one of the girls.

“First stop is security,” Yukari said. “You will need temporary passes and a copy of the base's policies; and a map, too,” explained the senior astronaut. “I'm sorry, but I don't recall your names,” she said to the girls.

“I'm Natsuko Orimi,” said the girl who had first spoke to her in the office of the director. “We spoke at Jindai,” she reminded Yukari. Yukari nodded, finally placing the girl.

“And I am Chinami Wakazuki. We spoke at Jindai as well,” the other girl supplied.

“Got you,” nodded Yukari. “Have you had breakfast?” she asked them. Getting three head shakes, she revised her plans. “Matsuri, stop by the cafeteria and grab two bowls for the girls and a plate for Ibari-kun,” she delegated to her sister. “Meet us in the security office. Akane, go tell Mukai he's got a candidate waiting for him in the security office. After that, go see Satsuki and tell her she has three coming in for physicals, two for flight and one for ground,” she marked off another two items on her mental list.

“Dorm assignments?” asked Akane, Matsuri scurrying off toward the cafeteria.

“For now, we'll put Ibari-kun next to Wayne and Norman's room, and Chinami and Natsuko will be across the hall from us,” she made the call. “Might want to make sure that they get the doors coded to their cards as well.”

“Right,” nodded Akane, hurrying off. Glancing at the three with her, she smiled at their expressions.

“I told you, didn't I?” she reminded them.

“It's fine!” Natsuko insisted, waving a hand.

“Since the SSA is still such a new company, it's to be expected,” Ibari agreed swiftly.

“And such a daring business venture is sure to take some getting used to,” chimed in Chinami. Yukari gave them a friendly - if sharp-toothed - smile.

“Indeed,” was all she said. Reaching the security office, she began the process of destroying the glittering illusion of adventure and glory the girls doubtlessly had in their heads.

Evening found two very intimidated, tired and jumpy girls slumped in their chairs in the cafeteria, listening to their sempais in the flight program easily chat amongst themselves. Of Ibari, they had seen neither hide nor hair since he had been pulled from the security office by a blue-jumpsuit-wearing man who was greeted as Mukai by Yukari.

“Hey, we should take them swimming tonight,” Matsuri suggested eagerly, looking at the newly-arrived girls. Yukari opened her mouth to shoot that one down, but paused, assessing the look in the girls' eyes. They look about ready to break and run for the wire, Yukari thought.

“Sure,” she said. “Right after their evening class on astronautics and the centrifuge run,” she said.

“T…there's more?” groaned Natsuko. Yukari nodded.

“Another two hours before you're done for the day,” she confirmed. “We'll take you to the cove before bed,” promised the mission commander.

“I don't know if I can do this,” whimpered Chinami.

“I did tell you that it was not for everyone,” Yukari reminded the two. “But try to hold out until you see our special spot,” she urged the two. I can't believe how easy it is to act like Satsuki, marveled Yukari. She had always thought the doctor was just sadistic, but it was so tempting to act like that toward the new girls it was almost impossible not to take delight in tormenting them. Guess I am more twisted than I thought, Yukari mused.

“Yeah, it won't seem as bad later,” Akane tried to cheer them up as she cleaned her own plate.

“Is this all you eat?” asked Natsuko, looking at the meager food on her plate.

“Pretty much, though this is more than what we had before,” shrugged Yukari. “Satsuki said you needed to lose a kilogram, too, so you're on a lean plan right now,” she added.

“It's just a kilogram!” protested Natsuko, “it's not like I'm fat or anything,” she muttered, absently touching her stomach.

“It's not about fat, but about mass to orbit,” Yukari replied absently. Besides, your breasts are bigger than any of ours, the girl thought, perhaps a bit jealously. Though not significantly taller than Yukari, Natsuko had almost half a cup more than even Matsuri. “You should finish up; you've got four minutes to make it to the classroom,” noted Yukari.

True to her word, when the two girls stumbled out of the centrifuge session, the three pilots were waiting for them. Holding out a pair of bikinis to the two, the three led them to their cove. Both girls had gasped at the view. Dragging the two into the surf, they had initiated them into the perks side of working for the SSA.

Forty minutes later, the three astronauts had helped two nearly-asleep girls back to the dorm. After making sure that they were ready for the night, the three retired to their rooms for a good night's sleep. A few minutes later, though, they heard a shriek. Bolting out of their room, they dashed to the shower block. “What's wrong?!” barked Yukari, looking around.

“There's a pervert in our shower!” screeched Chinami, holding her towel to her chest. Looking toward the six shower positions, Yukari caught sight of Norman just finishing wrapping a towel around his waist.

“Oh, Norman,” Yukari said, exhaling.

“Sorry about the confusion,” shrugged Norman. Yukari waved it away.

“No problem,” she said. Turning to the two girls, she swiftly explained the situation. “So, we have to share,” she finished up. “Generally, the girls go first, then the men. Norman figured we had finished for the evening; that's all,” she soothed them.

“You mean we even share showers and bathrooms?” wondered Natsuko.

“Is that a problem?” wondered Matsuri.

“But…!” began Natsuko.

“Look,” Yukari cut in firmly, “this isn't a class trip, and its how things are. Maybe, when we have enough business, we can make a separate dorm for girls and guys, but for the time being, you just have to be mature about it. You'll find that working closely with others is something you have to do to do this job.”

“We'll try to coordinate a little better,” promised Norman, easing out of the shower block.

“Get your showers and hit the sack,” Yukari told the two new arrivals. “Tomorrow will start at half past five, which is only seven hours from now, and you will need your sleep.”

“Yes, sempai,” the two said contritely. Seeing the two step under their shower heads, Yukari sighed. Moving down the hall to the room the two NASA men shared, she knocked on the door.

“Come,” called out Wayne, Yukari opening the door. Glancing in, she saw Norman was just pulling up some shorts.

“Sorry about that,” Yukari said. “Guess we'll make up a sign for you to put on the door or something,” she suggested. “They were just startled,” she said to Norman.

“They're young girls, in a stressful situation,” he shrugged. “I don't take it personally,” he assured her.

“Actually, I had forgotten to warn them,” admitted Yukari. “Never really thought about it, in fact,” she offered a weak laugh.

“Again, no harm done,” Norman repeated. “NASA missions are long enough that that sort of thing is just part of the job.”

“Would it be ok with you if we gave you a hand with the training?” asked Wayne, looking up from a technical manual he had been reading.

“What do you mean?” wondered Yukari.

“Well, we can help you and Akane teach them astronautics and math, and we'd like to join you in your exercises and centrifuge training as well,” he explained. “Not only will it help us keep in shape while we're here, but it will help steady the recruits as well. I image they are feeling pretty alone and scared about now.”

“But, we're with them,” Yukari frowned.

“You are also full-blown astronauts with missions under your belt and as such, they don't feel comfortable with you yet. Bet if you asked them, they would say that they feel like they are always being watched and judged by you, Akane and Matsuri,” suggested Wayne.

“We all felt that way when going through NASA's training cycles the first time,” Norman admitted. “Knowing that the person training you has experience in the real thing tends to make it hard for the trainee to focus on learning what you teach, since usually it makes them obsess over every mistake they make.”

“I see,” murmured Yukari.

“That thing with the cove was a bit of pure genius, by the way,” Wayne added casually. Yukari frowned.

“How did you know about that?” she wondered.

“Norman and I were out jogging and saw you five at the cove,” he grinned.

“Ah, greetings, honored customers,” bowed Chang, the owner and cook of the best - and only - Chinese restaurant in the small fishing town on Axio Island.

“Hey, Chang, Han Li,” Yukari waved back, leading the small group into the cramped eating area. “Regular,” she added, finding a good seat. There wasn't a rush in the place, but a few people were there. The young waitress - Han Li - slipped through the small space between chairs and tables to drop off their appetizers and tea.

“There are two men who have been asking about you over there,” murmured the Chinese girl softly while she set out the snacks and tea. Glancing past Han Li's silk-covered cleavage, Yukari spotted two men lounging at a table in the corner. Each had a few empty bottles of beer by their elbows, and another in their hands. They were also wearing sunglasses inside, along with dress shirts and ties, though the dress shirts were unbuttoned and the ties loose around their necks. Yukari wrinkled her nose at the large sweat stains under their arms and below their throats.

“And idea who they are?” she asked softly of Han Li.

“Pinchers,” shrugged the taller girl. Yukari was with Matsuri, Akane and Hiroko. The trainees were getting tested on astronautics by Wayne and Kinoshita before a solo test in the simulator. Taking Norman's suggestion, the three astronauts and Yukari's mom had slipped out to have a quiet meal in relative privacy.

“Reporters,” Hiroko said quietly. “Probably tabloid reporters, too,” she added.

“That is why Chang called you `honored customers' instead of greeting you by name,” Han Li explained. Usually, Chang greeted the group by name.

“What would tabloid reporters be doing here?” wondered Akane.

“You girls are celebrities, you know,” Hiroko said, patting Akane's hand. “And celebrities attract tabloid reporters like dead fish attracts seagulls.”

“What a nice way to put it,” snickered Yukari softly. Han Li smiled with her friends. Glancing at the cook/owner, she gauged the time.

“Ten minutes,” she said, moving back toward the pick-up counter.

“Hey, another round, sexy!” called one of the men, waving his bottle. Han Li's face remained passive as she dutifully retrieved another bottle and took it to him, avoiding the men's wandering hands. Yukari saw them trying to cop a feel and pinch Han Li's firm rear, and a scowl marred her face.

“What jerks,” she growled.

“They're just drunk hack reporters,” Hiroko calmed her daughter down. “Honestly, I'm surprised that they haven't come over here yet,” added her mother.

“They probably don't know who we are,” scoffed Yukari.

“You were recognized the moment you came in the door, I'm afraid,” Hiroko shook her head. “After your PR tour, it isn't like you can hide from this sort of attention,” she warned her daughter and her friends.

“So, why haven't they tried to approach us yet?” wondered Akane.

“They're watching, waiting and listening,” Hiroko predicted. “Like the scavengers they are, they are hesitant to close in too quickly, preferring to make sure the target is unable to defend itself,” explained the woman. “Usually, they wait until you are a few bites into your meal before making their first run,” she sagely lectured.

“Why?” wondered Matsuri.

“Because once you start eating, you are more stationary and less likely to bolt,” the older woman said. “Also, your guard is usually down then, too,” she added.

“I still don't know why they are here, though. We're just pilots,” Akane repeated her earlier question.

“It isn't so much that you are pilots, dear, as that you are teenage astronauts, working for a private company, which has stirred up the media and even been attacked by the UN. That is why they are here,” answered Hiroko.

Han Li slipped back up to their table. “Do you want us to make those to go?” she asked softly, refilling Matsuri's tea and giving Hiroko a cold bottle of beer. Yukari looked at her two friends. Eyes narrowing slightly, she shook her head.

“No,” she said firmly, yet softly, “I'm not letting a couple of drunken losers run me out of my own town,” she stated. “We're staying,” she nodded. “But, if you don't mind, could you keep an eye on them? We might need you to call the base if things get out of hand,” the lead astronaut requested.

“Chang will call your security guy as soon as the food is up,” Han Li promised. “And Yasukawa usually comes by for supper about now, as well,” the girl smiled. Feeling better, Yukari pushed the matter to the back of her mind. She was with her family and closest friends, and that was all that mattered to her.

“So, how do feel the new girls are doing?” asked Hiroko of the three.

“Still a little skitterish, but they're settling in,” Yukari said. “They're getting the hang of the math end, and they were in pretty good shape before they came here, so the physical side isn't as big an issue for them; well, aside from the centrifuge training,” amended the girl.

“Norman was saying that Nasuda was discussing the possibility of sending them up for the first time by the end of the month,” Hiroko shared. Yukari shrugged.

“Yeah, he talked it over with me,” she acknowledged, “but I don't know if they will be ready or not.”

“It's only going to be a five orbit final solo, though, isn't it?” asked Akane. “Just to see if they can put it all together?”

“A lot can happen on a solo,” Yukari said, her tone contemplative. “On one of mine, a blow-out nearly killed me.”

“Well, we have a two-seater if that happens again,” Matsuri came back, unconcerned.

“And they will have to do it for real sooner or later, won't they?” Hiroko pointed out.

“I know,” sighed Yukari, “it's just…” she made a vague gesture with one hand.

“This is the first time you will have someone else's life in your hands?” suggested Hiroko. “You will have trained them, after all, so it is logical to worry that they might be hurt or killed because of something you missed,” she said.

Han Li arrived with their food, swiftly serving it up for them. As she put the plate of vegetable chow mein on steamed rice in front of Yukari, she murmured in the girl's ear that the base was sending Kurosu over to provide some discreet protection for the pilots. Yukari nodded her thanks as she picked up her chopsticks.

She was five bites into her meal when she saw the two men rise from their table. Great, she thought sourly, just like Mom said. Before the men could reach their table, however, the door opened and Yasukawa came through the door, waving. “Shrimp Lo Mein, Chang,” he called out, just happening to stop between the two muck-rakers and the pilots. Turning to the astronauts, he leaned over Yukari and Hiroko's shoulders, a hand on each. “Well, how are things with you girls?” he asked, smiling.

“Same old, same old,” Yukari shrugged. The two men, deciding that he would be there for a bit, moved over to approach from the other side of the table, where Akane and Matsuri were sitting. The door opened again, the large, unsmiling form of Kurosu stepping through.

“Shrimp fried rice with sweet and sour dumplings,” he said, intercepting the two before they could get to Matsuri and Akane. Just as Yasukawa had done, he stopped, turning to lean over the two, a hand on each girl's shoulder. “Is everything ok, ladies?” he asked, not quite turning to look at the two vultures. Yukari noticed that he was wearing his .45 on his hip, and it was prominently displayed.

“Yes, thank you,” Akane replied pleasantly. “Is everything at the base ok?” she asked.

“Fine, except for some rats nosing around the perimeter fence,” he said, turning his head ever so slightly to stare at the two. “Had to shoot a few of them,” he growled out. The two sweating men stepped back a little.

“That's the problem with rats,” Hiroko said calmly, “you can shoot them and shoot them and there's still more of them to be shot,” she smiled. Kurosu nodded.

“Very true, Hiroko-san,” he agreed. “It's good target practice, though, so I don't mind,” he replied.

“Maybe we should ask daddy to cast a curse on the rats,” Matsuri suggested.

“Might not be a bad idea,” Yukari replied. “God knows his curses are oddly effective,” she muttered. The food for the two arrived, and they happened to sit at the tables closest to the four, chairs pushed back so they were barely an arms length from the girls. Unsure what to do, the two tabloid hacks backed off.

When the meal was finished, the four took Yasukawa's cab back to the base, Kurosu following in one of the light armored vehicles the base ran. As they bumped over the rough road to the base, Yukari thanked him for helping them out with the two nosy reporters. Yasukawa waved it off, telling them that even though he had quit the program, he still supported the girls. “Oh, by the way,” he said, pulling up in front of the dorm, “I heard in town that some of the reporters had been looking to hire boats. Seems they think that they might be able to sneak in from seaward that way,” he shared.

“Great,” deadpanned Yukari. “I'll tell Kurosu,” she said. “We'll probably end up with a navy by the time this is done,” she carped.

“Maybe,” shrugged the man. “I think the first time that they get too close when a launch goes down will be the last time they dare that approach,” he snickered. The SSA had set up their launch pads to vent over the water. When a rocket went up, the blast zone was nearly a mile long and half a mile wide. Any boat too close was going to be incinerated by the engine, and even those farther out would be covered in a thick bank of noxious exhaust that could - if dense enough - kill the people aboard the boat. The SSA had - of course - put out danger buoys, but it was unlikely that the reporters would heed the warning.

“We can only hope,” was the cynical reply.

“One final thing,” the former astronaut candidate added as Matsuri closed her door. “They brought high-power telescopic lenses with them,” he said.

Two girls groaned and moaned as they dragged themselves into the dorm. “What were we thinking?” asked one of the other.

“I can't recall,” the other replied tiredly.

“Probably something along the lines of `wow! I can be an astronaut!'” came an amused voice from behind the two. Neither girl turned to see who it was - the voice was far too familiar. “I did warn you,” she reminded them.

