Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Career Track ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

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

“Yukari, we have a problem.”

“What's wrong, Akane?” asked Yukari, carefully securing her titanium socket driver in her tool bag even as she began to work her way toward her partner.

“There's an extra panel here that shouldn't be here,” reported Akane, floating by the side of the satellite they were working on.

“What do you mean, extra panel?” wondered Yukari, carefully maneuvering so she was beside Akane, one of her arms around her partner's waist to keep them together.

“Solomon to Papaya,” the radio interrupted, “how are things coming up there?”

“We got a small snag here, Solomon,” reported Yukari. “Looks like a thermal shield is over the primary electronics bay. It isn't on the blueprints we were given, and it isn't held in place by bolts or screws, but riveted in place with aluminum rivets.”

“Hold one, Papaya,” her sister came back.

“Nothing else to do,” smiled Yukari, giving Akane a gentle hug. Using her toe, Akane turned them a few degrees to the side, the orbit of the bird and their relative orientation to it giving them a thee-quarter overhead view of the Earth below them. “It's sunrise in Italy,” noted Yukari.

“Yes,” Akane agreed. “Look at the Alps, and the sunlight making them twinkle like Christmas lights.”

“Yeah,” Yukari said. “I never get tired of the view,” she added softly. Yukari found herself watching the clusters of lights fade as the line of sunrise marched steadily along.

“Papaya, this is Solomon,” Matsuri's voice filled her ear, “client says there isn't a panel there, over.”

Yukari rolled her eyes. “Solomon, I'm glad to hear that this panel is a figment of my imagination,” she began, sweet sarcasm in her tone, “but we cannot upgrade the control panels with this shield in the way. We have no means of removing the rivets, let along replacing them. What are we supposed to do about that?”

“Papaya, this is Kinoshita,” the man in overall command of the flight control room came on the radio, “can you get some video and some pictures of this panel?”

“Roger, Solomon,” Yukari said, checking the small camera mounted to her helmet. It was something of an experimental upgrade, and she wasn't sure how well it would work out. “Ok, see if you have anything on the data link,” she added a moment later.

“We see it, Papaya,” Kinoshita said. “We've got some glare, though. Can you move to the side to put the panel in shadow?”

“No problem,” Yukari said, Akane's toes once more delicately moving them, their combined shadow falling over the panel. “Better?” she asked.

“Much,” Kinoshita answered. “Ok, that should be good,” he added a moment later. “Hold one.”

“Roger that,” Yukari said. Feeling Akane shift, she turned to look at Akane, who made a gesture to her helmet then to the two of them. Touching the small control pad on the rim of her helmet, she muted the microphone that fed the ground radio channel before switching to the capsule's reserve channel. “What's up, Akane?” asked Yukari.

Akane swung around to hug Yukari face-to face. “Are you going to cut Hazuzi-chan from the program?” asked her partner.

“Who told you that?” wondered Yukari. Akane hugged herself a bit tighter to Yukari, her helmet visor touching Yukari's helmet visor.

“No had to tell me, Yukari,” Akane said. “You are my partner. I know you, Yukari! You have a look in your eyes when you watch Hazuzi-chan lately. And you are watching her like a hawk, too. Is something wrong?”

“Not really,” Yukari said.

“Don't lie to me, Yukari,” Akane said softly. “After the Orpheus mission, I decided that I never wanted to be lied to - even to protect me. And you said you wouldn't lie to me after we crash-landed in the Gulf of Mexico a while back, as well. So tell me the truth,” insisted Akane.

“It's not that simple, Akane,” sighed Yukari. “This…isn't about you. It's sort of private, between Hazuzi and us,” Yukari awkwardly explained.

“Us? You mean you? Or do you mean the SSA?” Akane asked.

“Sort of both,” Yukari answered.

“Something is wrong with her physically or mentally, isn't there?” Akane said a moment later, her tone contemplative. Yukari sighed, but didn't say anything. Akane is smart, thought Yukari, I should have remembered that, and been more careful around her. Wonder if Matsuri has noticed? Or the kids?

“Satsuki thinks that she might have a form of epilepsy,” Yukari said softly, hugging Akane a little closer. “The heavy exercise and mental stress of training is probably aggravating the condition. It could also be a chemical issue in her neurology, too. The radical change in her diet and caloric intake would be the culprit in that case. Right now, we just don't know.”

“I see,” Akane said softly. “I…I thought her headaches and dizziness were just the hot climate and sudden exertion. I know I felt weak and had headaches when I first got here, too, so I just assumed…” Akane trailed off.

“Yeah,” Yukari said. “We all did,” she muttered.

“Are…you going to cut her?” Akane asked again.

“She's not showing any improvement, even with diet changes and medication. Satsuki is going to pull her from the training program, try to get her eval'd by some specialists to make sure. But,” Yukari paused, “in the end, they want me to make the call.”

“I see,” Akane said. Silence fell for several moments. Against her chest, she could feel Akane's heartbeat synch with her own. Maybe that means that Akane is my sister, too, Yukari smiled, remembering the hours she and Matsuri had spent, hugging each other tight as they waited for a rescue that never came, the crippled Tanpopo and Matsuri's own Coconut orbiting side by side, the two holding each other tight. Smiling a little more, Yukari hugged Akane just a little harder. I think I'll adopt her, Yukari thought happily.

“Yukari,” Akane said softly, “do you,” she paused. “Do you have to cut her?” asked her mission specialist.

“I can't risk her going up, Akane,” Yukari replied firmly. “It's such a waste, though!” complained the senior rocket girl. “It's not like she slacks off, or can't do the math, or lacks dedication or anything. I don't mind cutting those trainees, but at the same time…” Yukari shook her head slightly.

“Hazuzi has almost as good of marks as Kotomi,” Akane mused aloud. “And while she might not have the actual experience Matsuri does, she would make a good reserve mission control liaison, since she would know exactly what was involved, wouldn't she? I mean, couldn't you move her to ground team and put her under Matsuri so she can learn to be a mission control liaison?”

Yukari blinked. “Akane, that's…a pretty good idea,” breathed the mission commander.

“It's just something I thought of after you told us what you were looking at for our future role, that's all,” demurred Akane. “We will need more than one ground control liaison, right? Especially if we start using multiple types of orbiters, right?”