“Yeah, but you didn't make it sound bad enough!” whined the slighter of the two girls.

“If I had, you wouldn't have come down to join us,” laughed Yukari. “Besides, you'll get used to it,” she added easily.

“Or die,” interjected the second astronaut trainee, Natsuko.

“You shouldn't be so upset,” chimed in a fourth voice. “Yukari and I didn't get even a quarter of the training you got before they threw us into the jungle,” Akane pointed out.

“And Wayne was right about the gun, too,” recalled Yukari. “The ones he got sent here fit our hands a lot better,” she noted. Her marksmanship scores had more than doubled when Wayne and Norman had introduced her and the others to the numerous configurations of handguns. Kurosu still insisted on the Government model, but when he had been nearly strong-armed into trying a smaller 1911, he had been forced to say that it was as good as his beloved Government. Yukari found that the grips of different guns made a big difference in how they felt in her hands, and therefore how easy it was to handle them.

The Government model she had initially been instructed on was based on the World War Two model, blued finish with wood grips. She had a hard time getting her fingers around the thick, fat grip panels, and that threw off her whole game. It hadn't occurred to her to think that maybe a gun could be made to fit her hand better. Wayne had gotten a care package from America, and the next day, she and the other four were being given a `refresher' course on marksmanship.

Looking at the half-dozen guns on the bench, and the small pile of parts and tools next to them, she had discovered that even the gun the head of security espoused came in many, many configurations. Matsuri had found that just switching the grips of a Government made it easy for her to work with it. Yukari - smaller of hand than her sister - discovered the joys of a compact 1911 with rubber finger-grooved combat grips and better sights. Akane had fallen in love with a poly-framed Glock in a lighter caliber, while the two newest recruits had finally found their feet with a Walther poly-frame and a reduced-caliber short-frame 1911 conversion.

Norman and Wayne proved to be far better at instructing the girls in handling a gun than Kurosu was, actually making the girls feel comfortable with the guns. They also had brought an assortment of ammunition, which further helped calm the girls, who were still skitterish about guns due to them being illegal in their homeland. By the time that lunch rolled around, the girls were actually shooting above-qualifying scores - much to the surprise and approval of Kurosu, who had all but given up on the girls ever hitting anything they might happen to aim at.

That afternoon had proven to be tough, as Satsuki had informed them that she was changing the training cycles on them. More centrifuge time, more capsule drills and significantly longer hours in the simulator had made the rest of the week fly by for all of them. Each day had grown longer by two hours, as well, since Nasuda had told Yukari that the physicals were being advanced as well in preparation for a heavier mission load in the near future. Once more, Wayne and Norman had helped her figure out what areas the group needed to work on most.

Even though they had been on base nearly a month now, the two newest trainees were not adjusted to the heat and humidity, and the stepped-up PT cycles were wearing them out. Yukari and her two experienced co-workers were feeling it, though not nearly as bad as the newcomers. She was looking forward to a warm shower, a brief dip in the whirlpool she had managed to talk Nasuda into, then bed.

Reaching the hall their rooms were on, Yukari spotted an envelope tucked into her door. Retrieving the envelope, she opened it and read the note inside. Frowning, she glanced at Akane. “Hey, Akane-chan, we need to see Satsuki,” she relayed to her friend.

“Us too?” wondered the new-comers. Yukari shook her head.

“No, hit the showers and get some sleep,” said Yukari. Matsuri began to follow her two friends. “Matsuri, keep an eye on them, ok?” Yukari said softly. Matsuri frowned.

“Aren't I coming with you two?” she wondered. Yukari shook her head.

“No, just Akane and I this time,” she said. “Probably another sample or test or something,” sighed the mission commander. “We have that job coming up, so they probably want a blood test again,” she reasoned. Matsuri shrugged.

“Well, ok,” she said, happy as always. “See you tonight,” she waved as the two main pilots exited the dorm for the medical station. Reaching it, the two glanced at the stars overhead before entering the anti-septic-smelling domain of Satsuki.

The head of the SSA's medical department was waiting for them, a thick sheaf of papers in hand, an array of strange implements laid out, and two new pieces of equipment situated in the corner of the examination room. “Get undressed and get on the tables,” Satsuki said, not even looking up from her paper. Scowling, Yukari did as bid, Akane doing likewise. Both knew that arguing was futile.

It was several minutes later when Satsuki stood up and moved over to the two. Quickly and efficiently, she drew blood samples, sealing them into some sort of thick package before picking up one of the new instruments. “What's that for?” asked Yukari, not liking the looks of the tool.

“Tissue sample extractor,” Satsuki said casually.

“Tissue sample?” gulped Akane. “That sounds…painful,” she squirmed.

“It's not too bad,” denied Satsuki. “We're after muscle tissue,” she went on before either girl could speak, “any preference between arm and leg?” asked the woman, one gloved hand absently resting on Yukari's thigh, near the knee. Once more - as was her habit - Satsuki didn't wait for an answer.

“Ow!” hissed Yukari as she felt a sharp sting in her leg. “That hurt,” she accused the doctor.

“Really? How strange,” Satsuki replied blandly. Yukari hissed as she felt a pinching sensation in her leg.

“What are you doing?!” demanded the girl. Satsuki withdrew the implement, her other hand pressing a small patch of gauze to Yukari's lower thigh.

“All done,” Satsuki answered, swapping the instrument for another. “Hold this,” she said, Yukari putting her hand over the gauze pad as the doctor moved over to Akane and repeated the process. Akane squeezed her eyes closed and whimpered a time or two, but otherwise bore up well under the extraction. Once more, the samples went into padded envelopes, Satsuki swiftly writing on the outsides with a Sharpie marker.

“Ok, we're going to be doing some new tests,” Satsuki said, picking up two clipboards and some pens. “I need you to fill out these data forms; and be completely honest and accurate,” admonished Satsuki, handing each of the girls a clipboard, which had three sheets of paper clipped to them. Scanning the papers, Yukari felt her cheeks warm up.

“Why the sudden interest in our love lives?” she demanded, glancing at a tomato-red Akane.

“We aren't interested in your love lives,” Satsuki said, “only in your continued good health. However, your love lives do have bearing on your health, so answer the questions,” she ordered. Thinking evil thoughts and suitable revenge scenarios, Yukari filled out the forms. Akane finished about the same time, looking totally embarrassed. Satsuki retrieved the clipboards and calmly scanned the information.

“Have there been any changes in your cycles?” she asked the two, jotting down some notes on a pad.

“No, not really,” said Yukari.

“Not really?” questioned Satsuki, looking at the lead pilot. “What does that mean?”

“Well, mine's been shorter since I joined,” Yukari admitted. “And maybe just a little lighter, too,” she frowned, “but nothing unusual,” insisted the girl.

“Um, mine's been a little heavier,” whispered Akane. Satsuki nodded.

“Any change in cycle time? Have your periods become unstable? Noticed any change in discharge?” asked the woman, more notes hitting the pad.

“No, same as always,” Yukari said, Akane nodding.

“Tomorrow, after exercise, come back here,” Satsuki said, folding one of the sheets of paper and tucking it into a manila envelope, which she also wrote on with the Sharpie before adding it to the samples she took earlier. “We'll do the mammogram and pap smear before you drill the new girls on point-docking in the simulator,” she directed.

“Why would we need those kinds of tests?” demanded a suspicious Yukari. It's not like we're old enough to worry about that kind of thing, and neither of us are sexually active, she thought.

Satsuki stared at the two for a moment. Clearly deciding on something, she turned to face them squarely. “You might as well get used to the idea that you will be getting a lot of tests that other girls won't need for decades because you work in space, and are exposed to much greater doses of radiation than `normal' girls,” she said, using her fingers to make quotation marks on the word `normal'.

“But, isn't the capsule shielded?” Yukari asked. I thought the metal was supposed to help protect us from the radiation, she tried to recall if the build engineers had ever specifically said that or not.

“You are both right and wrong,” Satsuki said. “The metal in the capsule gives you some,” she stressed the word, “protection, but not nearly as much as you have inside the atmosphere. Also, you spend a lot longer EVA than other astronauts, and the suits don't offer protection of the kind that would make tests like these irrelevant.” Satsuki let that soak in for a moment. “I was going to wait to talk to you two about this until a little later, but since we're talking now,” she went on, her tone serious and somber, “I will go ahead and broach the subject. Do you two plan to have children someday?” she asked.

Both girls twitched. “Um, well…” Yukari groped for something to say. Akane's mouth was working, but she wasn't able to frame any sort of answer.

“It might not come to an issue,” Satsuki went on, “but then, it might already be an issue we need to address. Sustained dosages of hard radiation like you encounter in space has been proven to cause sterility. If you plan to have children, I would suggest you take the time to consider having some ovum put in storage against the possibility that you will be unable to conceive after sustained missions.”

Two subdued and thoughtful girls departed the medical wing ten minutes later, their minds too wound up to sleep. By silent, mutual agreement, the two moved toward the cove, where they could think in peace. When they reached the cove, however, they found that they were not alone. “Mom?” breathed Yukari, seeing a familiar form swimming in the water.

“Oh, hi Yu-chan,” smiled her mother, brushing back her bangs. Yukari started, open-mouthed, at her mom. “Nice night, isn't it?” asked Hiroko casually.

“Where did you get that bathing suit?!” gasped Yukari. Her mom seemed puzzled by her daughter's reaction.

“This old thing?” she asked. “I've had it for a few years, but never gotten to wear it, so I thought `why not?' What? Do I look fat in it?” she wondered, looking down at herself.

“No!” Yukari exhaled. “You don't look fat; just naked,” she muttered. Talk about a micro-bikini, the girl disapproved. Even so, she was glad that her mother had maintained her figure enough to wear such a thing. Hopefully when I'm her age, I'll still be that trim and slim, the girl thought. That thought brought back to her mind the issue before her and Akane.

As if she could sense her daughter's mood, Hiroko waded out of the water, sitting down next to where Yukari had plopped down on the sand beside Akane. “What's wrong, sweetie?” she asked, her arm draping around Yukari's shoulders. Before she knew it, she had told her mother everything. “Hmm. I see,” mused Hiroko. “So, what are you thinking?” she asked.

“I don't know,” sighed Yukari. “I never really thought about kids; I'm still a virgin for crying out loud! And now…” she shook her head. Hiroko waited. “How did you decide, mom?” she asked, looking to her mother. Hiroko hummed.

“It's not easy to explain,” she said. “Until I met your father, I didn't think about it either. And for the first several months of our relationship - even after we got married - I didn't really think about children either. But then, I was pregnant and your father had run off, and I couldn't wait for my daughter,” she smiled at Yukari. “It isn't the same, I know, but it's the best answer I can give you,” she said. “You will know when you know, I guess.”

“But I might have to choose before I know,” pointed out Yukari, turning toward her mother and leaning her head against her shoulder. She hadn't done that in a long time, but it felt good.

“Well, pragmatically, if you put some in storage, you will always have the option, even if you don't need it,” pointed out her mother.

“But the operation is probably going to be unpleasant and could put me off flight status for weeks,” Yukari countered. “And besides, I don't even know if I want kids,” she sighed, frustrated.

“So, they told you,” came a calm voice from behind the group. Turning, they saw Wayne and Norman on the path above the shallow beach. The two were dressed in running shorts and tee shirts, and had apparently been jogging along the perimeter fence.

“Is this something that you all deal with too?” wondered Yukari. The two men moved down to sit in the sand next to the girls.

“Actually, yes,” Wayne said. “The Shuttle is shielded a lot better than your capsules are, but even so, radiation exposure is an occupational hazard we all have to deal with. NASA has been researching the issue since the Apollo program days, but isn't any closer to a fix for it. We have a lot of theory about how to protect our space station from the hard radiation, but until the station is fully built and the labs are in place, it remains theory,” he said.

“As for us astronauts,” Norman picked up the thought, “we are all advised of the risks, and can choose to put our…reproductive options in a bank against the chance that exposure makes us sterile. Generally speaking, men seem to be more susceptible to that than women, though the risks are greater for women when it comes to cumulative radiation effects,” he shared.

Yukari looked out over the ocean. “There isn't a fix,” she murmured to herself, “except not to fly.” The two men and her mother silently waited. Minutes passed. “I won't stop flying,” she said eventually. And that means I have a choice to make, she thought. Looking over at Akane, she saw the girl's expression, and smiled. Moments later, she began to snicker, then giggle, and finally, she and Akane were laughing so hard they had doubled over, clutching their stomachs.

“You have an amazing daughter, Miss Morita,” Wayne said, watching the two.

“I know,” said Hiroko softly, smiling as well. “And she is hopelessly stubborn,” added the mother.

“Looks like she got that from you,” Norman joined in as the two girls waded out into the water until their knees were covered in the salt water, still laughing.

“Congratulations,” said Yukari dryly, “you just died a spectacular death.”

She was in the control room of the simulator building, supervising a training run for the two new recruits. While she was impressed with their progress, she was certain that they were in no means ready for the real deal. Hearing muted grumbling over the mic, she cut in immediately. “Hey! Don't get mad, don't get frustrated and don't get defensive! Learn from what you do wrong here, so you won't make the same mistakes when you are up there,” she said, pointing to the roof. “Space doesn't give you `do-overs',” she repeated what was swiftly becoming a favorite mantra with the two newcomers.

“Yes, Yukari-sempai,” chorused the two girls.

“Reset from orbital insertion plus seven, and try it again,” Yukari ordered. Looking down at the control unit for the simulator, she checked to make sure it was reset for the latching drill. Pressing her mute, she glanced at Wayne, smiling. “Not bad for make-do, hmm?” she grinned.

“I've seen stuff similar to this in photos from the Apollo program days,” Wayne smiled back. Outside the crude separating wall, a mock-up of the Mangosteen two-seat orbital capsule was hooked up to several hydraulic and pneumatic rams, which - more or less - gave the feel of a real mission. Over the small window in the hatch, a LCD display was hooked up to a small desktop, proving the correct view out the portal. “Did I ever tell you what we talked about that first time, while we were waiting to meet these SSA poster girls?” he asked her, grinning a little wider.

“No, what?” wondered Yukari. “Begin the latching exercise,” she said, releasing her mute, “and this time, try not to knock yourself and the satellite out of orbit, ok?” added the girl.

“Gordon and Norman were talking about the fact that NASA had said the `repair men' were teenage girls flying a capsule. Louis suggested that it was really high-tech Japanese computers doing the flying, which of course made Norman call you and Akane `cheerleaders',” he shared. “Now, looking back on it, I can see we were both right and wrong about that,” he admitted.

“Well, computers do control much of the capsule operating load,” Yukari said, eyes on the screens and mechanical indicators. “But some things we have to do manually,” she murmured. “Chinami, you are not paying attention to the closure rate! Cut delta now!” she snapped at the two. “In space, size, speed and distance can fool you, because there is so little to give you any sort of perspective that you are used to. Don't look for it out the window! Watch you instruments!” she reminded them.

“Watching you two dock on our arm was poetry,” Wayne continued, Yukari's eyes still on the screens. “How long did you two have to practice that?” he wondered.

“Well, Akane had been learning how to use the arm for a while, but we only got about six hours of practice in docking to another arm before we went up. And we messed up every single time, too,” confided the girl.

“Well, you didn't mess up when it came time to do it for real,” consoled Wayne. “You also managed a perfect dock with the Orpheus, too,” recalled the older astronaut.

“No choice, really,” grinned Yukari. Wayne chuckled. Just then, the door to the capsule simulator control room opened, and Director Nasuda and Launch Director Kinoshita entered. “Hey, guys,” Yukari said, blinking at them. “What's up?” she asked.

“Simulation's over,” said Nasuda, “we have an emergency work order,” the man said. Yukari frowned.

“Emergency work order?” she echoed. “Hey you two, something's come up. We're pulling the plug for today, so get out, change out of your suits, and hit the showers. You're free until further notice, or until evening classes and PT,” said the head SSA pilot, terminating the simulator. “Ok, so let me grab Akane and let's hear about this job,” Yukari said.

Exiting the building where the simulator was, Yukari spotted Akane and Norman moving toward them. Waving to her mission specialist and the visiting NASA mission specialist she and Nasuda met up with them a short distance from the doors to the main administrative building. Nasuda put his hand on the door handle, but stopped, forcing the two girls to stop as well. “Yukari,” he said quietly, “this isn't a normal job, so please hold your temper,” he said, fixing the girl with a steady look.

Yukari frowned. “What do you mean, old man?” she asked him, suspicious. “Is there any job we do that is `normal'?”

“It's the client,” Norman said, also keeping his voice low. “You're not going to be working for a company this time, and there are…circumstances in play, as well.” Yukari was getting a strange feeling. Movement in her peripheral vision revealed Matsuri jogging up to them from the direction of the propellant lab and assembly building.

“Good,” nodded Wayne, “you haven't started yet,” he sounded relived. “Yukari, can you do me a favor and let Norman and I handle the client this time?” he asked her. Yukari stared the two NASA men with narrowed eyes.

“What gives?” she asked, her voice clipped.

“Yukari, a big helicopter landed here while you were doing simulations,” Matsuri said eagerly. “Some men in strange clothes got off, and the helicopter left again,” she shared. Yukari fixed Nasuda with a nasty look.

“What have you gotten us into this time, old man?” she accused.

“It's just business,” he assured her blandly. Yukari grunted, turning to Matsuri.

“Hey, Matsuri-chan,” she said, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder, “what color was the chopper?” she asked. Matsuri hummed.

“Grey,” she said. “It had a star in a circle with bars on the side, and said `NAVY' in dark letters on the tail,” Matsuri recalled. Yukari nodded.

“And the guy that got off,” she pressed, holding up her hand, palm out, as Norman tried to break in, “was he wearing a uniform? With medals and ribbons? Or maybe fatigues?”

“Fatigues?” wondered Matsuri. “He didn't look tired,” she shrugged. “Anyway, he was in a suit; like old man wears,” she grinned, looking at Nasuda. The head of the SSA gave the tanned reserve pilot a sour look. Matsuri had picked up a lot of Yukari's less charming habits. Yukari turned to stare dispassionately at her boss.

“So, we're working for the American military this time?” she guessed.

“No,” replied Nasuda, “we're still…waiting for a decision on that matter,” he replied carefully.

“So who got off the military chopper then?” challenged Yukari. Didn't know there was a carrier task force close by, either, she left unsaid.

“Our client's representative,” Nasuda said, tugging on the door and gesturing for the group to enter. “Just please try to be polite, Yukari,” he reminded her. She just gave him a look and a small grunt.

Entering the conference room, she spotted a man in a cheap, ill-fitting suit sprawled out in what was usually her chair, jacket carelessly tossed on the table, tie loosened, dress shirt soaked in sweat. “Well, finally,” he said, looking at the group. “Got anything to drink around here?” he asked. “It's hot as hell here,” he complained.

“I'm sure we can find you some cool water,” Nasuda said, glancing at Matsuri, who slipped out and returned moments later with a cold bottle of water for the man. Offering it to him, she smiled as he took it. As she turned away, though, his hand snaked out to caress her rear.

“Hey! Hands off, pervert!” snapped Yukari angrily. Matsuri hadn't really reacted, other than a twitch. The man gave her an innocent look.

“Just checking out the contractor work force,” he said, his eyes roving over the three girls. Yukari suddenly wished she had stopped by the dorm to change into something more concealing. She had dressed - as usual for a day spent mostly doing simulation and instructional work - in thin, light jogging shorts and a bikini top. Akane was in shorts and a small tee shirt that had been cut off to leave her midriff bare, while Matsuri was wearing short shorts and her tube top. While Akane and Yukari wore light sandals, Matsuri tended to run around barefoot, unbothered by burning-hot sand, asphalt or sharp things thanks to a lifetime of going barefoot in the jungles. Her soles were as tough as combat boot soles.

Seeing the look in the man's eyes, she was reminded of the perverts she was used to in Tokyo. Her scowl deepened. “It's hands-off here, jerk!” she warned him, her hands unconsciously closing in to fists. Where is that pistol when I need it? she wondered absently. A hand landed on her shoulder, Yukari turning to see Nasuda give her a small head-shake. With difficulty, she pushed her outrage aside as the group moved to find seats at the table.

“Allow me to introduce our client's representative, Mister Smith,” Nasuda said to the group. “Mister Smith, these are our flight personnel,” he completed the introductions. “Launch Director Kinoshita, mission commander Morita, mission specialist Miura, and reserve pilot Matsuri. Your job will be handled by Morita and Miura in the Mangosteen orbiter,” he concluded.

“They are certainly good looking girls,” leered the man. “But I wonder if they can do the job,” he added before taking a long pull on the water bottle. Setting it aside, he fished in his jacket for a moment before pulling out a couple of thin cigars. Standing up, he fished in his pants pocket for his lighter, making eye contact with Yukari as he seemed to have a problem locating the lighter, his hand working his groin. Yukari's lips thinned as her eyes narrowed.

Finding the lighter, he pulled it out as he sat back down, firing up a cigar. “Want one?” he asked the girls, offering one of the thin cigars to them.

“We don't smoke,” bit out Yukari, making certain he saw her wave her hand in front of her face.

“They're hand-rolled Cubans,” he enticed.

“Are you deaf as well as perverted?” snarled Yukari. “We. Don't. Smoke.” she repeated. “And those things reek,” she added. Bad enough that old man Nasuda is always smoking cigarettes, but this is…she squashed that thought firmly.

“Let's get right to it, then,” Nasuda cut in smoothly. “Mister Smith needs us to do an emergency repair on a satellite that was damaged by a collision with orbital debris of some sort. The job is to swap out a ruptured propellant tank with a new one so the control facility can fix the orbit of the satellite.”

“Orbital path?” asked Yukari, all business.

“Decaying LEO, fifty degrees off polar,” Nasuda replied. “The bird is losing altitude and will enter fatal re-entry stage in nine hours,” he added.

“Impossible,” Yukari said after a moment of calculating in her mind. “Let it burn up,” she said.

“Can't do that, sweetie,” Smith cut in, grinning at her.

“Why not?” asked Yukari.

“We just can't,” he shrugged.

“Well, you're going to have to,” Yukari came right back. “We don't have time to practice the fuel cell swap, launch, and rendezvous with the satellite and perform the job in the time we have before the satellite goes terminal,” she said, looking to Nasuda for support.

“Actually,” Nasuda said carefully, “you won't need to practice the actual move for more than an hour. The satellite was designed in a modular way, and the process involves little more than removing six securing bolts, removing the feed juncture seal, and replacing the tank as a unit.”

“Easy on the ground, but not so easy in space,” cautioned Yukari.

“You and Akane will work as a team, both of you performing the EVA work together,” Nasuda answered.

“Unless you're afraid you'll break a nail?” snickered Smith. Yukari ignored his remark.

“What about launch and recovery?” asked the girl, not even looking at Smith.

“We have an LS5A being prepped right now, with Mangosteen as the orbiter. We can launch in six or seven hours,” he promised her.

“Mass and balance of the fuel cell?” wondered Yukari.

“We have calculated that, and we have a full half kilo error margin to work with,” Nasuda said. Yukari blinked.

“Half a kilo? Gee, what a huge margin!” she said sarcastically. Near-max mass load on a rushed launch? Oh, this has disaster written all over it! she thought sourly. “And what do we do with the damaged tank?” she asked.

“Just let it fall into the atmosphere,” Norman cut in. “It will completely burn up over the Mediterranean ocean,” explained the man. The door to the room opened, and Satsuki and Mukai slipped in. Taking seats near Nasuda, the two quietly whispered to the head of the SSA.

“Why not just let the bird burn up?” pressed Yukari. “The value of that satellite can't be worth the risks,” she insisted. “Just what sort of satellite is it?” she wondered. Probably the one that carries the pay-per-view porn channels, she bet herself, thinking of the way that the client's representative acted.

“It's a weather satellite,” Mister Smith said disingenuously. “My company studies weather phenomenon.”

“Uh huh,” came the suspicious reply of Yukari. Seeing a folder being passed to her from the director, she flipped it open, seeing a schematic of the satellite in question, as well as a much more detailed schematic of the fuel cell and connections. Akane leaned in close, studying the schematic. “The approach is going to be more difficult because we don't have a place to latch on to,” Yukari noted.

“And the position of the fuel cell retaining cage is not very good, either,” Akane noticed. “This is going to be tough,” she said to Yukari. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah,” she murmured, eyeing the diagram of the bird. “Why is the solar wing so small?” she asked. “And its position is strange, too.”

“Doesn't matter,” Mister Smith interjected. “You aren't working on the solar panels, but on the fuel cell,” he insisted.

Yukari studied him for a moment. “I smell a rat,” she stated, closing the file. “And this job isn't happening until someone gives answers,” she warned the group at large.”

“You've been contracted to do the job, not to ask irrelevant questions,” growled Smith, “so just do the fucking job, or we'll find someone who will!” he threatened. Yukari smirked.

“But there isn't anyone else, is there?” she challenged. “The SSA is the only company in the world that can do this; certainly in the time you have before the bird burns up. So just answer my questions or wave bye-bye to your satellite.”

“We can have NASA do it,” Smith suggested.

“NASA isn't equipped, trained or prepared for a job like this,” Norman said. “Same goes for the ESA. You're stuck with the SSA or no one,” he reinforced the point. “Be a pity for your company to lose the first bird you ever got because you wouldn't answer a few technical questions from the workers trying to save your bird,” he added.

“You said you had a back-up crew,” Smith said, jabbing his cigar at Nasuda. “Have them do it,” he ordered.

“They are still in training,” Nasuda said.

“So? Anyone can do this job!” insisted Smith.

“So you do it, then,” Yukari fired on him calmly. “Satsuki, you think we can sweat this pig down to mass limits in the time we have?” she asked the doctor. Satsuki eyed the man.

“It will surely risk his life, but I think we can get him down to the mass limit,” she said calmly, clearly considering the idea. “But that doesn't leave any mass for the replacement tank,” she sighed.

“Mukai, what if we stripped out everything not absolutely necessary for the job from a Mangosteen capsule? Would that give us the mass we needed to let him do the job himself?” Yukari asked, grinning in a very evil way most would have expected from Motoko or Satsuki.

“If we pulled out the redundant life support, and limited the O2 to just enough for the mission, it would be close. Might have to remove the radio and the power packs for it to wedge it in,” he mused.

“Well, there you go!” chirped Yukari. “You can do the job yourself!” she invited him.

“I…” the man began, clearly not liking the direction the conversation had taken. He grunted, leaning back in his chair. “What do you want to know?” he asked truculently.

“The solar wing?” Yukari began.

“Well, I'm not an engineer,” began Smith.

“That's obvious,” snorted Yukari.

“But it is probably that small and in that position to keep the cross-section low,” he finished, puffing on his fancy cigar.

“Meaning?” wondered Yukari.

“Got me,” shrugged Smith nonchalantly. “Ask the guys who designed it,” he grinned.

“Um, why is it so important that the bird be saved?” wondered Akane. “It would burn up during re-entry, wouldn't it?” she wondered.

“Most of it,” shrugged Smith.

“Most?” asked Yukari. Not getting an answer, she thought about what she had heard and seen. “It's a problem with where whatever is left will land, isn't it?” she asked.

“Actually, yes,” Norman answered. “It would hit land, in a foreign country we're not on good terms with,” he explained.

“And losing the bird would make the world a lot less safe,” Smith added. Yukari gave the assembled people a steady look, one finger tapping the closed file in front of her. Finally, after nearly four minutes of silence, Wayne sighed.

“Ok, you win,” he said. “The reason you need to do this job is because the bird is an older spy satellite,” he said.

“Hey!” Smith protested, jumping to his feet, “Don't…!”

“You shut up,” snapped Wayne in response. “The fact is,” he continued, facing Yukari, “the power source for that series of satellite is a small nuclear isotope generator type. The surveillance gear will burn up, but the iso pack will survive. We calculate that the deteriorating orbit will put the isotope load in the desert of Syria. You understand about the potential for terrorism if they got the isotope payload, right?” Slowly, Yukari nodded.

“So, that is why you have to fly the mission,” Norman cut in.

“I'm going to be reporting this, Burkheimer,” Smith growled. Wayne looked at the man.

“You do that, `Smith',” he sneered. “Bet the people on the Hill would love to hear about your company's little toy,” he noted. Smith blinked. “Oh? You didn't think anyone had heard about it? We're NASA, `Smith' - satellites are something we keep an eye on,” smiled Wayne thinly.

“I'm still reporting this through channels,” Smith pouted.

“Your choice,” shrugged Wayne. “Wonder how the N…other agencies,” he censored himself, “would like having this thing out in the open?” he suggested to no one in particular.

“Well, Yukari?” asked Nasuda. The girl considered it for a moment.

“We'll fly the mission,” she said, getting a nod from Akane.

“Which just leaves us the second repair job,” Nasuda said.

“Second job?” wondered Yukari. Nasuda hummed.

“The ESA has forwarded us the data for that upgrade to their broadcast bird,” he explained. Our window for the shot in limited, so I guess we will send Matsuri up with one of the recruits for that job,” he mused.

“No.”

“Why not, Yukari?” Nasuda asked.

“They aren't ready for a live mission,” Yukari replied evenly. “Maybe another month or two and we can send them up for an orbit in a single-seater, but no work - not yet,” she repeated firmly.

“I also oppose that idea,” Satsuki added.

“We have to send someone,” began Nasuda. Yukari nodded.

“And you will send me and Akane,” she said firmly. “We've already trained some on that mission, after all, and we can finish this one up, recover, and do the second one,” she suggested.

“I don't know about that, Yukari,” began Satsuki.

“I remember what we talked about,” Yukari said quietly. “But we haven't got a lot of choices available right now, and we - Akane and I - are the only flight team we have ready. Besides,” added the girl, “we have multiple launch pads for just this reason, right? While we are doing the first job, get a second LS5A on the second pad, load it with the back-up capsule, and get it prepped. If we can get the re-entry close enough, we can probably launch tonight and be done before midnight,” she added optimistically.

“A night launch?! I always wanted to try one!” gushed Akane. Yukari grinned.

“Me, too,” she admitted.

“Me three!” cheered Matsuri.

“I am still opposed,” Satsuki sighed, “but I have no better option to suggest.”

“Mukai?” asked the Director.

“We'll have to work straight through, but we can have the second rocket ready on time,” he answered slowly.

“If you don't mind, we'll help,” offered Norman on behalf of both the NASA men.

“We'll have Kurosu ready with a boat once we know your splash-down point,” Nasuda said, making a note. “Are you sure this is how you want to do this, Yukari? Akane?” he asked them. Looking at each other, then at Matsuri, the three turned to him and nodded.

Five and a half hours later, she was perched on the lip of the hatch on Mangosteen, watching as Akane carefully, delicately, performed the work. Strange to think that we're going over mach eight, Yukari thought, glancing at the Earth below them. Due to the deteriorating orbit, the blue home world was larger than she had seen it previously.

“Yukari,” came Akane's voice over the suit radio.

“Yeah?” replied Yukari, her attention back on Akane. The girl was just in the process of carefully releasing the damaged propellant tank toward the planet to incinerate as it fell into the atmosphere. The new one was tethered to the ship, waiting for her to bolt it down and fasten the feed to the satellite's OMS system. “Something wrong?” she asked her mission specialist.

“No, but look at this damage,” the girl said, indicating the visible damage to the bird. “Does this look like orbital collision?” wondered the girl. Yukari frowned.

“Well, it sort of resembles the damage done to the Tanpopo, when the tank ruptured that time,” shrugged Yukari. “But it doesn't look the same, either. And is that part of the debris sticking out like that?” wondered the girl, pointing to a sliver of metal lodged in the root of the solar panel wing.

“Doesn't look like debris,” Akane said, pulling the new propellant tank over. Yukari drifted closer, helping the girl position and lock-down the new tank. After a few minutes wrestling with the connector, she got it secured.