“That's true,” breathed Yukari, her mind busy. “And if we pull her out of flight crew, then we can lift the diet restrictions and exercise regime, so she should be able to recover. And it should be less stress being on ground than flight, too! Akane, you're the best!” Yukari bragged, squeezing her partner. “If we weren't wearing helmets, I'd kiss you!”

“R…really?” Akane replied.

“Papaya, this is Solomon,” Matsuri's voice crackled in their ears. Yukari swiftly touched the small panel again, re-activating her ground mic and switching the relay back to main channel.

“Solomon, we read you,” she answered her sister. “What's the news?”

“We're still discussing the matter with the client, but there's nothing you can do up there, so might as well return to base,” Kinoshita said.

“While I agree about not being able to do anything, just what is there to discuss?” Yukari wondered.

“Leave that to us, Yukari, Akane,” Kinoshita replied. “You two did what you could.”

“Since we're already in orbit, is there anything else we need to do?” Yukari asked her sister. “Guava is up on pole orbit, right? Putting the new camera lens on that scientific bird, aren't they?”

“Affirmative, Papaya,” Matsuri said. Yukari hummed softly to herself.

“Solomon, I want to conduct a test, since we have both capsules up,” Yukari said, using hand signals to explain to Akane what she wanted done. Nodding, her partner began putting the parts back on the satellite and securing them as Yukari swiftly checked her side of the bird.

“What did you have in mind?” Matsuri asked.

“I want to see how easy - or hard - it is to do a mid-orbit pin-point rendezvous with a target. In this particular case, Guava,” Yukari explained, floating back to the Papaya, waiting by the hatch as Akane got in and settled before crawling in herself. With the safety tethers stowed and their belts on, Yukari grabbed her obit chart and calculator. “I know the orbit path and velo, so I just need to calculate the transition burn and figure out the delta V, right? Should be simple enough,” Yukari said, referencing her chart before punching numbers into the calculator.

“Papaya,” Kinoshita came back on the horn, “that is a risky suggestion.”

“Solomon, this is Guava,” Natsuko's voice came over the radio, “we're up for it. We'll be done with our job in about fifteen minutes, and we can move off the bird's orbit to make sure we're not in conflict. We do need to know what we're dealing with, and since we're already both up, there's no point wasting money or this opportunity, is there?”

“Guava, Papaya, hold one,” Kinoshita said. Yukari jotted down her results and showed them to Akane before handing her the orbit chart and calculator. Redundancy was a good way to keep alive in their field. Akane began to calculate the intercept course and burn table independently.

It was almost ten minutes later when ground control called them up again. “Nasuda has agreed,” was all Kinoshita said.

“Roger,” Yukari smiled.

“Be careful, sis,” Matsuri said quietly. “Solomon out,” added the girl at regular volume.

“Guava, you copy that?” Yukari asked.

“Roger that, Papaya,” came back Natsuko. “We're shifting out of the bird's prime orbit now.”

“Orbit correction?” Yukari asked, pen ready. Natsuko read the changes off, Yukari jotting them down. “Got it,” she said. Just like dodge orbit, but in reverse, she told herself.

“Yukari,” Akane said, handing her mission commander her calculations. Yukari quickly corrected her calculations for the shift the Guava had made, then handed her notes and the correction back to Akane before unlatching and beginning to maneuver clear of their own bird. A moment later, Akane handed the notes back to her. “We're good,” said her specialist.

“Excellent,” Yukari said, scanning the numbers and entering the checkpoints in her nav system so her main display was synched. “Ok, Solomon,” she radioed her base, “Papaya is now beginning intercept exercise with Guava. It looks like it should take us about thirty five minutes to complete the exercise. We will use Guava's return path, with a two-orbit delay to prevent accidents, Guava first, then Papaya. Might as well have the recovery boat hang around after Guava splashes. Any questions?”

“Negative, Papaya,” Matsuri replied.

“Guava?”

“We're ready when you are, sempai!” Natsuko nearly sang. Yukari checked her straps, her boards and her partner, then grabbed the stick.

“Here we come, Guava,” she radioed, initiating the first burn. Twenty eight minutes later, over the arctic, the two capsules were in synchronous orbit. Less than two meters separated the capsules. After a brief discussion, the two crews indulged themselves and did a little EVA work. They also watched the ISS move along the horizon. With that done, the crews got back to work. First Guava and - two orbits later - Papaya initiated their orbit shifts to bring them over their base, then burned decel and slid home.

As their capsule bobbed in the equatorial South Pacific swells, Yukari and Akane were surprised to pop their hatch and not see the recovery boat anywhere. Shrugging, the two stood in the hatch and waited, figuring that the boat might have been delayed or something. It wasn't until they heard the sound of a helicopter that they began to look around.

To the surprise of the two, they spotted a dark form approaching them in the afternoon light. Watching it, they got the funny feeling that they were re-living their Gulf of Mexico adventure; well, except for having their capsule shot out from under them. “Wonder what this is about?” Yukari thought aloud.

The helicopter flared and hovered a couple of dozen yards from their capsule, downwash from the rotors spraying them with ocean water. A heavy sling was dropped from the helicopter and a wet-suited figure jumped out of the door into the water, swiftly swimming over to them. When the figure reached the capsule, they found themselves looking at one of their recovery team members.

In less than ten minutes, the two were in the helicopter, the capsule was secured to a heavy lifting sling under the air frame, and they were flying back to base at five hundred meters. When they reached the island, the helicopter carefully lowered the capsule onto a dolly before landing on a freshly-painted helicopter pad. Exiting the helicopter, they found Nasuda waiting for them.

“What's up with the helicopter?” Yukari asked. “And where are Natsuko and Chinami?”

“They're on the recovery boat,” Nasuda said, motioning the two of them to come with him. Following their boss, the two realized that they were heading for the medical building.

“What's wrong, old man?” Yukari asked. Nasuda glanced at her.

“You'll see,” he said, leading them into Satsuki's office. Yukari found a pale, trembling, Hazuzi silently sobbing on one of the beds, an uncharacteristically somber-looking Satsuki near-by. Yukari didn't need to be told anything.