“Solomon, we have the tank in place. Confirm by telemetry?” Yukari radioed base. A few moments later, Matsuri's voice came back to her.

“'Kay! They say open the valve,” her sister relayed. Yukari nodded to Akane, who slowly turned a banjo nut three turns.

“Valve open. Confirm,” Yukari radioed. Moments later, Matsuri was back.

“Got it,” she chirped. “Release and visually verify motor ignition,” Matsuri directed. Yukari acknowledged, seeing Akane use her pliers to remove the debris in the solar panel. She watched Akane put both the tool and the fragment in her pouch before returning to the Mangosteen. Once they were both belted in and the hatch secured, Akane released the arm, and Yukari nudged the capsule back from the bird, which shifted orientation and climbed a few moments later.

“Bird is flying, appears fine. Mission complete,” Yukari reported.

“'Kay! Return home,” Matsuri replied. Yukari checked her orbital program, then herself and Akane.

“Heading home, Akane,” she said, touching the button to fire the OMS and drop them from obit. Twelve minutes later, they landed in the ocean, twenty five miles off the coast of Axio Island. It only took their recovery team forty minutes to arrive where they were, having headed out as soon as the mission was complete and they knew where the capsule would land.

An hour and a half later, she was debriefing with the core team. When they told the others about the odd damage pattern, the Americans got interested. After an additional hour of detailed questioning, they showered, had a snack, and put on fresh suits. Less than a half hour later, they were back in orbit, for their second repair job.

Yukari led the group in their morning run along the perimeter fence, the sun just rising over the water. Physical training was not her favorite thing, but it was necessary to keep herself in shape for work, so she just did it, allowing her mind to work on different things while her body maintained its condition through sweaty exercise. Under the equatorial sun, it was unwise to exercise any later than a couple hours past sunrise, so the girls had gotten into the habit of doing their running right at sunrise, spending the time before on the weight pile and the time right after swimming in the cove.

“Hey,” puffed Natsuko, “what's with the crowd by the gate?”

Blinking aside her mental review of the coming day, Yukari looked toward the main gate, seeing a crowd of maybe twenty people outside the gate, waving signs and yelling something. “Beats me,” she said. Checking her watch, she added “Don't slow down - we are a little off pace.”

“Right,” came the answer, the rest picking up the pace ever so slightly. As they got closer, the could make out some of what was written on the signs the group was waving, as well as pieces of what the group was chanting.

“What the hell?!” gasped Yukari, almost stumbling before catching her balance.

“Yukari?” Akane wondered.

“Ignore them,” Yukari said. “Come on; let's pick it up,” she said, pushing herself. “We'll balance it by stopping at the cove for a rest,” she panted, nearly sprinting. Behind her, she could hear the others struggling to keep up. Her own heart was hammering and her side was beginning to develop a stitch. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to maintain the run until the cove came into view.

Dropping off the gravel perimeter drive, Yukari swept down the shallow bank to the sand, stopping to catch her breath, hands on knees as she bent forward slightly. The others likewise stopped to catch their breath. After a few minutes, Yukari kicked off her running shoes, moving into the cool waters of the cove. Splashing the water on her sweaty skin, she felt much better.

“Ah! The sea feels so good,” purred Matsuri, the girl moving past her, pulling off her top as she did so.

“Matsuri!” protested Chinami, seeing the tanned tribal girl dive into a shallow wave. Her shorts were missing, too; not that that surprised Yukari in the least. It was a hit-or-miss proposition to get her to wear clothes when swimming.

“You're wasting your breath,” Yukari said to the new girl, offering her a wry smile. “You know she's from a local tribe,” pointed out the older sister of the tribal girl. “They have a very different attitude toward things like this,” shrugged Yukari, deciding that it didn't really matter if her running shorts and top got wet or not. “Might as well enjoy a swim,” she suggested, tucking into the next low wave and swimming after her sister.

Forty minutes later, the group pulled themselves out of the surf, smiling and laughing. Gathering up their shoes - and getting Matsuri dressed again - the group headed toward the dorm for their morning shower before breakfast. “So, um, about that group…” Akane began.

“Don't ask me,” shrugged Yukari. “Haven't a clue what they are talking about,” she explained. Reaching the dorm, the group found Nasuda waiting for them. “Hey, old man,” began Yukari, “what's with the…” she stopped, seeing him holding out a few pages of paper to her.

Taking the paper, she swiftly read through it, her expression growing angry as she did so. “What a load of crap!” she snarled.

“Load of crap or not, they have taken legal action against us,” Nasuda sighed.

“We're not being exploited! How can they sue us for something we aren't doing?” she wondered. “Didn't you tell me that there was no law against me piloting when I first came here? And why is this bunch of idiot `advocates' sticking their nose in my life?” she wondered.

“Could be because of this,” came a voice from behind the group. Turning, Yukari saw her mother and Norman behind her. “Look what my secretary sent me yesterday,” suggested Hiroko. Taking the thin magazine, Yukari blinked when she looked at the front page.

“What the…?!” she exploded, furiously turning pages. Her eyes flew down the article. “Those slimy little liars,” growled the girl. Turning back to the front picture, she stared at it. “This isn't even me!” she protested.

“I know,” her mother replied. “It's me,” she admitted, smiling. Putting her palms on her cheeks, she blushed. “To be mistaken for my teenage daughter is sort of flattering, isn't it?” she cooed.

“Mom! Would you be serious?!” sighed Yukari. Suddenly, she frowned, looking at the photo again. That's mom, so…? “Hey, Mom?” she asked, looking up at her mother.

“Yes, dear?” replied her mother calmly.

“Who is this with you?” she asked hesitantly. “It's not dad, is it?” she wondered.

“I told you I gave up on him a long time ago,” dismissed her mother. “As for who it is, a lady doesn't spread such information around,” she replied primly. Yukari wasn't sure how she felt about that.

“Well, anyway…” she dismissed the troubling issue, “what are we going to do about this?” she asked.

“We've already talked about this possibility a few times before,” Nasuda said. “It was never more than a theory, though, since at the time, we had no one flying actual missions. Now, though…” he sighed.

“Now what?” demanded Yukari.

“Now, it's a bit more complicated, considering that we are sending teenage girls into space,” Nasuda admitted. Yukari thought about that.

“So, the issue is that we're teenage girls, then?” wondered Yukari.

“Mostly,” Nasuda said. “While there is no law against you working, the peculiar nature of our work is causing a lot of reaction in world. Sadly, mostly from busy-body idiots like those outside,” he added sourly.

“Well, can't we do something about their main argument?” wondered Yukari.

“We're working on that angle right now,” Nasuda confirmed. “For the time begin, just be aware that you are being watched closely, ok?” he suggested. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah, got it,” she said. Looking at her watch, she turned to the group. “Let's get cleaned up and grab breakfast,” she said. “You two have your first solo orbit coming up soon, and Akane and I are doing that job tomorrow, so we have a lot to do,” she said to the group.

As the group broke up, Yukari touched Matsuri's hand, silently tossing her head toward their room. Stepping inside, Yukari turned to Matsuri. “Matsuri, can you slip out of the base without those morons seeing you?” she asked.

“Sure!” chirped her ever-cheerful sister. “You want me to grab you some shrimp fried rice from Han's place?” guessed the girl.

“No,” Yukari said. “I want you to go to your village and tell our dad that he needs to stay away from any foreigners who might come looking for him. Most importantly, he isn't to talk to anyone about you, me, or our…relationship,” she chose her words carefully. Matsuri shrugged.

“Ok,” she agreed, “but why?” wondered the younger girl.

“Because if he gives them the kind of information he gave me, we're going to be fighting off arrogant busy-body idiots for the rest of our lives; not to mention that it jeopardizes our missions,” she added. Matsuri frowned.

“Why would it make trouble for us? It's nothing important,” Matsuri insisted. Yukari sighed.

“Scandals cause problems, Matsuri-chan.”

“What scandal?” wondered the girl.

“Well, polygamy for one,” noted Yukari.

“What's that?”

“It's when you have more than one wife,” Yukari replied. Matsuri frowned.

“But everyone has more than one wife or husband,” she said. “Tribal law demands that the chief have at least three, in fact,” she added. “We're not doing anything illegal.”

“Not by your laws, no,” Yukari replied. “But in Japan…” she stopped, an idea hitting her. “Hey, Matsuri?” she asked her sister, “is there a way for us to join your tribe?” she asked.

“Well, you are already a Tariho woman because you are the chief's eldest daughter,” Matsuri began, “as for Akane and the others, I'm not sure. I could ask the elders for you,” offered the girl. Yukari nodded.

“Please do,” she said. Glancing at her watch once more, she patted Matsuri's shoulder. “Anyway, hurry up before they find the village,” she said. Matsuri grinned at her, giving her a brief hug.

“Sure, sis,” she said, slipping out the door. Yukari hurried to the shower area, finding that the others were a ways ahead of her. Stripping and stepping to a shower, she hurried to catch up. As she did so, she noticed that her mother had gotten a good tan while there.

“Mom, you've gotten a really good tan,” she said, washing her hair.

“Thank you,” her mother replied. “I've been pale for so long I forgot how good I look with a healthy tan,” she smiled. Yukari glanced over, seeing tan lines on her mother. She's been laying out in that bikini? blinked Yukari.

“Where is Matsuri?” wondered Akane.

“She had an errand to run real quick,” Yukari said.

The next week passed pretty quickly, the pilots staying inside the base fence, and avoiding the protestors as much as possible. Matsuri had slipped back inside the wire late that night. She had showered, then gone to the room she shared with her sister. She confirmed that Yukari was considered a tribeswoman by the fact that she was the chief's daughter, but had added that the other girls were in a sort of tribal law limbo, since the tribe didn't have any real concept of `immigration' or `naturalization' and therefore didn't have any laws about such a thing. Matsuri did point out that if the girls married into the tribe, they would become Tariho women as well, though Yukari scoffed at that.

The next weekend, Nasuda met with the girls again. He had been working very hard on the problem threatening to cripple his dream, and had a partial solution; it would at least get the idiots with too much time on their hands and too little imagination of their own off their backs. That solution was for the girls to become employee share-holders in the company. So, the three full pilots and two trainees spent most of the day filling out the necessary legal forms - multiple times - that transformed them from teenage girls riding rockets to employees of a company they owned shares of.

This was a two-edged sword. While it would hamstring the law suit that was threatening to shut them down, it also meant that they were now working under a more structured agreement. Their purchase of the shares was also responsible for wiping out most of the money they had earned to date. Overall, Yukari was satisfied with it, though she had called Nasuda on the wages issue, telling him that since they were now partial owners of the company, they better receive fair wages, benefits and paid vacations. Yukari also recognized - but chose not to comment on - the fact that they had just gone all-in with Nasuda and his gamble.

That evening, her mother informed her that she was returning to Tokyo to resume work, having spent nearly two months with the girls in the Solomon Islands. Yukari was sad to see her leave, but she had her hands full with training the new recruits, missions and living in such a unique situation. Hiroko had promised to visit again soon, and the two had spent an hour or two talking privately on the sands of the cove. Yukari brought up the idea she had been toying with about changing citizenship, and she and her mom had talked about it at length, but failed to reach any decisions. The next morning, Hiroko took the taxi to the town to begin her return to Tokyo as Yukari and Akane trained for another mission. About the time that her mother touched down at Narita, her daughter was overhead, about two hundred kilometers up, assisting Akane in an antenna upgrade on a communications satellite for a multi-national company.

“Check systems for flight,” ordered Kinoshita.

“Life support go,” reported Satsuki.

“Delivery system go,” said Motoko.

“Telemetry go,” Mukai answered.

“Capsule go,” came a slightly-unsteady voice.

“Communications go,” Matsuri finished.

“You have your orbit sheets and calculator?” Yukari asked, standing right behind her sister, leaning over Matsuri's brown shoulder, one hand on her sister's shoulder, the other on the top of the station's desk. “Have you checked your helmets and verified your pack's condition?” she pressed.

“Checked, re-checked, and re-re-checked,” confirmed Natsuko.

“Pen, survival kit, good luck charm?” Yukari continued.

“Pen is in its pocket, survival kit is secured below seat, and that doll is secured to the instrument panel handle,” Chinami confirmed. “Electrical board's green, environmental board green, manual fuse panel is secured, and emergency abort switch pin removed,” added the girl, sounding a bit nervous.

“Yukari, calm down,” murmured Kinoshita. “You're more nervous than they are,” he grinned at her.

“I'm not letting them die because something was missed,” Yukari said tightly. “Check your belts for launch and initialize gyro,” she added, her attention back on the maiden flight of the two trainees.

“Belts locked, gyro spinning up,” radioed back Natsuko. Yukari looked over to Matsuri's other side, where Akane was standing, her fingers nervously tapping her forearms.

“Akane?” she whispered. Her mission specialist looked over at her, her expression tense.

“I can't think of anything else,” she said. Yukari looked down, seeing Matsuri smiling up at her.

“They'll be fine,” Matsuri said. “I told dad not to cast a curse today,” she explained. Yukari's lips tightened.

“He better not if he knows what's good for him,” snarled the girl. Her father's strangely-dangerous curses had nearly killed her.

“Kurosu, clear the pad,” Kinoshita ordered.

“Kurosu here,” came back the head of security, “facility clear and secure.”

“Ok, we are go for flight,” Kinoshita said. Standing at the back of the control room, Wayne and Norman were silently watching. It wasn't the first launch they had seen, but it was the first time the rookies were going into space for a five-orbit cherry-popping hop. It was clear that Yukari was as nervous and stressed as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

“Begin countdown,” ordered Kinoshita.

“Ten,” began the count. Since SSA used hybrid rocket engines to throw their capsules into orbit, there was far less fanfare than when NASA or the ESA launched a multi-stage, liquid-fueled and SRB assisted shot. And it meant that the countdown was shorter, once the actual checks were done. Nine seconds later, the control room lit the fire.

“Whee!” shrieked Natsuko over the radio. Yukari found herself smiling. Nothing like a hundred and ninety tons worth of thrust under your rear to make you feel that adrenalin rush, she thought. Riding a LS5A rocket was something very, very few could understand. And if Motoko's wildcat work on the propellants panned out, she might soon get to try a ride on the LS7 platform. But not until they can show it can make a successful launch, of course, she silently thought. The LS7 was a more powerful rocket, but the Association had never gotten one outside the atmosphere because they kept blowing up shortly after going transonic. Still Norman thinks he, Mukai and Motoko found the problem, and the engine test actually finished without blowing up the tank farm this time, so maybe…

Her eyes flickered over the readouts and displays. Her two students were already supersonic and nearly at escape velocity, the rocket curving into orbital insertion profile. “Ditch emergency ejection system,” she ordered over the radio. A moment later, a light lit up on the display.

“Emergency ejection system jettisoned,” Chinami radioed back, her voice strained under the G-load. “Abort no longer possible,” she added.

“That's right,” murmured Yukari, “you're going into space, ready or not.”

“They're leaving the atmosphere,” Mukai reported from the engineer station.

“Lock your helmets,” Yukari ordered. “Just in case the seals fail on the capsule; you're in vacuum now.”

“Rocket separation confirmed, acceleration ceasing,” Mukai reported, “orbit confirmed.”

“Southern Cross Island, do you have them on radar?” Kinoshita radioed to one of their partners.

“Solomon, we have a steady track on them,” came back the answer a moment later.

“Run system and capsule checks,” ordered Yukari.

“Roger,” replied the girls, the voices bearing the signs of helmet echo. Less than a minute later, the checks were done. Everything was green.

“Congratulations,” Yukari said, “you are half-way done with your maiden flight,” she said. “How about that view?”

“It's incredible,” sighed Chinami. “I can't wait to get outside the capsule,” she added.

“No EVA!” snapped Yukari instantly. “You are just orbiting in the capsule today, understood?”

“Hai,” the two chorused.

“Calm down, Yukari,” smiled Satsuki. “They weren't about to unlock the hatch and jump out you know,” she pointed out.

Yukari fixed the doctor with a steady stare. “They shouldn't be going up together at all,” she muttered. “They should have been sent up one at a time, first with me for a couple of trips, then a few with Akane before they try it themselves,” she repeated a frequent argument.