The waves were soft on the sand of the beach in the cove, overhead bright stars twinkled around a quartering moon. In the water, not far from shore, Yukari floated on her back, staring blankly at the heavens. She had missed supper, but her appetite just wasn't there. It wasn't only supper she had missed, either. It was her turn to test Kotomi and the last remaining trainee - the girl named Amari - in preparation for their first live work assignment in space. Yukari had texted Akane, asking her to take over the test. She had no idea if the test had taken place or not.

Once Satsuki had given Hazuzi a sedative and she was sure the girl was asleep, Yukari had asked the doctor to tell her exactly what the tests had shown, as well as the word-for-word account of what she had said to Hazuzi before Yukari arrived. When Satsuki was done talking, Yukari had been left feeling rather helpless. She didn't know when she had ended up sitting on the beach at the cove, but it was past her usual bedtime when she waded into the warm water and lay back, floating in the gentle, low swells a dozen yards off shore. Every so often, she would turn her head and check where the beach was relative to her, and lazily stroke her arms to move closer or farther from the beach.

I took biology, and got a good grade on it, so I know what mitochondria are, she thought blankly, her eyes picking out constellations above her. The stars look so much brighter and clearer from orbit, thought the girl. But Satsuki said it was MELAS, and there wasn't any treatment for it. So what can I do? Changing her to the ground program won't change anything. Raising her arm, she wiped her face, saltwater making her eyes sting slightly as it got into her eyes. “I'm useless,” groaned the girl softly, closing her eyes.

“I doubt that,” a voice made her jerk. This, unfortunately, caused her to sink below the surface of the water. Fortunately, she was an experienced swimmer, and therefore surfaced in the chest-deep water a moment later, spitting out water. Standing in front of her was her mother.

“M…mom?!” sputtered Yukari, wiping her face again. “What are you doing here?” wondered Yukari.

“Being a mother,” shrugged Hiroko negligently. “Matsuri said you didn't go to bed, and when you didn't answer your cell phone, I thought I would check on you,” explained her mother. Yukari sort of remembered her phone ringing a while back, but her mind had been elsewhere, and she hadn't answered. “I heard about Hazuzi,” added Hiroko softly, touching Yukari's face.

“Mom,” moaned Yukari, hugging her mother. Hiroko hugged her daughter soothingly, stroking her hair. “What am I supposed to do?” Yukari asked, her voice cracking a little. “I thought if I shifted her to the ground program, it would fix everything, but…!”

“Sometimes, Yukari,” Hiroko said softly, “there isn't anything that can be done.”

“But, she has the skills to…!”

“That's what Matsuri and Akane told me,” agreed Hiroko softly. “She also has a physiological problem that prevents her from using those skills. A condition that does not have any treatment at this time,” Hiroko reminded her daughter.

“It's not fair,” complained Yukari.

“Life is like that sometimes, Yu-chan,” her mother said simply. “I know what you are feeling right now, sweetie,” continued her mother. “I felt the same way when your father ran off on our honeymoon.” Yukari looked up at her mother's face.

“You did?” she asked, shocked. “But, you said…”

“I said I had long since moved past him, yes. But at the time, I felt a lot like you do now. I was confused, frustrated, angry and feeling very useless.”

“So, how did you…” Yukari groped for the words.

“Get over it?” smiled Hiroko. “Well, I had you to look forward to,” began her mother.

“Uh, think I'll hold off on that option,” declined Yukari, a faint smile on her face. Hiroko hummed.

“I also had my work, projects, friends and plans for the future. Almost before I knew it, I had forgotten all about Hiroshi; well, until you began to ask about him,” smiled the older Morita.

“Yeah, look how that turned out,” Yukari rejoined wryly.

“I think it turned out pretty good,” Hiroko observed. “You have friends - even a kid sister - coworkers, a job you love and a place where you belong. And while you might not be pregnant, you do have the trainees and your junior flight team to look after.”

Yukari gave a ragged snort. “Can't look after them very well,” she said blackly. “Akane's almost died twice now, and Hazuzi…” she silently shook her head.

“Almost isn't is,” pointed out her mother. “And from what Akane-chan and those NASA men say, you were the one who got both of you back safe and sound each time. I've seen you cut trainees without so much as blinking because you won't risk the safety of your crews on questionable members or sloppy habits. You have pulled together lectures from thin air, faced down other space agencies and become an active member of the administration of this company, too. I would say that you are doing everything you can for them and for this company.”

“All of which doesn't help Hazuzi,” Yukari sighed, pressing her face against her mother's shoulder.

“You're right. And yet, it doesn't mean you are useless. All it means - in the end - is that you don't get to make all the choices,” argued the mother. “Guess what? None of us do,” whispered Hiroko in Yukari's ear. “That's life. Deal with it.”

“I'm trying, mom,” Yukari said softly, her voice muffled by her mother's shoulder, “I really am.”

“I know,” soothed her mother. “Just remember that you aren't alone. Your friends and family are here - don't be afraid to lean on them when you need to, hmm?”

“O…ok, mom,” Yukari said, slowly straightening. Offering her mother a soft smile, she made her way back toward the beach. Hiroko followed her daughter, smiling to herself. Reaching the beach, Yukari bent over to grab her clothes and cell phone. Spotting her mother's smile, she frowned. “What?” asked the girl.

“It's nothing,” denied her mother, absently adjusting her mini-bikini. Yukari glanced at her arms.

“Eew, I'm pruney,” she sighed. Hiroko sat on the fine sand of the beach. After a moment of thought, Yukari sat down as well. “I'll just dry off for a bit,” she murmured. It only took her about twenty minutes to dry in the night air. By that time, she was yawning and half-asleep.

Behind the two, a pair of figures approached. “You found her,” murmured a relieved Akane. Hiroko offered the girl a smile. Yukari was unaware of their arrival, her eyes half-closed. The two stopped beside Yukari and her mother.

“She'll be ok, Akane-chan,” Hiroko assured the girl.

“Let's get some sleep, Yukari,” Matsuri said, tugging gently on her sister's arm.

“Huh? Matsuri-chan?” blinked Yukari, finding herself being pulled to her feet. “What time is it?” mumbled the girl.

“Night time,” Matsuri replied indifferently. “Let's go to bed, sister,” repeated the Tariho girl.

“Sure,” Yukari agreed. Matsuri slung Yukari's arm over her shoulder and began to guide her sister toward the dorm.

“Matsuri, wait!” Akane began, waving the handful of clothes in her hand. Matsuri glanced at Akane, then her sister.

“It's fine like this,” Matsuri said calmly. “She'd only have to get undressed for bed anyway,” added the girl.

“At least let me get her panties back on,” Akane tried again. Hiroko smiled to herself. Yukari had been trying so hard to change Matsuri, but in the end Matsuri was winning.

“Good morning, Yukari-sensei.”

Yukari almost flinched, but managed to control herself. “Good morning, Hazuzi-chan,” she replied, eyeing the girl. “Feeling any better?” she made herself ask as casually as possible. The two were just outside the doors to the cafeteria, on their way to breakfast.

“I think I am,” replied Hazuzi. Yukari glanced through the glass doors to the cafeteria, seeing her crews and the last two trainees already at the head of the serving line.

“Do you want to talk - privately, I mean?” the senior astronaut made a split-second decision. I can skip breakfast if I need to, she thought. “I,” she paused, questioning herself for the briefest of moments before committing, “I'm sorry things have turned out this way, Hazuzi. You have the skills, and you had the abilities, so never think that you couldn't have cut it here. If you like, I will back your transfer to ground team. Matsuri would be happy to teach you how to be a ground controller for us,” enticed Yukari. “And you know that we need skilled, knowledgeable GCs, right?”

“I know, Yukari-sensei,” Hazuzi nodded. “But, I think I'll go back to Japan, and complete school first,” she said. Yukari eyed her student's face carefully, assessing the girl as best as she could.

“Well, I won't try to stop you, if that is what you want to do,” said the girl slowly, “I just hope you remember that you are welcome to remain here, if you so choose.”

“I know,” Hazuzi said. “Satsuki-san talked with me about my condition yesterday, and I went to speak to Kinoshita-san and Nasuda-san. I learned a lot from talking with them.”

Yukari snorted softly. “Be careful of taking anything the old man, the fox woman or Kinoshita says at face value,” she warned cynically.

“Did you know that Kinoshita-san wanted to be an astronaut?” Hazuzi asked. Yukari nodded.

“Cardiac arrhythmia kept him from doing it. Makes me wonder why he smokes, if he has a condition of the heart,” Yukari editorialized.

“So, you did know,” Hazuzi murmured. Spotting a group of technicians from the build team approaching, Yukari took Hazuzi's elbow in her hand and moved them past the door to the cafeteria, giving them some privacy. “Did you also know that Nasuda-san wanted to be an astronaut, too?”

“Yes,” Yukari nodded. “He didn't get the chance, though. And now, he likely never will.”

Hazuzi nodded. “I see; makes sense you would know, considering what they said about your recruitment,” smiled the girl. Yukari scowled.

“What lies did they tell you about that?!” demanded the girl. “Those greedy jerks tricked me, lied to me and nearly got me killed,” she complained darkly. Hazuzi laughed softly.

“But they also sent you into space,” argued Hazuzi. Yukari's scowl disappeared, a slight smile on her lips.

“Yes, they did,” agreed Yukari. Recalling what they had been talking about, she re-directed the conversation. “So, what does that have to do with your decision?”

“I didn't have any plans for the future, Yukari-sensei,” Hazuzi said. “I actually even came here on a kind of spur-of-the-moment deal. But now, I know what I want to do. I am going to go back to Tokyo, finish high school, get into a good college, and then come back here, to work for the SSA,” announced Hazuzi. Yukari blinked.

“As what?” she wondered aloud. Hazuzi gave Yukari a strange sort of smile.

“As the SSA's spokesman or publicist,” the girl revealed. Yukari blinked, considering the ramifications of that. “Let's get some breakfast, Yukari-sensei,” the girl said easily. “I want to tell the others before Yasukawa-san takes me to town so I can head back to Tokyo.”

“Yukari-chan, welcome!” came a cheerful voice. Sighing, Yukari turned to see a tall blonde man waving at her.

“Norman,” the girl said, scowling darkly at him, “is this your doing?!” demanded the girl as the NASA astronaut stopped in front of her.

“No,” denied the man, though his grin made her suspicious about that claim. “Where is Akane-chan?” he wondered, looking at the people around them.

“She's not coming this time,” Yukari said, running her fingers through her hair. “There was a small accident and she sprained her ankle and hyper-extended her knee, so she's staying at Solomon.”

“She going to be ok?” Norman asked, concern in his voice. Yukari nodded.

“Light duty for a couple of weeks, then back to flight,” the girl reported. “I had to argue with that stupid fox woman and old man Nasuda, too. Those two wanted to send her up on a job tomorrow! Idiots,” scoffed Yukari.

“So, what is she doing?” Norman asked.

“She's going to be doing Matsuri's job until her ankle and knee are better. Matsuri is taking my spot for the time being. I gave her the flight rotation schedule I worked out so we can get Amari and Kotomi up to speed quickly. Which reminds me,” muttered the girl, checking her watch as she reached for her cell phone.

“How about we go claim your luggage and get out of here while you dial?” Norman suggested, steering the girl toward the luggage claim. As he did so, he managed to get a look at her ticket number, and while Yukari was being Mission Commander over the phone with her sister and her crews, Norman grabbed her suitcases. Seeing only two, he frowned.

“You didn't bring much,” he observed to her once she ended the call.

Yukari shrugged. “One of those is my spacesuit, pack and helmet, the other is my clothes. What more do I need?”

“Nothing I guess,” shrugged Norman. “This way,” he said, indicating a direction. “Got us a driver and car waiting,” chuckled the man. Yukari nodded. Exiting the airport terminal, Yukari fished in her shirt pocket for her sunglasses, the bright sunlight hammering her eyes. Slipping them on, she saw Norman waving an arm, and a couple minutes later, a white SUV with the NASA logo on the door pulled up to the curb, the rear hatch opening as the rear door did. With swift economy, Norman swung her two suitcases into the back, slammed the hatch, closed the rear door behind her and ducked into the front passenger seat. “Belt up,” he said, fastening his own seatbelt.

“Got it,” replied Yukari, swiftly figuring out the seatbelt and securing it.