“We just don't have the budget for so many non-paying launches,” Nasuda reminded her.

“I know,” growled Yukari, “but what are their lives worth, old man?” she counter-argued.

“You soloed your first time,” Kinoshita reminded her. Yukari turned her stare on him.

“And nearly died for it,” she reminded them. If not for my sister and her maniac ideas, I would have died up there, she thought, absently giving Matsuri's shoulder a squeeze. “I don't want their blood on my hands,” she said, her eyes flickering to the mic indicator, making sure it was on mute.

“Nor do we,” agreed Nasuda, “but the situation is what it is, and we have to accept it as it is, don't we?” Yukari grunted, her attention back on the instruments.

“It'll be fine,” Matsuri soothed her tense sister. “If we have to, we can take the Mangosteen up and bring them down safe,” she reminded her sister. Yukari had vehemently fought her bosses on the protocol for breaking the new girls' space cherries, and in the end, they had come to an agreement that the two would do a dual solo on a single shot, on the condition that a second rocket was ready for immediate launch on the second pad. Her space suit and Akane's were prepped, and the two could launch the rescue mission in less than twenty minutes.

“Coming up on third orbit,” reported Mukai.

“Ok,” Yukari said, leaning in close to Matsuri again. “Natsuko, are you ready to roll the capsule?” she asked.

“Ready!” came the eager reply.

“Have you checked your gyro and the gimble indicator?” she asked.

“Yes!”

“Check them again. Chinami, status of the OMS?” Yukari directed.

“Nozzles and vents show green, tanks showing pressure,” Chinami reported. Yukari sucked in a slow, deep breath.

“Roll the capsule onto its back, Natsuko,” said the girl.

“Commencing maneuvering,” Natsuko answered.

“Careful not to over-control,” reminded Yukari. “Delicate touch, light feel,” she cited.

“Roger,” came back her answer. Moments later, “Roll complete. What a view,” the girl's voice was soft and reverent.

“Yeah, isn't it?” Yukari murmured.

“Fifth orbit coming up,” reminded Mukai.

“Ready to come home?” Yukari asked the two. “Commence deceleration burn in twenty one seconds.”

“We're ready,” promised Chinami.

“Good,” Yukari radioed back. “As soon as your burn is complete, retract the nozzle and make sure the heat shield closes,” she directed. “If that shield doesn't close, you'll burn up in the upper atmosphere,” she reminded them.

“We know,” Natsuko answered her. “Here's to hoping we hit the mark,” she added. “Firing OMS for deceleration burn.”

“Speed dropping,” Mukai reported. A moment later, he spoke up again. “Orbit lost, nozzle retracted, shield shows closed,” he sighed in relief. “Re-entry in seven seconds, track looks good.”

“Kurosu, stand by with the boat,” Kinoshita radioed the man. Yukari glanced at the Launch Director.

“Hold on,” she said, “as soon as the parachutes open, I'm going with Kurosu,” she said.

“Radio drop-out in five seconds,” Mukai warned. Just then, the door to the room burst open.

“Ah!” exclaimed Ibari.

“What?!” snapped Yukari. “What's wrong?!” she demanded.

“I almost missed it,” panted the young man. Yukari's face turned red.

“Don't you ever burst in here screaming like that again, you got it?!” she snarled at the support recruit, stomping over to him and grabbing his coveralls. Shaking him a time or two, she shoved him toward where Wayne and Norman were innocently watching, bland expressions on their faces. “Not a word,” Yukari snarled at them.

“Wouldn't dream of it,” Wayne replied blandly. Yukari returned to her sister's station, nervously watching the clock. Finally, two minutes later, radio contact was re-established, Natsuko reporting parachute deployment.

“Good,” sighed Yukari, straightening. “Welcome home, and we will see you in a bit,” she promised. “Don't forget to check the capsule for leaks after you splash down,” she added, turning for the door. Jogging out, she hurried to the basic dock that the SSA had built not long before to handle their recovery boat.

An hour and a half later, the entire group was having a party to celebrate the successful `graduation' of Natsuko and Chinami from mere trainees to junior Astronauts. They had more training to go, of course, and they still had EVA to master, but they were now members of the elite fraternity of astronauts. The two guests of honor were nearly giddy with excitement, constantly talking about the view, and how the launch had felt, the colors that flowed around the capsule as it re-entered the atmosphere and about the sheer exhilaration of splashing down, knowing you made it back to your native world safe and sound. Of all the people in the room, only seven could claim to truly know what the two felt: two men from NASA, and five girls of the SSA.

“Welcome to my village,” Matsuri said, gesturing to the simple huts that made up her tribe's village. Looking around, Chinami and Natsuko were surprised. When they had finished their morning PT cycle, they had been surprised to hear Yukari invite them to take a `sight seeing trip' with them. The girls - along with Norman and Wayne - had piled into the armored vehicle that was the island's taxi, and had spent a bumpy, rough half hour working their way through a nearly-impossible track to where Matsuri's village was located, on the far end of the southern jungle.

“This is amazing!” breathed Chinami, snapping a couple of quick pictures. Matsuri smiled easily at them.

“Most of the men are out fishing, and the women are gathering food from the jungle for the feast tonight,” explained the girl. She was in her native costume, an orchid she had found in the jungle tucked into her hair. “Oh, almost forgot!” she recalled, scampering off quickly. Less than two minutes later, she came back, more orchids in her hands. “Wear these,” she said, offering the girls the orchids.

“What? None for us?” joked Norman. Matsuri glanced at him.

“Orchids are for women, silly,” she smiled back. “Men get ear spikes,” she added, holding out her other hand, four bone spikes on her palm. Norman blinked.

“You're kidding, right?” he asked her, eyeing her face suspiciously. Matsuri shook her head.

“It's a festival for the sea god,” explained the girl. “Men wear the ear spikes to show their deference to the god of the sea, and women wear flowers to seek the blessing of the fish goddess.”

Yukari carefully tucked the orchid into her hair like Matsuri wore hers, turning to help Akane get hers settled, the two of them then checking on their junior co-workers. Matsuri surveyed the girls, nodding. “Now, we just need to get your costumes,” she said, tossing her head toward a hut. “I'll let you borrow some of my old ones,” she said.

“Costumes?” wondered Akane. She gulped nervously. Having seen what Matsuri was apt to wear - or not wear - she was apprehensive.

“It's a holy festival, and you need to wear the right clothes,” Matsuri said, brushing aside the seashell bead door cover. Inside the simple hut, the others found a few low beds, some dried fish and fruit hanging from rough lines from the roof, a stone square with ashes on it, and assorted bits of personal property here and there. Being made of bamboo and palm fronds, secured with vines and woven grasses, the place was cool in the tropical heat, considering the lack of any air conditioning beyond the simple raised windows that faced the sea and jungle.

“Mom? I'm back for a visit!” Matsuri called out. Not getting an answer, she shrugged. “She must still be out gathering food,” apologized the native girl. “Now, where did she put my old costumes?”

In short order, Yukari and the other three found themselves dressed a lot like Matsuri was, though their grass skirts were more ornate, with dyed patterns and feathers woven in. The tied-on tube tops were woven of some sort of plant fiber, and though it was not as delicate and refined as the bras the girls were used to, it was surprisingly comfortable. Matsuri had also dug into an intricately-carved wooden box and pulled out some seashell and semi-precious stone necklaces along with some bracelets, swiftly dividing them among the girls. Satisfied, she smiled at the group. “Now, you are ready,” she grinned.

“This skirt is a little…short,” fidgeted Chinami, one hand absently tugging on the mid-thigh length grass skirt. “And revealing,” she added, realizing that when she walked, the grass would part to reveal nearly everything.

“It is?” frowned Matsuri. “Why do you say that?” wondered the girl.

“No reason,” sighed Chinami. Yukari gave her a smile and encouraging nod. That's more like it, thought the senior astronaut for the SSA, you're getting used to living and working here, she thought proudly.

“I find these clothes more comfortable than what we wear at the base,” Matsuri shrugged, causing her breasts to jiggle a little.

“So, um,” Akane asked, carefully moving as little as possible, “if we're wearing these, what do the men wear?” she wondered.

“Loin cloths, of course,” Matsuri smiled easily. “Though, when they are catching the offerings, they show their reverence for the gods by removing the loin cloths,” she added.

“What is this? A strip show?” murmured Natsuko. Yukari glanced at her. “Not that that's a problem,” she quickly added, holding up her hands. “I always kind of wondered what one was like, after all,” she smiled weakly.

“Matsuri, what is this `catching the offerings' stuff?” asked Yukari of her sister.

“Your tribe aren't…cannibals, are they?” asked Natsuko, her tone a little apprehensive.

“Not any more,” answered Matsuri, shaking her head. “Great grandma used to talk about the old days, when we were cannibals, but since the New Ones came, that tradition has fallen into the past.”

“New Ones?” breathed Chinami.

“She's talking about the period from the early nineteen hundreds to now,” Yukari explained quietly. “I'll explain it later,” she waved it away.

“But the offerings are still given,” Matsuri continued, ignoring the soft whispering of her sister and their new tribe-mate. “It is a great challenge among the men to see who can catch the strongest offering to give our gods,” she smiled.

“Just…um…what do they catch?” Akane asked.

“Sea turtles and a single shark,” Matsuri explained. “The gods demand that three male sea turtles - the strongest and fastest sea turtles our men can catch - be offered to them as tribute for our safe use of their domain, as well as a shark to show them that we are worthy of their blessings.”

“Shark?” echoed Natsuko. Matsuri nodded.

“Each year, we must catch a shark with only a length of woven palm line and our hands. On years of the full moon, it is a lined shark, on years of the half moon, it is a light fin shark. When the first moon of the year is a sliver, it is a deep water shark, and when no moon is the first moon of the year, we must catch the prince of sharks,” she lectured.

“Which sharks…?” wondered a confused Akane. Matsuri pointed to her necklace.

“This is a tooth from the lined shark,” she said, indicating a bent tooth.

“Tiger shark,” nodded Akane. “They have the distinctive tooth design.”

“And here is a light fin tooth,” Matsuri said, indicating another shark tooth in her necklace.

“Oh! I know that one! It's a tooth from a reef shark!” Chinami exclaimed. “I have a charm at home with one almost that big in it,” she explained.

“You will get the blessings of the sea, then,” Matsuri smiled. “This is from last year's deep water shark,” she continued, indicating yet another shark tooth that had been painstakingly crafted into her necklace.

“Mako,” came a voice from the hut's door. Twitching, the girls turned to see Wayne and Norman peeking in. “We were wondering what was taking you girls so long,” he explained.

“Prince of sharks,” Matsuri said, fishing up a tooth that was the base of her necklace. It was not-quite-even triangle shape - and serrated.

“Bull shark,” Yukari breathed. And from the size of that tooth, that must have been a big Bull shark, too! “How often does your tribe have to go after those monsters?” she wondered.

“Maybe once a generation,” Matsuri shrugged. “This tooth was from the prince taken in my grandmother's day,” she added, stroking the tooth carefully.

“Which is it this year?” asked Akane.

“They have to catch a light fin this year,” Matsuri shared. “It should be easy enough, since there have been a lot of sharks around lately,” the girl added easily.

“And they chase turtles underwater?” prompted Wayne. Matsuri nodded. “You know that tiger sharks like to snack on sea turtles, right?” he asked her. Matsuri nodded again.

“Yeah, but that's part of the challenge,” she smiled. “Enough about that,” she dismissed the topic of toothed fish, “we need to get you two into your costumes!”

“Um, that's…!” began Norman, but Matsuri was already leading them toward a larger hut.

“Daddy should have some spare loin clothes,” she thought out loud.

“Yukari, surely you aren't…!” Norman implored his usual ally. To his horror, he saw her grinning like mad and giggling behind her hand.

The sun was no more than a sliver over the water when the men returned from the sea, their boats riding low in the water. The women had returned to the village about two hours before, and had immediately begun to prepare for the festival. For the first time ever, Yukari had met Toto, the mother of her sister. She could see the resemblance between mother and daughter, though Matsuri clearly bore features of their shared father in her appearance.

With the food gathered from the jungle prepared and ready, the women greeted the men as they brought up the other half of the festival supplies. Three carefully-tied live male sea turtles were set in a rough pen before the chief's hut, and in the water just off the beach, stout bamboo pools had been driven deep into the sand, then secured together with soft vines above the water, forming a strong pen to hold the captured shark. From the splashing and yelling, it was clear that the guest fish of honor was not cooperating with the men.

Yukari and her fellow space pilots watched as the men finally secured the shark in the temporary cage and emerged from the water, several bearing the marks of their argument with the ornery fish in dozens of small nicks, scrapes, bites and bruises. Mostly, the men seemed to be amused by the minor injuries. The women patched up the ones that needed attention and seemed to find it agreeable that the men bore the injuries with seeming indifference. Remembering what her sister had said about how important the festival was, Yukari could sort of see how the men of the tribe wanted to come off as tough guys - both to honor their god and to impress the women.

“This is some party,” came Norman's voice, interrupting her thoughts. Turning, Yukari found herself smiling - nearly smirking - at the tall blonde man. He and Wayne had ended up in loincloths, though not without vigorous resistance. Matsuri had managed to get the bone ear spikes into their ears as well, the sharp bones carefully threaded through the earlobes to curve back through the outer cartilage of the ear. Her sister had also managed to get the men temporary tattoos on their right biceps, marking them as Tariho men.

“Matsuri says it doesn't really get going until they light the fire,” Yukari shrugged. “That's a good look for you, by the way,” she giggled evilly.

“Thank you,” he replied drolly. “And you look good in grass and feathers, as well,” he smiled back at her. Yukari shrugged again.

“Of course,” she boasted, “I am a Tariho woman.”

“So where are your tattoos, then?” challenged Wayne, approaching with a bottle in his hands. Offering it to Norman, he carefully sipped the drink.

“Matsuri said we didn't need any,” Yukari said. “Something about the tribal laws for women, I guess.”

“You guess? She didn't say?” wondered Norman. Yukari shook her head.

“To be honest, I have been really busy at the base, and haven't taken the time to really learn about her - our - tribe,” admitted the young astronaut. Looking at the dark-skinned natives beginning to light torches and gather in groups, she tossed her head toward the village. “Looks like it's time,” she said.

“Yes,” agreed Wayne. Slowly, the group moved toward the center of the village.

“Um, did you two meet my dad?” asked Yukari softly of the two NASA men. Both men snickered briefly.

“Yes, Matsuri introduced us. You two have a…different sort of father,” said Norman carefully.

“And yet, even if I didn't know you and Matsuri were sisters, I would have been able to tell he is the father of both of you,” Wayne said. Yukari frowned.

“Is that some sort of insult?” she asked suspiciously.

“No,” denied Wayne. “Well, maybe a little,” he corrected himself. “Not to you or Matsuri at least,” he added.

“What does that mean?” wondered Yukari. The NASA men were spared having to answer by Matsuri running up to them, waving at her sister and their friends and co-workers.

“Hurry!” she said, “we're about to start!” Grabbing Yukari's hand, she nearly dragged her sister to the hut of the chief, scampering up the bamboo ladder, still pulling Yukari along with her. Stopping at the shallow porch, she squatted down and waited, situating Yukari next to her, closest to the door. Seeing the others looking at her, Matsuri shook her head. “Find a spot right down by the base of the lodge,” she said, her voice low. “We'll be down once Daddy starts the festival,” she assured the three girls and two guys.

Nodding, Wayne delicately herded the others into spots near the base of the ladder, nearly under the two girls. Minutes passed, the village people gathering in front of the lodge. Slowly, Yukari began to feel uncomfortable under the gaze of so many tribe people. “Where is he?” she hissed softly to her sister.

“He'll be along,” she replied easily, smiling at her sister. Yukari couldn't help but smile back at her younger sister.

“Matsuri, I'm glad we're sisters,” she murmured, putting her hand on top of Matsuri's hand. Matsuri smiled wider.

“Me, too, Yukari.”

Just then, the father of the two emerged, staggering a little as he did so. Yelling something in the local language, he hoisted his bottle as the village erupted into cheers. Standing, Matsuri guided Yukari over to the torches that were secured at an angle by the ladder. Taking one each, the two sisters descended to the sandy soil and moved to the large, unlit bonfire in the village center. Picking up on what Matsuri was signaling Yukari moved to the opposite side, the two holding the torches aloft while their father rambled on for a minute or so, then slowly - ceremoniously - lit the main fire. Seeing the fire catch, the village cheered louder than ever.

With that done, Matsuri and Yukari returned the torches to their spots, and the others joined them as the party picked up. The men - led by the chief - drank heavily of the home-brewed drink, which seemed to come in different types. The women drank as well, though far less than the men did, and seemed to be busy with the food and gossiping. Wayne and Norman were centers of attention; not that they minded. Most of the women didn't wear the tops that younger girls did.

Curious, Yukari leaned over and whispered the question to her sister. Matsuri didn't seem embarrassed about it at all, answering her as easily as if she had asked her if she wanted some more mango. “Only girls wear tops,” she said. “Women don't,” she explained.

“Why is that?” pressed Yukari.

“Because they have had children, they show off their status,” Matsuri said. Yukari frowned.

“Status?”

“Yes. Women who have children are of higher social standing than girls who haven't,” Matsuri said. “Children are the future of the tribe, right?” she clarified a little more. Seeing Yukari's expression, Matsuri hugged her sister. “Enough talk about that for now,” decided the younger sister. She knew that Yukari had been wrestling with some sort of decision about kids, though she herself wasn't sure what the big deal was. “Have some of this!” grinned Matsuri, offering her sister a half-coconut full of some sort of drink.

“Is this…?” began Yukari, a little leery of the drink.

“Drink!” insisted Matsuri, picking up a similar bowl and taking a drink. Cautiously, Yukari sipped the drink.

“Fruit punch?” wondered Yukari, taking a deeper pull. Bit of a tang in there, noted the girl. And it has a strange sort of after-taste, too, cataloged the Japanese teen.

“Sweet drink,” Matsuri said, draining her own and getting a refill from one of the passing women. “It's good for you,” she said, smiling easily. Yukari mentally shrugged and swiftly drained the rest of her drink, her coconut being refilled almost immediately by another passing woman.

About an hour into the festival, when the moon was bright in the clear sky, the turtles and the shark had been brought forward to a worn, clearly-ancient stone slab that ten men dragged into position. Even knowing what was about to happen, the city girls were surprised at how quick and how brutal the offerings were made. Akane and Chinami looked a little queasy as the three turtles and the shark were sacrificed, their meat being carefully prepared once the sacrificial organs were given to the fire. Still, when given their share of the turtle meat and shark meat, the two had managed to eat it, Chinami even saying that it tasted pretty good.

As the festival ground on, the dancing began. Yukari and the others had tried to keep out of it, but Matsuri was unrelenting, and so, the girls of the SSA had found themselves dancing with the other women. Once they got the moves and timing down, they had actually begun to enjoy the dance. Gradually, the men had joined the dance, and by the time that Yukari had managed to pull Akane and her two new junior pilots out of the mass of dancing people, she was a little wobbly, her arms and legs feeling tired; along with her hips and stomach.

Sitting down, the four had watched Matsuri keep right on dancing like it was nothing, wondering where their co-worker got the energy. Accepting fresh drinks, the girls watched as Norman and Wayne were all but dragged into the dance by several topless women of the tribe. By the time that Matsuri joined them, Akane had noticed that the party seemed smaller.

“Yes, the couples are forming,” Matsuri explained. Yukari blinked.

“Couples?”

“Yep! After the festival, and the offerings, and the dancing, it would be stupid to waste the blessings of the fish goddess,” Matsuri explained.

“You mean…?” Akane gulped. Matsuri nodded.

Just then, several young men of the tribe approached the girls. Yukari's mind - feeling a bit sluggish and strangely relaxed - focused. “Matsuri, we're not…!” she murmured urgently to her sister. Matsuri glanced at her sister, frowning.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “They are skilled fishermen, and popular with the girls,” enticed Matsuri. Yukari leaned closer.

“Just…tell them no,” she begged.

“They are nice boys,” insisted her sister. “I have known them my entire life,” promised Matsuri.

“Please, Matsuri,” begged Yukari, seeing the boys eyeing the girls hungrily. “I'll explain later,” she promised.

“Is it about that thing? With your mother and Norman?” she wondered. Yukari gasped, staring at Matsuri wide-eyed.

“Mom?! With Norman?!” she grunted. “You knew?” she demanded of her sister.

“Well, yeah,” came the bored reply. “I saw them several times,” shrugged Matsuri.

“And you didn't say anything?!” wondered Yukari, dazed.

“What business of ours is it?” replied her sister.

“It's…never mind,” sighed Yukari. “Please just make up an excuse, Matsuri,” she replied. Matsuri slowly nodded.

“Ok,” she agreed. “But it is a waste, Yukari,” she added before speaking to the small group of men in their native tongue. After several exchanges, the young bucks laughed and moved off, leaving the girls in peace. Talking among themselves, the girls didn't realize that the festival had moved to the final stages until they found that they were pretty much alone in the middle of the village, the bonfire down to coals, and soft sounds coming from the huts around them.

“We should get back to base,” yawned Yukari. “Tomorrow is another day, after all,” she said. Matsuri stood, helping Yukari up, the two working on getting the almost-asleep Akane, Chinami and Natsuko up. Looking around, Yukari frowned. “Where are Norman and Wayne?”

“Probably with someone,” shrugged Matsuri. “It's too far to get back to the base tonight,” she added. “We can sleep in my house, and jog back to the base tomorrow morning,” she suggested. Much as she hated to, Yukari agreed, seeing that Akane was barely awake as she held her, the other two in much the same condition. With her sister's help, she got the three - and herself - into the hut Matsuri and her mom shared, the five falling asleep swiftly, barely aware of the moans, sighs, grunts and panting coming from the beds near them.

“Is something wrong?” asked Norman, catching Yukari by surprise. Jerking slightly, the girl looked away from him.

“No, nothing,” she said. “Just thinking about something,” she explained.

“Ever since the festival in the village, you have been acting a little weird around me,” he noted.

“It's nothing!” insisted Yukari. “Anyway, I have a job tomorrow morning, so I need to study,” she said, focusing back on the printouts before her. Norman watched her for a moment, then quietly left the mission planning room, where Yukari was pouring over her part of the mission preparation and Chinami watched her work, Yukari explaining to the new-comer how her particular preparation methodology worked. Akane was in simulation, Natsuko being shown the ropes of learning a mission job in simulation. Both the new girls were still being trained for either job, since they did not yet have a decision on which job each would take as their primary.

Norman made his way back toward the conference room, where most of the management side were meeting about the job schedule and administrative issues. Reaching it, he peeked in, seeing that the main meeting was over, and the few who were still there were talking casually of non-work-related stuff. Spotting the person he was looking for, he crooked a finger at Matsuri, the girl smiling as she moved over to him. “What's up, Norman?” she asked.

“Do you have any idea what is pre-occupying Yukari lately?” he asked her. “She's been acting strange around me since the festival at the village.”

“Hmm,” mused Matsuri. “Maybe she's just a little shy around boys,” suggested Matsuri.

“She hasn't been before,” he countered. “Did something happen to her at the festival?” wondered Norman. Matsuri shrugged.

“Not really,” the sister said, “but she asked me to send away five of the best young men in the tribe when they wanted to join with us.” Norman blinked.

“Five of your young men hit on you two?” he breathed. Matsuri laughed.

“No, they wanted to join with us - Yukari, me, Akane and the two new girls,” clarified Matsuri. Norman blinked. “Is something in your eyes?” wondered Matsuri.

“No, just…never mind,” he waved away the curious question. Recalling what he could of the festival night, he realized he had little room to be judgmental about what Matsuri had said. He had woken up just at the crack of dawn with a woman beside him and another sprawled out on the floor next to the low bed. It had not been a very comfortable waking, to be sure. Fortunately, he had been able to free himself.

Making his way toward the door to the hut, he had seen four more couples in the hut. Guess this is what the morning after the Imperial Orgy looked like in Rome, he had thought, carefully slipping out of the hut. He was half-way to the ground when he realized that he had lost his loincloth somewhere. Grimacing, he had made for the chief's hut, where his `normal' clothes would - hopefully - be. At the foot of the ladder, he had met Wayne, who was in slightly better shape than him - his mission commander had managed to retain his loincloth, though from the looks of things, had suffered a fate similar to his own. Giving each other a wry look and head shake, they had quickly but quietly climbed the bamboo ladder and slipped into the chief's hut, finding the father of Matsuri and Yukari sprawled out on his own floor, fully a half-dozen women and girls around him.

Their clothes had been where Matsuri had left them when she bullied them into the loincloths, and the two had gratefully scooped them up before retreating to the surf for a fast wash in preparation for changing back into their clothes. While washing off in the ocean water, the two had taken a moment to remove the bone spikes in their ears, which proved a bit more painful than having Matsuri put them in. Both had decided to keep the spikes as souvenirs.

Searching for the girls of the SSA, they had discovered that the girls had been seen jogging down the rough path that led toward the SSA base just before sunrise. A handful of women were up, and a few of the younger men, as well, so the two NASA men had decided it was time to get going as well. They had taken off after the five girls, but didn't catch up to them. When they reached the base, soaked in sweat and worn out, they had found the girls just leaving the cafeteria. It had been that morning that Yukari had starting acting strange around Norman.

“Maybe she heard about what happened,” he murmured.

“Oh, right! I did accidentally tell her about you and her mother,” remembered Matsuri. “She seemed a little surprised,” shared Matsuri, sounding baffled by the notion. Norman twitched. Shit! he thought, the pieces falling into place. “So, that's what it is,” sighed the man.

Matsuri watched this, wondering why it was such an issue. It wasn't like sex was wrong or anything. “Don't worry,” Matsuri said, patting Norman's shoulder, “she'll get over it,” promised the younger of the sisters. “Once she becomes comfortable with herself, it won't bother her any more.”

“She seems pretty comfortable with herself already,” noted Norman. Matsuri shook her head.

“She won't be able to become her true self until she becomes a woman,” Matsuri sagely lectured. “Right now, she is not ready for that step.” Norman gave the smiling, cheerful girl an assessing look.

“Matsuri, are you…?” he wondered. Matsuri smiled a little wider.

“Of course,” she said easily. Glancing at the clock, she turned back to him. “Excuse me, I have to meet up with Akane and sister now, to go over the job tomorrow morning,” the girl said, slipping past him. Norman wondered how to fix things now.

“So, how did you like your festival?” came a voice, interrupting his thoughts. Blinking, he found Satsuki watching him, a small smile on her lips.

“It was...educational,” he managed. She snickered softly.

“Yes, it is that,” she replied drolly. “You should come by the office sometime today,” said the doctor, moving past him as well. Norman frowned.

“Is there a problem?” he asked her. Satsuki turned to give him a serious look.

“Not usually,” she replied, “but better safe than sorry, hmm?”

“You ready, Yukari?” asked Akane, checking her belts in Mangosteen. The capsule was secured to the top of a LS5A loaded with the latest caking compound Motoko had come up with, promising an increased yield of between seven and twelve percent thrust. This should be a `hot shot', as Motoko called it, thought Akane. She had noticed that Yukari had been a little pre-occupied of late.

“Ready,” came back the reply from her mission commander, who was checking the settings on the capsule. “Double check the parts are secure and the data logger is running,” added Yukari. Akane did as asked.

“Both ready for launch,” she reported.

“Control, we are go for launch,” Yukari said, opening the channel to command.

“Roger, we have the new logger feeding us even now,” came back Mukai's voice.

“Our launch window is about to open, so let's start the countdown,” Yukari directed, once again checking her belts and the capsule seals. “Capsule go for launch.”

“'Kay!” came Matsuri's voice, bringing a smile to Yukari's lips. Even at four in the morning, Matsuri was chipper and energetic. “Countdown commencing,” she added.

“Roger,” radioed back Yukari. “See you in six and a half hours, sis,” she added.

“”Kay!”

Her mind focused on the job at hand, and ten seconds later, she and Akane rode their steed back upstairs. There was a noticeable gain in power, the G load a little higher than normal. Once in orbit and on the intercept track for their job, Yukari checked on Akane, finding that the increased power had made her mission specialist pass out again. Smiling, she woke Akane and the two settled in for their job. It took them nearly an hour to get a stable approach orbit to the bird they were repairing.

Even when they were in a matching orbit and synced up for delta V, it took them two tries to get a solid latch to the seemingly-lazily tumbling bird. Once secured, the two verified their suits, then cracked the hatch. It was time to punch the clock and go outside.

The repair was more than just replacing a component in the aging bird. The two were working side by side to both replace four key circuit boards, and to upgrade the OMS vents with new nozzles. Finding a damaged receiver dish in the relay array, they then had to make a panel replacement for the damaged section. They were forty minutes past their timetable when they finished, and control relayed that the client reported green across the board. De-latching from the bird, the orbiter backed off a hundred meters, and Yukari watched as the bird - an old-gen communication satellite that had gone off line but not out of orbit - re-oriented itself, tuned its antennas and settled in.

“Well, let's drop below the plane, finish the rotation, and go home,” said Yukari to Akane, closing the hatch behind herself.

“Sure,” came her answer from Akane. The work had been demanding and taxing, and both were ready to hit planet-side again for a bath, food, and some sleep. Strapping in, Yukari ran her checklist, then cracked the valve to fill the capsule with air again. Double-checking the sensors, she opened her helmet. Briefly, her eyes touched the charm tied to her instrument panel.

“Initiating orbit change now,” she said, manipulating the control stick deftly. The capsule slipped down and around the path of the satellite, turning and rotating as it did, to end up in re-entry profile. “Control, we are preparing to drop from orbit,” she radioed the base.

“Roger, we have you on radar, looking good,” Kinoshita confirmed. “Four minutes, eleven seconds to deceleration burn,” he warned her.

“Roger,” replied Yukari. In that time, they would go around the world six times - just to splash down near their base. Yukari found herself thinking of the issues that had been on her mind for days.

“Yukari, we have a small, intermitted contact on radar, rising toward your position,” came Matsuri's voice.

“What?” wondered Yukari, blinking away her thoughts of her private life. “Is it going to be a problem?” she asked, raising a hand and snapping her fingers to get Akane's attention.

“It looks like a near-miss,” Kinoshita said.

“Matsuri, did dad cast a curse?” accused Yukari.

“No, I don't think he did,” Matsuri radioed back. Yukari grunted.

“The track is closing with your descent orbit,” warned Kinoshita. “It will reach you right when you need to make your final burn.”

“Roger,” Yukari replied. “Negative visual,” she mused over the channel. “I'm rolling the capsule,” decided the girl, touching the stick, the capsule spinning on its longitudinal axis precisely. Yukari scanned the blue below her carefully. “Still negative visual.”

“Decel burn in fifteen seconds,” warned Matsuri.

“Rolling back now,” answered Yukari, putting the capsule back into re-entry position. As the view ports turned back toward the darkness of space, she caught a flash out of the very corner of her eye. “Akane, close your helmet!” she screamed, her hand snapping her own closed. “Solomon, we have an intersect!” she yelled into her radio even as her hand reached for the stick.

She felt the impact in her stick. It wasn't much, really; kind of like a hitting a pothole in the taxi on the island. Her helmet fogged for a split second as the main hatch seal blew out, their air exploding out into vacuum. “Akane! Akane!” yelled Yukari, seeing the capsule beginning to tumble. Damn it, if she didn't get her helmet sealed…! babbled one part of her mind.

“I…I'm ok,” came the reply from her mission specialist. “I got my helmet shut in time,” she assured her commander. “But we've lost actuator control, radio is out, life support is red, and gyro shows a three-axis tumble,” reported the girl.

“Electrical busses A and B are both gone,” reported Yukari, flipping switches but getting nothing on her screens. “Our suits' radios are all we have for communications, our primary O2 tank is empty, and the lower lateral control vent is not responding,” she shared.

“Roll control is impossible?” Akane replied, sounding a little scared.