“Welcome aboard NASA Shuttle One,” the driver said, revving the engine. Yukari recognized that voice.

“Wayne!” she smiled. The older NASA man winked at her.

“The one and only. You might want to hold on,” he added blandly, the SUV nearly jumping into the traffic pattern swirling around the arrival/departure entrance. Yukari grabbed the handgrip above the door with one hand, her other seizing the back of the seat.

“Hey! Drive more carefully!” she screamed at the man, who was smiling as he cut through traffic and wove in and out of lanes of vehicles. “Should have taken the train,” gritted Yukari.

“Sorry, Yukari-chan,” Norman answered, laughing, “but we're not set up for rail transport here in the US like you are used to. We prefer to drive.”

“Surprised you haven't killed yourselves off,” gritted out Yukari, sure that they would hit the truck in front of them or the car they were cutting off would clip them.

“Almost to highway,” Wayne replied. Forty seconds of white-knuckle terror later, and the SUV was sailing along sedately in traffic on an open road. “There we go,” Wayne grinned. “Interstate!”

Yukari muttered angrily under her breath in Japanese for a moment. “My, my! Such language,” Norman teased her.

“Silence!” Yukari shot back hotly. “You two drive like maniacs!”

“That's not very fair,” protested an amused Wayne. “Remember, Yukari-chan, we've ridden with Yasukawa, and I would have to say that I am a much safer driver than he is.”

Yukari grunted. “Anyway,” she let the issue go, “What exactly am I supposed to do this time?”

“Didn't Nasuda tell you?” wondered Norman.

“He said I was going to be meeting with NASA about a possible joint venture in the near future, and that I should remember that I represent the SSA,” Yukari said, sounding miffed. “Stupid old man never gives me any useful information,” she complained. It didn't make her feel any better when Wayne and Norman exchanged what could only be considered shit-eating grins.

“Don't worry, Yukari-chan; we got your back!” Norman laughed. Yukari grunted.

“That's `Yukari-SAN,” the girl corrected him unhappily. “I'm your senior in space work, remember?” she needled him back.

“Hai, hai,” Norman flipped his hand dismissively. Yukari stuck her tongue out at him, pulling her lower eyelid down as she did.

“Baka,” she pronounced. Norman shrugged, grinning. “Your accent and pronunciation are better,” noted the girl, pausing for a heartbeat, “but they still suck!”

For the next while, the three talked of friends and acquaintances. Before she knew it, she was exiting the vehicle in front of a building bearing a massive NASA crest. “What's this?” she asked her two friends.

“This is something we want to show you,” Wayne said, tossing his head. Yukari followed him into the building, pausing while Wayne got her through security. Inside the building, she found herself looking at a series of huge water tanks. Inside the tank, she could see fully-suited astronauts working on some sort of project, large modules being maneuvered around in the water.

“Our simulations are significantly different than yours are,” Norman said, opening a door and leading her onto a wide walkway over the tanks. “We use water to simulate zero G and train on complex tasking missions for the ISS and other, NASA-specific, jobs.”

“But water doesn't accurately simulate the frictionless nature of space,” Yukari noted. “Waving your arm in water will let you maneuver around, but waving an arm in space is completely different.”

“True, but remember that our roles and your roles are very different,” agreed Wayne. “One of the reasons we asked you - the SSA - to come here for a consultation was to test a theory we came up with, and explore some possibilities with you.”

“Like what?” Yukari wondered, watching the work below, under the water.

“How many flight crews did you say you had, Yukari?” Norman asked.

“Well, there's Akane and I, Natsuko and Chinami, Kotomi and Amari are probably going to take their first job soon, and Matsuri can operate in vacuum, too. Three flights if we run Mangosteen-class orbiters, or two flights if we use the three-seat prototype orbiter. I suppose we could launch seven single-seat Tanpopo-class orbiters, but that would be kind of pointless,” mused Yukari.

“You've got a new orbiter in the works?” Wayne asked, sounding interested. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah, to make better use of the LS7B vehicle. You got the email about that, right?” she asked the two. Both nodded. “Thanks for helping us with that, by the way,” added the girl. Both men shrugged it off.

“Just doing what we love to do,” Norman said. “So, this new orbiter is going to be a three-seater?”

“Actually, I'm working with Mukai to make it modular,” Yukari explained, warming to the topic. “We have the LS7B working, but all that extra power is wasted if we can't make use of every last gram it can lift, right? Well, after thinking about it, I started talking to Mukai about a modular system for the new capsule. We have a basic layout that can be configured for any number of jobs, from one seat to three, with multiple cargo, tool or equipment options. And best of all, we can pre-balance the capsule for those missions by using the modular interlocks for the fuel and electronics sections!”

“A definite advantage,” nodded the two, understanding the importance of a balanced capsule to flying it through space. While one could fly an unbalanced ship - as evidenced by the Apollo Thirteen incident - it was much easier and safer to fly a balanced ship through vacuum. It was also more efficient to do so, since the energy usage necessary to maneuvering was not wasted on error correction burns common to unbalanced ships.

“With fuel transfer capabilities, a simple monitoring and COG program in the main system keeps the capsule balanced almost perfectly. And we know that that system won't give us any unexpected trouble, since we have been using it since the Mangosteen first went up.”

“You've had trouble, I take it?” Wayne picked up on what Yukari wasn't saying.

“Of course,” sighed Yukari. “Akane and I were doing some very basic protocol development in the prototype capsule, and a short somewhere almost killed us by smoke inhalation. We think we found the problem, though, so we should be good to go once we get rid of the problem component.”

“Short only? Or did you have a fire?” Norman asked. Yukari gave him a half-smile.

“Short and smoke, no fire. Say what you want, but old man Nasuda's fixation on your own capsule program is proving valuable. None of our capsules are fire-friendly,” shared the girl. “You might get one to burn with a flame-thrower, but not with anything less.”

“That's good,” Wayne nodded. “Even better is that you are looking forward with this,” he added.

“You kind of have to,” Yukari agreed. “So, what is forward to NASA?”

“Matsuri-sensei, are you sure you want to do this?” Kotomi asked.

“Why wouldn't I?” Matsuri asked calmly.