“I didn't say that,” snarled Yukari, fighting with the stick. “I might be able to come up with something,” she muttered, racking her brain. “OMS is still working, right?” she asked.

“Main and forward show green,” confirmed Akane. “What are we doing, Yukari?”

“I think we can stop the tumble, one axis at a time, starting with the pitch,” explained Yukari. “We use the main and forward vents to create a pulsing load, sort of like how a mag lev train or ABS system work. When one axis is stabilized, we can go after the others. We'll have to do it manually, though, so it's going to be rough, and I need you to be my second pair of eyes.”

“You got it,” Akane said. Yukari nodded.

“Ok, let's ride this bronco.”

Ground control was in an uproar. Just as Yukari had yelled for Akane to seal her helmet, the radio went dead, and nearly all the telemetry links were lost. Reports were coming in from the radar tracking stations that the intermitted track appeared to have collided with the orbiter, though they still had a track on the orbiter. Kinoshita and the rest were frantically trying to get signal again, but weren't meeting with any success. Matsuri was remembering the time she nearly lost her sister in a similar situation. “Prepare the backup capsule,” Matsuri said, standing and putting her headset aside. “I'm going up.”

“We don't have a rocket ready for launch!” came Mukai's frustrated voice. “It will take nearly nine hours to ready an emergency rocket.”

“They don't have that kind of time,” Matsuri said, still calm and cool. “Sis and Akane will run out of air if the capsule has been damaged. Just like last time,” she reminded them.

“Hold on! I got a signal from the data logger!” Mukai exclaimed. “Damn it, it's gone again,” spat the engineer. “Ok, back again,” he said a moment later. “Lost it,” he sighed.

“The capsule is tumbling,” Kinoshita decoded the problem. “What does the data stream say?” he asked.

“Decoding the compressed data now,” Mukai assured him. About twenty seconds later, he was scrolling down his station screen, reading the results - which were scarcely more than a bunch of numbers and values. “This is bad,” he said. “Something clipped the capsule. It's tumbling, as you thought, and has a lot of electrical and hydraulic failures. Both pilots show vitals, though!” he nearly drooped in relief.

“Route the vitals to me,” Satsuki demanded. A moment later, she was looking at the data on her station. “Yukari and Akane are both ok, but their heart rates are exceptionally high. Respiration is also heavy. Signs of adrenalin in their bio-chem. Body temperature is climbing, likely from exertion. Blood pressure is inconsistent, so they are probably in alternating G loads,” she analyzed the data she was seeing.

“Yeah, looks like a three-axis tumble, with G spikes between three and five,” Mukai confirmed.

“Is Akane going to be ok?” worried Chinami.

“She can take five Gs in the centrifuge now,” Satsuki answered. “This should be within her limits.”

“Looks like the heat shield is ok this time,” came the relieved voice of Mukai. “Whatever clipped them hit above the shield, and doesn't seem to have removed any panels, being more like a punch-through.”

“Can the orbiter re-enter without burning up with this damage?” Kinoshita got right to the point. Mukai sighed.

“I can't say for sure, since I don't know exactly where the holes are, how big they are, and rather or not they clipped a propellant line in the OMS system or not.”

“Also, the parachute might have been damaged,” pointed out Matsuri. Mukai gulped.

“If we could talk to them, we could…!” he began, clearly frustrated. His station chirped. “The capsule,” breathed the man, looking at his screen, “it's stopped tumbling on one axis! Yukari and Akane are fighting it for control!”

“Of course they are,” Matsuri said, “They won't just lay down and die, you know.” The girl sounded almost insulted that Mukai was surprised that the two were fighting for their lives with everything they had.

Several seconds later, and another axis was stabilized. It took another minute and a half to stabilize the final axis, but the capsule was now under control again. “Still no joy on communications, though,” reported Mukai. “We have steady data logger link, though,” he shared the sole bit of bright news with the others. “I can start to figure out where the capsule is hurt, and…”

“You need to figure out if it can land or not,” Matsuri cut in. “If it can't, you need to prep whatever we have than can lift our spare capsule into orbit right now.”

Back in the capsule, the two were finishing up their second assessment of their situation. Yukari tallied up the failures and sighed. “This again,” muttered the girl, releasing her belts. Locking her pack into place, she clipped her line to her suit's safety tab. “Stay here, Akane,” said the girl, opening the depressurized hatch. “I'm going to have a little look at the outside of the capsule.”

“Shouldn't I go with you?” asked Akane. Yukari shook her head.

“No. Stay here, and see if you can do anything with the radio or main bus panel,” directed Yukari. “We're going to need to get in touch with Ground if at all possible,” explained the girl, double-checking her line was secure before delicately pulling herself through the hatch. Akane took a breath and began to see if she could get any sort of response from the radio. By the time that Yukari had returned to the capsule and shut the hatch, Akane had given up on ever getting the radio to work.

“So, how is it?” asked Akane, after telling Yukari the radio was toast.

“We have six holes in the hull, but none of them are lower than the primary tank band, so the heat shield is ok. The nozzle has a chunk of the skirt missing, but it should get us out of orbit if we need it to. There are some scoring marks on the parachute box, but it doesn't look like anything made it into the parachute area. Two of the punctures are through and through, and one of those two is about three centimeters from the back of your seat,” Yukari said, hearing Akane gulp.

“Can we land?” wondered Akane. Yukari held her hand out, wiggling it from side to side.

“Maybe,” she said. “But you know how hot the skin gets when we dive in, and those holes will vent like blow torches. These suits are not armored, and will, in fact, burn if exposed to a hot enough flame, or too much heat in an oxygen atmosphere, so I would sort of like not to find out if the vents will set us on fire,” the girl dryly replied.

“Well, we could stay up here and wait for the rescue, then, right?” Akane replied.

“Our life support is down to just our packs, and mine's nearly played out. How's yours?” she asked quietly in response. Akane checked her pack.

“Ah! Maybe an hour - tops,” sighed Akane.

“They didn't have a second rocket rigged when we launched,” revealed Yukari. “Minimum rigging time is seven hours; and that assumes that they started when we launched.”

“Which they had no reason to do,” nodded Akane. Silence filled the capsule for a moment. “Well, we've done it before, we can do it again,” she said, meeting Yukari's gaze. Yukari smiled at her and nodded.

“Yes, Akane, we have. And we will. Now, I have a sort-of idea about what we can do for those holes,” she began.

Groundside, the control people were reaching the same conclusions. “If we could talk to them, we might be able to help them figure out how to get out of this mess,” an exasperated Mukai said, running a hand through his hair.

Norman hung up the phone he had been on. “NASA isn't going to be able to get there fast enough, and the ISS can't reach them with what they have available, either,” he reported.

“Nothing on the pads in Russia or from the ESA,” Wayne said.

“Just like last time,” sighed Kinoshita.

“You mean…?” came Natsuko's voice.

“Yes, that is exactly what I mean,” Kinoshita said. “This is why we train you so hard, and why Yukari has no mercy. She is trying to prepare you for what might happen.” The entire staff watched the two new girls. “This has happened to Yukari twice before, and to Akane once before,” Kinoshita shared. “It's likely a good thing that those two are the flight team this time,” he added.

“If anyone can pull something out, it's them,” Norman reassured the two.

“Still so eager to work in space?” asked Satsuki. The two exchanged looks. Before they could answer, a beeping sound came from Mukai's station. Instantly, the entire group focused on the data being fed to it from the data logger.

“I'm so glad I made a separate link for the logger,” mumbled Murai. “The OMS has fired,” he frowned. “They are dropping out of orbit!” he groaned.

“Where are they coming down?” asked Kinoshita. Mukai swiftly ran the data.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

“What?” pressed Matsuri.

“Looks like the Gulf Of Mexico, about nineteen miles off the coast of Florida,” he said.

“Well, that makes things a little simpler, anyway,” sighed Kinoshita. Wayne moved over to look at the predicted coordinates for the splash-down.

“Actually, that's perfect,” he said. Turning to Norman, he grinned. “Norman, they are going to come down just outside the inner loop of the training patrol route for NAS Pensacola,” he said. Norman nodded.

“Right,” he said, picking up a phone and punching numbers. Wayne moved back to the other phone and began to punch in numbers as well.

“We'll get them picked up, Kinoshita,” Wayne said, before turning his attention to the phone.

“Assuming they survive re-entry,” murmured Satsuki.

“Well, the sky's turned blue,” Yukari sighed. Twisting her head a little, she tried to catch sight of Akane, but her belts held her too securely. Looking at what was left of her instruments, she concluded that they were still too high to risk un-belting. “Akane?” she called into her mic.

“Y…yeah,” came a weak reply from her specialist. “I'm ok,” she added a moment later. “Sort of grayed out when the capsule skipped as we went in,” she admitted.

“Didn't miss much,” Yukari replied calmly. “Just the normal light show.” Yukari tried not to think about the flares of high-temp plasma that had twinkled in the capsule as it came in. Apparently, our patch job either missed a couple of holes, or the heat burned through some weakened areas, she thought. It was amazing that the flares hadn't caught anything on fire, or sliced any more of their damaged capsule off.

“How high are we?” wondered Akane. “My air is getting thin,” she warned.

“I turned mine to emergency just before we went in,” Yukari replied softly. “I figure I have about one minute left. As for how high we are, I'd say about seven and a half kilometers or so. Can't be sure, since the instruments are toast,” the girl verbally shrugged.

“So, we can't breathe yet,” murmured Akane. Yukari didn't say anything, but she had decided that if their air supply tanked, she would risk opening her helmet. We're higher than Mount Everest, but not by that much, so maybe we could make it down alive, reasoned the girl. She knew that people climbed Everest without air tanks, so the altitude was survivable, and her pack showed an acceptable charge remaining in the life support system, so she wouldn't freeze to death.

“If I am correct, we have to make it another two and a half minutes before we can safely open our helmets,” Akane said. “Our parachute opened early, didn't it?”

“Or we're lower than I think we are,” Yukari replied idly. “But, since I don't see clouds, we're probably above three kilometers,” added the girl.

“Probably,” Akane murmured. Almost two minutes later, a red LED in the corner of her helmet came on, a tone sounding in her ear.

“My air's gone,” Yukari said, twisting an arm back to turn her pack's valve off. “I'll use up what little is left in the suit, then crack my helmet,” she said. “How are you doing?”

“Yellow just came on, so three minutes,” Akane replied.

“Ok, you don't crack your helmet until we're under three kilometers,” ordered Yukari. She touched the small pad on her suit's shoulder that both started a three minute display on her suit's watch, and activated the small CO2 sensor that nestled in the rim of her helmet joint. When the concentration of carbon dioxide reached dangerous levels, a tone would alert her it was time to crack her helmet.

Minutes passed. Yukari tried to breathe as shallowly as possible, to stretch her suit's last gasp of oxygen, but it seemed moments later when the sensor chimed in her ear piece. “Akane, I am opening my helmet,” she said, reaching up and depressing the locking tabs before turning her helmet to the side, the seal hissing softly as it released.

Yukari sucked in a breath, almost immediately trying to draw another one. “Yukari?” came Akane's concerned voice in her ear.

“I'm…ok…just…hard…to…breathe, ” panted Yukari. The air was thin. Very thin, in fact, but she found she could breathe ok as long as she forced herself to breathe steadily. Trying to focus on something other than how hard it was to breathe, Yukari fixed her gaze out the slightly-hazed viewports. She could see part of the canopy of their chute through it. She could see a couple of small cuts in the outer ring of the canopy, but nothing that seemed to be spreading.

Her view of the canopy began to get fainter. It took her a moment to realize what it meant. “We're entering clouds, Akane,” she said, not nearly as winded as she had been before.

“Already?” came back Akane. “I think we're coming down faster than I thought, then,” the girl worried.

“Our canopy has some small cuts, but it isn't collapsed and the cuts aren't propagating, so even if we are coming down faster, we should still be able to survive the landing,” Yukari optimistically hoped.

“If it is a water landing,” Akane countered. “Do you know where we will land?” she asked.

“Sorry, but the re-entry options were limited, and we made a really sloppy decel burn, too. Somewhere around the United States is the best guess I have,” she apologized, “but it could be Canada, Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico…I just don't know for sure.”

“Well, I guess as long as we live, it doesn't really matter,” Akane replied. “And on the bright side, we both speak English easily enough,” she giggled softly.

“True,” smiled Yukari. She noticed that the light coming in through the ports was getting darker. “We must be going through some clouds,” she shared. “It should be daytime here.”

A few moments later, Akane announced her air was gone, and Yukari told her to go ahead and open her helmet. She did so, finding the air was now breathable. She also smelled the burnt-metal smell in the capsule. “What burned?” she wondered.

“Probably the electronics and some of the patching material,” shrugged Yukari. There was no point in telling her specialist about the plasma issue. “Let's see if we can open the purge valves,” she suggested, loosening her belts and struggling with the two valves near her station that would allow the capsule to vent to the outside air. There was another one near Akane's position.

One of her valves was totally shot, but she managed to open the second one. Akane reported her valve was open as well. In moments, the two could feel fresh, cool air streaming into the capsule. They also felt the capsule rock slightly. “We have winds,” Yukari noted, tightening her belts again. “Check you belts; this could be a little rough if we hit some microcells,” warned the mission commander.

“Check,” confirmed Akane. The ports showed some dim light coming in through the swirling clouds that had enveloped the descending the space craft. Waiting in silence, Yukari heard a bird call faintly.

“Birds,” she reported. The capsule rocked a little more. “Winds,” confirmed Yukari. Hope that doesn't mean thunderstorm, she worried to herself. Just then, the light brightened a little. “We're out of the clouds,” she said. “See if you can get any response from the beacon,” she tasked her fellow astronaut. “I don't know if this thing will float with all the holes in it, so I'll see about the emergency kit.”

“I'm showing no power to the beacon,” Akane reported. “In fact, bus C is gone now, too,” she added. Bus C was the last circuit in the capsule. With that gone, they were totally dead in the water.

“Figures,” grunted Yukari. Using her hands, she managed to remove the two safety catches on the small emergency/survival pack. With those removed, she could loop the main line across her chest and stand, and the pack would automatically slide out from under her chair and fall against her rear as she climbed out the hatch. “Pack's ready to go,” Yukari shared.

“Well, now we wait,” Akane said, the two awaiting their return to their home world.

The landing caught them by surprise, the capsule jolting once, hesitating, and then jerking hard as the two heard water slap the hull. For a moment, the small craft tilted wildly before rolling into the normal recovery position, sitting at a ten degree angle, hatch topmost. “I'm popping the hatch,” Yukari said, releasing her belts as the capsule rolled and pitched.

“Yukari, water is pouring into the capsule,” Akane reported.

“Release your belts,” Yukari immediately came back, “we're abandoning the capsule.” Her hands triggered the emergency hatch release bolts. Twisting the stay-ring, she threw her shoulder into it, the aluminum hatch hesitating for a moment before rising. Grunting, Yukari tossed the hatch into the water, swiftly maneuvering onto the sill of the capsule. Reaching back into the capsule, she jerked the charm off the panel handle. “Let's go, Akane,” she said, hearing water splashing in the compartment.

“Right!” Akane agreed, grabbing her offered hand. In moments, the two were perched on the sill, and after making sure the emergency kit was secured to her, Yukari took a firm grip on Akane's hand.

“Here we go,” she said, timing the swells. Picking her moment, she jumped into the water, pulling Akane with her. Dunking under the water, the two popped back up, their thin suits providing buoyancy while the neck seal prevented any water from getting under the skin-tight suit. Their mission packs were also just slightly positive buoyant, adding a bit more safety for the two. Fumbling for the emergency kit, Yukari tugged the small ring that inflated the flotation collar on the pack. “Clip on,” she directed, using one of the short tethers on the collar to clip her suit's safety harness to. Akane did likewise.

Thus secured, the two looked around as the capsule steadily slipped lower in the water. The sky was overcast, with storm clouds gathering. The sea was deep blue, with about two meter chop, a freshening wind coming in from the south east. Slowly swimming in a circle, they couldn't see anything around them. “So, um,” Akane nervously asked, “how far out do you think we are?” she wondered.