“Well, you've always been ground liaison, and when Akane-sensei was injured and Yukari-sensei was sent to meet with NASA…” began Kotomi.

“You thought that I would have Natsuko or Chinami take you up?” Matsuri suggested.

“Um, well, yes, among other things,” Kotomi admitted.

“It will be fine. Today is a lucky day,” Matsuri assured her.

“I was going to say that I expected you to either hand off the assignment or fly the mission with one of the more experienced sempais,” Kotomi said.

“Why would I do that?” wondered Matsuri. “Sis said that you were going up this time, so I'm taking you up. It has been a while since I was last in space,” the tanned native girl smiled.

“But, why aren't we taking the LS5A up?” Kotomi got to what was really bothering her.

“You don't want to go up?” Matsuri asked, her tone curious. “If you aren't ready, I won't make you go.”

“No! I'm ready, Matsuri-sensei!” Kotomi headed that suggestion off before it began. “It's just a little…unexpected to be riding the LS7B.”

“They had a problem with our LS5A, but since this one was ready, and we're on a tight schedule, Director said it was ok to fly this one,” Matsuri was unconcerned. “I wanted to try the new obiter, but Yukari has it under lock and key, so we'll use the Papaya.”

“Yukari-sensei locked up the new orbiter?” Kotomi wondered.

“Yep!” Matsuri confirmed. Kotomi frowned.

“But, I walked by it this morning, when I went to talk to Mukai about the LS5A being down,” the trainee said. “It wasn't locked up.”

“Yukari told me if I tried to fly it without her express permission, she would give me to Satsuki for a whole week,” Matsuri replied. Kotomi gulped. Even her relatively limited experience with the SSA's head medical officer had impressed on her how great a threat that was.

“I see,” breathed the girl. Matsuri glanced at the clock.

“Let's get into our suits and over to the launch pad,” she said easily. “I can't wait to wear my space suit again!”

As the two were getting into their space suits with the help of Chinami, Akane slipped into the room. Her right ankle and left knee were taped and wrapped, but she was getting around on her own; mostly because she insisted on doing it that way. Satsuki had been talking of crutches, but she refused. “You should be over in ground control, Akane-chan,” Matsuri said, making sure her hair was braided and wrapped into buns so her helmet would fit on. Beside her, Kotomi was putting her own hair up as well. When she had arrived, she had worn her hair to her lower back. Shortly after arriving, she had cut it back to shoulder-blade length - same as Matsuri's hair and much longer than Akane's, Yukari's, Natsuko's or Chinami's hair.

“I'm heading there from here,” Akane said. “Matsuri, you remember the flight plan, right?” she asked the girl.

“Of course,” smiled Matsuri, beginning to wiggle herself into her space suit. She got it settled at mid-thigh before pausing to insert the catheter. With that done, she worked the thin but tight suit over her hips before getting her arms in the sleeves. Akane helpfully attached the thin membrane-like monitor patches to Matsuri before the girl sealed her suit.

“We will be fine, Akane-sensei,” Kotomi assured the girl. Akane glanced at her.

“Yes, you will,” she agreed. Moving over to the smaller girl, she did the same thing for her that she had done for Matsuri. When Kotomi sealed her suit, however, Akane leaned in, checking the neck seal very, very closely. “Watch your orbit path carefully,” breathed Akane in Kotomi's ear. “Matsuri is good with the physical side, but not as good as you with the math side. Support her,” directed the mission specialist.

Blinking, Kotomi nodded. Matsuri glanced at the clock. “You should head over to control,” suggested Matsuri. Akane hummed, handing the two their helmets.

“I want redundant system checks before launch,” she said, moving toward the door. Chinami patted their shoulders before moving to help Akane. “I can walk by myself, Chinami-chan,” came the almost-Yukari-like gripe from the girl.

“Limp is more like it,” Chinami said, ducking under Akane's arm, one of her arms looping around the girl's waist. “We're faster like this, though,” grinned Chinami. Matsuri glanced at Kotomi.

“Let's get going, Kotomi-chan,” the native girl suggested. Together, the two made their way to the waiting jeep, which drove them to the second launch pad, where the LS7B waited with Papaya secured to the top. With the two attendants, the rocket jocks rode up to the access gantry and boarded the capsule.

“Mission Control to Papaya, radio check,” Akane's voice came in their earphones almost the same moment that they synched their communications suite.

“Reading five by, ground,” Matsuri replied. “System log showing data link active, can you confirm?”

“Roger, Papaya,” Akane came back a moment later, “we have full bandwidth data link, all three channels. Begin pre-flight, Matsuri,” she instructed.

“'Kay!” sang out Matsuri happily. “Kotomi, let's get going.”

“Yes, sensei,” the girl replied, beginning her pre-flight checklist as Matsuri did the same in the front seat. It took just fifteen minutes to run the checklist. It took them another fifteen when Akane refused to go into countdown until they confirmed a second checklist. Matsuri laughed at Akane's insistence, but did as instructed. Thirty one minutes after boarding the capsule, Matsuri and Kotomi roared into space on an LS7B to do a little custodial work on an aging weather satellite.

“You know you don't have to do this, Yukari,” Norman said. Yukari nodded.

“I know,” she agreed calmly.

“It's just that only a very few people in NASA have ever seen you work in space,” Wayne joined in.

“Yes, that is true,” Yukari agreed again.

“And it's not like the kind of technology that you use in your space suits is common,” Louis noted.

“It's not only patented, but highly confidential,” nodded Yukari.

“So why are you doing this, Yukari?” Gordon asked her. Yukari turned to look at the four NASA men as she shrugged her spacesuit on and began to seal the suit.

“Because I won't stand there and listen to some pompous jerk bad-mouth me or the SSA!” she bit out, eyes flashing. “What's worse is that your project manager clearly thinks we're just playing astronauts and therefore, we couldn't possibly be competent!” the girl snarled, pulling out her hard-seal collar and settling it. “Norman, double check that the two latches at the base of the collar are secured to the spine section,” she ordered.

Norman did as instructed. “Looks like they're locked tight, Yukari,” he said, tugging on the hard-seal collar. The girl grunted, picking up her boots before sitting on the plastic chair and working them onto her feet. The ring-seals had barely clicked shut before she was reaching for her gloves. “Yukari,” Norman tried again.