“I'm not sure,” Yukari said. “But I am a little more concerned with what body of water this is. Atlantic? Gulf of Mexico? Caribbean? Sea of Cortez, maybe?”

“Well, it probably isn't the Pacific, given how low the swells are,” Akane tried for humor. “But it's salt water, and that means we'll probably have visitors before too long,” she added, her tone betraying how nervous she was.

“Sharks,” Yukari really didn't want to think about that. “They're probably long gone, scared off by the impact of the capsule,” she told herself and Akane. Being the biology buff she was, Akane knew better. But, she didn't want to think about that right now, either.

For a couple of minutes, the two bobbed around, the capsule gurgling as it slid under the water. To the girl's surprise, the capsule didn't disappear into the blue, but seemed to find neutral buoyancy about three meters below the surface. “Maybe the empty propellant tanks are making it do that?” suggested Akane. Yukari was seeing something else, though.

“Look at how it is moving,” she said. Akane studied the submerged capsule for a moment.

“It's moving away from us,” she determined. Yukari nodded.

“Either it is in a strong current, or we are being blown by the wind, one,” she confirmed. Neither one is good, she thought grimly. Her ears picked up something. “Hey, do you hear something?” she asked. Akane cocked her ear.

“I think…yes, I can hear something,” she said. Moments passed. “I think it's a plane!” she said excitedly. Yukari hastily, but carefully, pulled the flare gun out of the pack, eyes on the low overcast. Both girls could now hear the droning of an aircraft, but they weren't seeing it. Yukari spotted it first.

“There!” she sang out, pointing. “It's going to pass a little behind us,” she determined. The grey and white plane was hard to see against the low clouds, but she was certain it was close enough to spot a flare. “I'm going to try and signal it,” she said, raising the flare gun. Firing the flare, she watched it climb, the bright red magnesium round glowing brightly. She ejected the spent shell, inserted a fresh one, and waited.

A second round was not necessary, as the plane banked, dropping lower until it looked like it was barely two hundred feet above the water, and flew right over them. It immediately circled back, crossing over them again. Both girls waved frantically. The propeller-driven plane made a third pass, this time a safety-orange package being jettisoned from the plane.

It hit the water maybe thirty meters from the girls, and a moment later, a life raft had inflated. Yukari and Akane swam over to it as fast as they could, pulling themselves inside with relief. One of the first things they did was pull their pack into the raft with them. In short order, the two had discovered the sealed plastic bag that was clipped to the tube of the life raft. Tearing it open, Yukari found a strange-looking radio. Turning on the only switch the thing had, she heard a short squeal from the radio.

“Hello?” she said, pressing the weatherproof button on the side of the radio.

“This is the United States Navy, we read you five by five,” came back a calm voice. “What is your status? Over.”

“We're ok,” Yukari said. “Over,” she added a moment later.

“That's good to hear,” came back the voice. “We've got your position fixed, and have called a taxi,” continued the man. “we'll stay on station with you until your ride arrives, over.”

“Thank you!” Yukari breathed in relief. “Um, what should I call you?” she asked, realizing that she didn't know who she was talking to.

“I'm Lieutenant Commander Penn, senior flight instructor at NAS Pensacola, but you can call me Boogeyman,” he said, his voice warm.

“Boogeyman?” wondered Yukari.

“It's my handle,” he came back. “It's because I teach our P3 crews to be sneaky and effective hunters of submarines,” the man elaborated.

“I see,” Yukari said, not really getting what he was talking about. “If you don't mind, where are we, exactly?” she asked him.

“You are currently in a life raft just over twenty miles off the western point of Pensacola, drifting almost due west at three knots,” he came back. “You should see a Coast Guard cutter in about five minutes,” he added.

“I see,” Yukari replied. “Thank you,” she added.

“No problem at all, ma'am,” came back the reply. “Wayne Burkheimer sends his regards, by the way,” added the man.

“You know Wayne?” asked a surprised Yukari.

“Not personally, no,” came back the answer. “But our CO was his squadron commander, back when he was flying off the Nimitz, so when we got a call about your little emergency, we got a rocket from command to drop everything and rush over here. Not every day that a routine training op gives you the chance to rescue two astronauts,” he chuckled.

A growing buzz caused Yukari and Akane to look around. Low on the horizon, they spotted a dark form swooping in on them. “That's a helicopter, not a ship,” noted Akane.

“Yeah,” Yukari agreed. Pressing the button, she contacted the plane orbiting overhead.

“Boogeyman? We see a helicopter coming toward us. Is that our taxi?” she wondered.

“Uh, negative,” came back the answer. “The Stallion is going to see if it can fish your capsule out of the water,” explained the officer.

“It's ok,” Yukari said, “the capsules are designed to be disposable if damaged, and Mangosteen is pretty much toast,” she assured him.

“Yes, but we're going to see if we can get it anyway,” the answer came back. “Look to your eleven o'clock and you should see the Coasty cutter coming in to pick you up,” the man changed the subject.

“I see them,” Yukari confirmed.

“Excellent,” the plan replied. “I'm going to hang around long enough to make sure you two get aboard the ship, then it is back to our drill. Catch you two this evening at the base,” he closed.

“Ok, and thanks again!” sang back Yukari.

“Attention, this is the United States Coast Guard Cutter Bonita,” a new voice came over the radio, “we are preparing to bring you aboard.”

“They got them,” Wayne said, hanging up the phone. Everyone in the room relaxed at that news. “They are on their way to Pensacola, and everything seems fine,” he added.

“That's good,” Matsuri said, smiling.

“We need to make arrangements to get them back,” Nasuda said, lighting a cigarette.

“They don't have their passports, or even a change of clothes,” noted Mukai.

“Don't worry,” Wayne chuckled. “I asked Tabasco to look after our two heroines.”

“Tabasco?” wondered Satsuki.

“My old squadron CO, from back in my carrier days,” Wayne explained. “He's going to get them settled, keep them calm, and set up their return to us as soon as the official stuff is dealt with,” promised the American.

“Official stuff?” wondered Kinoshita.

“They're going to have to be debriefed, and there is the small matter of customs and the usual bureaucratic bullshit to see to; nothing special,” he assured the group.

“How long?” asked Nasuda.

“Few days to a week and a half or so,” shrugged Wayne. The CEO of the SSA nodded to himself.

“We'll start training the two rookies for the next job,” he said, glancing at the three heads of the departments in the room. “Matsuri, you're going to be covering for Yukari while she's away,” he added, turning to leave.

Once he was gone, Motoko turned to look at the tall American astronaut. “Why are they going to need to be debriefed?” she asked.

“Watch your step, girls,” warned the crewman of the Coast Guard cutter. The white and red ship was just outside the channel entrance that serviced NAS Pensacola, and the two Japanese astronauts of the SSA were transferring to a smaller Navy boat for the last leg, since the Coast Guard had a patrol to run and there had already been a call for them while they ran the two back to the military base.

“Thank you,” said Yukari, carefully moving over the rail and down to the grey rigid inflatable boat, where two BDU-clad Navy personnel waited for them. Akane followed her mission commander. “And thank the Ensign for the coveralls!” Yukari waved as the Navy boat began to pull away from the cutter.

“No problem,” yelled back the crewman, waving to the two. Putting on the life preservers one of the Navy personnel handed them, the two settled in for the quick run to the base.

It had been an interesting experience for the two. The cutter had maneuvered in close to the life raft, paused, and then swooped in, three crewmen - life-lined to the cutter - had leaned low over the rescue rail and grabbed them, hauling them aboard the cutter easily. When the raft had rolled toward the cutter on the next wave set, the three had hooked a line to the ring on the side, and two minutes later, the raft was lashed to the deck.

While the ship had secured and begun the run toward Pensacola, the two had found themselves in the ship's sick bay, where the ship's doctor checked them over. Their suits had been a major source of interest, for both the technology buffs and the horny young crewmen. When the doctor was satisfied that they were in good shape, he had called one of the crewmembers, and ten minutes later, a lithe, pixie-faced blonde had arrived at sickbay, two pairs of issue coveralls in her arms.

She had turned out to be an Ensign, and she was the chief engineer for the ship. At five foot two inches and ninety one pounds, she was only slightly taller and heavier than the two astronauts. Her coveralls fit well enough, though the Japanese girls had had to roll up the leg cuffs and the chests of the coveralls was a little loose. The two were glad for the coveralls, since they were a little embarrassed by the attention they were getting in their skin-tight, three millimeter thick suits.

Covered in less revealing clothing, the two had made their way to the bridge, where they had met the skipper and the bridge crew. It was there that they had been told that they were being ferried to the naval station, since the Coast Guard had work to do. For nearly fifteen minutes, the two had talked with the skipper and crew, answering questions, and asking questions in turn. They had heard that the thunderstorm that had been moving toward them had broken over where they had landed, and they were glad to be safe and on their way out of the area.

Just over an hour later, they were aboard the small Navy boat, heading into the military base. The ride in the inflatable boat had been fun, the sun shining and the water occasionally misting over them. Looking into the blue-green water as it flashed past, they had spotted a couple of dolphins, and the crewman not driving the boat had pointed out a four foot bull shark as they entered the channel that led to the docks at NAS Pensacola.

When the two had climbed onto the docks, they had found a car waiting for them, along with a woman in a military dress uniform. She had introduced herself as lieutenant commander Morgan, USN, and she would be their liaison for their stay at NAS Pensacola. Herding the two into the navy grey sedan, she had chatted easily with them as the car pulled away from the dock, entering a maze of buildings and streets. As they drove, the commander's cell phone had rung, the woman excusing herself from the conversation to answer the phone. After a few short exchanges that sounded more like code than English, she had ended the call and tucked the phone away.

“Your capsule was successfully recovered,” she informed the two. “If you don't mind, I would like to ask the two of you to inspect it, and tell me what was damaged in orbit, and what was damaged in your re-entry. If that is possible, of course,” she smiled. The two glanced at each other.

“Sure, I guess,” Yukari agreed, wondering what the interest was. “I told the plane that the capsules are expendable if too damaged,” she added. “And Mangosteen is beyond the repair limit.”

“It's ok,” the commander assured them. “It was a good chance to practice our own skills, so don't worry about it!” smiled the woman. Tapping the driver's shoulder, she gave him a set of numbers that seemed to mean something to him, as he changed directions even as he nodded. Four minutes later, the car stopped in front of an aircraft hanger. Outside the doors, a hulking helicopter sat. “That's the CH-53E that grabbed your capsule. We have the Mangosteen inside the hanger,” the commander said, closing the door to the sedan and leading the two into the hanger.

The two immediately identified their capsule, which was swarming with a full dozen fatigue-clad figures. Glancing to the side as they entered the hanger, Yukari spotted a jeep with two soldiers in it, black armbands with the letters MP on them discreetly observing. “Don't mind them,” the commander interrupted her thoughts about why a couple of MPs would be guarding their broken capsule, “they're just here to keep any of the sailors or marines from souvenir hunting anything,” she assured the girl.

Yukari shrugged. “Not like anything left in there is useful,” she said, before recalling something she had forgotten because it wasn't usually in the capsule. “Except for our data logger,” she added. “That is the one piece of gear we need back.”

“Data logger?” asked the commander, returning a few salutes. “Make room, guys, the astronauts are going to look it over for us,” she called out. The group of people stood back from the orbiter. “Please,” gestured the woman. The two approached their capsule, which was still dripping sea water. Both pilots moved closer to the capsule.

“Wow, this looks worse now than it did upstairs,” Yukari observed to Akane.

“I know,” marveled her specialist. “I can't believe we made it down with this much damage,” added the girl, touching the scarred, burnt hull. Her eyes spotted something. “Yukari, were these always here?” she asked, indicating a couple of clean-edged holes along the trailing edge of the capsule's lip.

“Oh, uh, well, when we were coming down, some plasma cut those,” Yukari laughed weakly. Akane stared at her commander, open-mouthed.

“What?! Plasma cut the hull, and you didn't tell me?!” she demanded. Yukari scratched the back of her head.

“Well, I was going to, but…” she shrugged. “What good would it have done? We were committed, and there was no way to abort; and nothing we could do, either, so I figured why burden you with it?” she explained.

“Next time, tell me!” demanded Akane, staring at Yukari. “If we're going to die, I want you to tell me,” she insisted.

“Why?” wondered Yukari.

“Because I want to know,” Akane said softly, looking away.

The entire exchange had been in Japanese, since that was the native tongue of the girls. “Ladies, if you could speak English, that would be greatly appreciated,” the commander cut in smoothly.

“Sorry!” apologized Yukari, habitually giving the older service woman a bow, “force of habit.” She turned to the orbiter. “Ok,” she began, “starting from the heat shield, the impact caused several small punctures and two tears in the outer hull, with accompanying loss of electrical buses A and B, a pressure line loss of cabin O2 supply, an oxidant leak occurred, but the back-up line switched in, preserving OMS control.” For the next four and a half minutes, the two gave a running account of the damage, the steps they had taken to repair what they could, and the decisions they had made.

“And so, we came down,” finished Yukari, finally looking back at the commander, who was furiously making notes in a pad she had taken from her attaché case. “You should have said you were taking notes,” Yukari added. “We could have gone slower,” explained the girl.

“No problem,” the commander assured them, closing the book. “We also recorded your report, so anything I might have missed will be caught in review,” she said. Yukari frowned.

“Why so interested in what happened?” wondered Yukari.

“Just procedure,” shrugged the commander. “You two dropped in unexpectedly, with an orbital descent that violated several restricted and high-security air spaces, so a thorough report will have to be made. It's nothing special, really - just bureaucratic make-work.”

“Whatever makes you happy,” shrugged Yukari, grabbing the sill and vaulting into the capsule.

“Morita, wait..!” called out the commander.

“I'm just getting the data logger,” called back Yukari, swiftly removing the device, unplugging the leads and tucking it into her coverall pockets. Exiting the capsule, she landed easily on her feet. From her side, she heard a stomach rumble. Grinning, she looked over at Akane. “Hungry, eh?” she teased.

“We're past mission time by several hours,” Akane explained, blushing.

“I see that food is in order,” the commander smiled, her pad tucked back into the attaché case. “We don't have any good Japanese food, but if you have a preference, we'll see what we can do,” she offered, leading the two toward the doors to the hanger, where the sedan waited. Yukari paused, patting the capsule where the SSA's logo and their names were stenciled.

“Thanks for bringing us back home safely, Mangosteen,” murmured the girl before hurrying after Akane and commander Morgan. Emerging from the hanger, she climbed into the sedan, glad for the cool air from the air conditioner. It also reminded her of another issue. “Commander Morgan?”

“You can call me Cindy,” smiled the woman.

“Is it possible to get a shower and some clean clothes?” asked Yukari. Both she and Akane had chosen to wear their suits under the coveralls, since they didn't have anything except the suits to wear. “We have been in our suits for a while now,” she hinted.

“Do you want food first, or showers and clean clothes?” asked commander Morgan. “We can do it in whatever order you want, girls.” Yukari and Akane exchanged looks.

“Shower and clothes,” they said in unison a moment later. Commander Morgan nodded.

“You heard them,” she said to the driver. “BOQ,” she added. He nodded.

“Aye aye, ma'am.”

In less than ten minutes, the two were looking at a room that would be theirs for their stay. It was in a building where single officers lived; in this case, single female officers. The commander gave them the short tour, then eyed them carefully for a moment before telling them to enjoy their shower while she got some clothes for them to wear. The two girls had quickly stripped off the coveralls, then their spacesuits, grabbed two towels and hurried to the showers.

Once they were gone, Lieutenant Commander Cindy Morgan, USN, assigned to Naval Intelligence, pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number from memory. After the phone clicked twice, she pushed the button to encrypt the channel, and swiftly gave her first site report. After she sketched in what she knew at the moment, she detailed the orders she had given the base personnel, reported the officers in charge of the teams to her superiors, and thumb nailed her basic plans for the next steps she would take. Ending the call, she dialed a new number - after checking the base phone list - and swiftly made arrangements for complete outfits for the two, emphasizing the need for them to be delivered to her at the room assigned to the two immediately if not sooner. That done, she checked the directory again and made another call.