“Look,” Yukari said firmly, working her left glove on as she swept the NASA men with a level, cool gaze, “this isn't about me,” she stressed. “It's about us; about how - perhaps even if! - we work together from here forward. No partnership between NASA and the SSA will workable unless it is between equals.” She pointedly made eye contact with each of the men who had crewed on her and Akane's first job in space. “We don't expect NASA to bow their heads to us,” she said, her tone a little quieter, “but by the same measure, you can be damn sure we won't bow our heads to you all! We are equals, and you are going to have to respect that or we will not be able to work together.” Yukari sighed, securing her right glove. “Look, it has to be this way,” she said, grabbing her helmet and visually checking it before tucking it under her arm.

“Good luck, Yukari,” Wayne said, giving her a smile. The other three nodded, smiling as well.

“Just wish I could do this upstairs,” Yukari said, snagging her pack with her other hand. “Could be fun working out of the Shuttle every once in a while,” she added. All that room…!

“Well, it might happen,” Norman said. “You going to need some help with the pack?” he asked her.

“I can do it myself,” Yukari said. “After all, this is to make clear to your project manager that we SSA astronauts aren't playing around,” she said, baring her teeth. With that said, she exited the room, heading for the huge tank. Wayne sighed after the door shut.

“Norman, get out there and try to keep her calm,” he ordered. Norman nodded.

“Probably for the best,” he agreed, “she could make the rest of us look very bad if I don't distract her,” grinned the man. Wayne snorted.

“That would be just like her, too,” he chuckled as Norman hurried after the pissed off girl. Turning to look at his other two crew members, he quirked an eyebrow.

“She has a point, you know,” he said.

Gordon nodded. “You know, Wayne,” he began, “I happen to know a senior-level oversight auditor, and given what is riding on this project, I think NASA should re-evaluate the project director's suitability to head such a project.”

“Call him or her,” Wayne nodded. Gordon slipped out of the room. Louis moved to follow Gordon. “Where are you going?” asked Wayne.

“Gotta make a call,” the man smiled. “After all, the flight crew director has a final approval on the proposal because we're the ones who are going to have to actually execute this project. And if the project manager alienates the SSA, the entire thing could be scrapped. I don't know about you, but I want my shot at a seat on that mission.”

“Good man,” Wayne nodded. After a moment of thought, he stood and moved out of the room. Pausing, he looked in on the scene in the tank, where Yukari was working on the exercise in her space suit. Predictably, she was having a much easier time, with her suit being so much more streamlined and close-fitting. Norman had a headset on as he stood by the edge of the tank, and was most likely talking to Yukari as she did the work. Looking up and over, he saw the project manager and some of his staff watching the SSA astronaut work. Seeing the expression on the man's face, he sighed.

Slipping back out, he moved toward the reception desk, where he could hijack a phone and make some calls. They really are extraordinary girls; all of them, he thought. More so than that, though, Yukari is absolutely right.

“Matsuri-chan, welcome back,” Akane said, hugging the bigger girl. Matsuri hugged Akane in turn. “That was a good job,” added Akane. Matsuri grinned at her, flashing a `V'.

“It was a piece of cake,” the girl bragged. “Kotomi-chan did great.”

“I just did what Yukari-sensei and you trained me to do, Akane-sensei,” Kotomi demurred. The wide, bright smile on her lips and the hint of color on her cheeks, however, belied that modesty. Yeah, she's hooked, too, Akane thought, watching the girl.

“Get over to medical for the post-mission check, and I will see you in the cafeteria for supper,” Akane directed. Matsuri and Kotomi moved off, Akane making her way toward the administration building.

“Need a hand?” came a voice from behind her. Akane blinked, seeing Ibari approaching her from the side.

“Oh, Ibari-kun,” Akane smiled, “thanks, but I can manage.” Looking at him, she frowned. “What are you wearing, Ibari-kun?” she asked. The young man blinked, looking at his shorts and tee shirt.

“What do you mean, what am I wearing?” he wondered.

“Sorry,” Akane replied, “but I have gotten so used to seeing you in blue coveralls.”

“Um, yeah, I guess,” he managed. “Actually, I'm going back to Tokyo to apply to an engineering college.”

“That's great!” Akane cheered. “How soon until you are back?” she asked.

“Um, well, I'll be coming back down here every break I get, and working with Mukai over the internet in my free time, but I probably won't be living here again for at least three years.”

“Well, that's too bad,” Akane said, swiping her card and opening the administration building door. “We'll miss you,” added the girl.

“Ah! Um,” Ibari gulped nervously, “I wanted to ask you out to d-dinner,” he stumbled only a little.

“I'll see you in the cafeteria anyway, Ibari-kun,” Akane noted, pausing to check her phone. Still nothing from Yukari, thought the girl, resuming her trek to the office of Nasuda.

“I meant in town,” Ibari corrected her hastily. “I would like to buy you dinner at Chang's - in town!” Akane hummed, considering it.

“I guess it has been a while since we had a party at Chang's,” she thought out loud. “Sure, Ibari-kun!” she smiled. “I'll let the other girls know, and we'll work out the details with Yasukawa-san for this evening.”

“O…others?” Ibari breathed. Akane nodded.

“Well of course,” Akane chirped. “We were going to have our celebration in the cafeteria, but Chang's is a better choice. And since you've offered to pay for it, we can't very well say no.”

“I, um, actually was thinking about you,” Ibari said. “Just you,” he clarified. “A…date.”

“What?” Akane blinked.

“He means,” a voice came from beyond the two, “that he wants to ask you out on a date at Chang's - just the two of you. It would seem that Ibari-kun has taken a liking to you as a little more than a co-worker.”

“Kinoshita-san!” wailed the young man, mortified. “To say it so bluntly…!”

“Funny, Kinoshita-san,” Akane rolled her eyes. “Is Nasuda-san in? I want to talk with him about the mission,” the girl continued. Kinoshita nodded.

“Yes, he is in his office, Akane-chan,” the man said. “Any problems with the mission?”

“No, Kotomi did great, and Matsuri is solid as ever, but I did want to speak with him about some details,” the mission specialist replied. “I'll let the others know and get back with you about when, Ibari-kun. Good luck with your schooling!” she called out cheerfully as she made her way down the hallway toward the elevator. Behind her, Ibari sagged against the wall, his mouth working, but no sound coming out.

“Well, you can look at this one of two ways, Ibari-kun,” Kinoshita said, smiling slightly. “A lesser man would focus on the fact that she didn't even realize that she was being asked out because she is so focused on her job and her teammates. However,” he continued after a slight pause, “a greater man would focus on the fact that he will get to spend his last night on this tropical island absolutely surrounded by young, beautiful, capable, famous girls.”

Ibari blinked, his mouth closing. “That is true,” he breathed. “But I don't know if I can afford to buy them all dinner,” worried the young man. Kinoshita shrugged.

“You best hope that they don't totally forget their diets, then. Besides, you might as well get used to it - that's just how girls work,” the man said, patting Ibari's shoulder as he passed the young man. “And there is always the chance that you might get them to autograph something of yours that you could sell to recoup the financial loss of treating them to Chang's,” suggested the man as the door closed behind him.

Abruptly, Ibari scrambled to his feet and dashed out the door, heading for the dorm. He had a lot to do and little time to do it.

“Missing the Solomon Islands, Yukari?”

Yukari turned to see Norman and Louis closing in on her from behind. The SSA astronaut had been awakened by her alarm not ten minutes before. Silently cursing jet lag and time zones, she had swiftly slipped into her nylon running shorts and a bikini top before exiting her room at the NASA facility and looking for a place to do her morning jog. A few questions and a look around had landed her on an old, cracked road that formed a rough circle along the back edge of the facility. She had stretched, then began to jog, deciding that since she didn't know how far the road was per circuit, she would just jog her normal time and call it even.

“Actually, yes,” puffed Yukari, maintaining her pace. She was shorter than the two men, so they had no trouble pacing her. “The scenery is better there,” added the girl.

“And you doubtless find it irritating to have people treating you like a kid,” Louis suggested blandly.

Yukari grunted. There's no cove to run along, so maybe I should add fifteen minutes to make up for the lack of resistance running on the beach, she mused. If she were a bit more honest with herself, she would admit that she just didn't want to see the project manager just yet.

“I think you should know that your performance in the tank the other day surprised a lot of people; well, anyone who had never seen you work in space before.” Norman shared casually.

“Pretty basic stuff,” dismissed Yukari, though her tone edged toward sour and offended.

“No argument here,” nodded Norman. “Of course, your spacesuit is much better suited to such work than ours. Which is the whole idea behind this project,” he reminded her.

“Norman, it isn't me that has a problem working with you guys,” Yukari reminded him a little sharply.

“We didn't say that,” Louis calmly agreed.

“I know,” Yukari huffed, her pace picking up ever so slightly, “it's that project manager.”

“Say, Yukari,” Norman said, “what would you say to taking a little break to hang out with us? Just for a few hours today; let us show you around our place some, maybe visit a few people you might like to meet?”

“I don't know,” Yukari began slowly, thinking it over. “It's not like I don't like you or anything, but the sooner I finish up here, the sooner I can get back to Solomon. I want to check on Akane and the newbies, see if old man Nasuda has messed up again and get back into space,” she thought out loud.

Norman glanced at Louis, who rolled his eyes. Mouthing nasty words to Norman, Louis dug a folded bill out of his shorts and handed it to the blonde man, who took it with a grin. “Would it make you feel more at home if we offered to stick you in our centrifuge and crank it up to about ten Gs?” Norman chuckled. Yukari pursed her lips.

“Actually,” she said slowly, “what load do you train to here at NASA?” she asked. Norman glanced at Yukari.

“Normal take-off G load for a shuttle mission runs about three Gs, but we train to seven,” the blonde said. Yukari smirked. “What? How much does Satsuki put you through?” he asked.

“She had us on nine G loads, with peaks between twelve and fourteen,” Yukari snickered. “Yasukawa told me once that she cranked him to twenty Gs until he lost consciousness. She's had me and Matsuri above fifteen several times. Even Akane has made training cycles up to six, and you know she's not very strong against G loads,” shared the girl.

“This Satsuki person,” Louis frowned, “is she a sadist?” Yukari shrugged.

“Probably,” smiled the girl. “She's actually broken our centrifuge three times now.”

“So, you still want to do an exchange with the SSA?” laughed Norman, seeing Lois's expression. Yukari laughed softly. She was actually feeling better.

“Hey,” she said, beginning to feel the burn in her muscles she was used to feeling, “I had an idea a while back, and wanted to bounce it off some of you guys,” Yukari shared. “Would you mind telling me what you think about it?”

“Sure,” Norman agreed. “Though, if you are willing to wait until breakfast, I bet we can get Wayne and Gordon in on this,” suggested the blonde. Yukari nodded.

“Sounds good,” she agreed. Might as well pick their brains while I'm here, rationalized the girl. Instead of the cafeteria, the NASA men had gotten Yukari out of the NASA facility and into town, treating her to a local eatery that had unexpectedly familiar food. Sitting in a booth in the restaurant, Yukari had begun to tell her friends about the idea she had had after the conference months before. The NASA men were fascinated by the idea and the potential it represented, eagerly discussing it with her, the five of them making notes as they talked. It was mid afternoon before they returned to the facility. When Yukari asked, she was told that the project manager was in a critical meeting with some higher-ups from NASA and they would have to wait until the next day to resume their discussions.

“Daddy! What are you doing here?” Matsuri asked, surprised to see her father wandering around the base.

“I ran out of tobacco and medicine, so I thought I would come get some,” grinned the chief of Matsuri's tribe. “Where's Yukari?” he wondered, looking around.

“She's off on a journey right now,” Matsuri said, guiding her somewhat-drunk father toward the medical wing. A thought occurred to her. “Did the spirits tell you something about Yukari?”

“No, not really,” dismissed the man. “Just a strange sort of dream last night.”

“Daddy! What did the dream mean?” Matsuri demanded, stopping her father and staring at him.

“You have been acting more and more like Yukari lately, Matsuri,” accused the man.

“She's my big sister,” shrugged Matsuri. “Of course I act like her. Now what did you dream?”

“I don't really remember,” Hiroshi mumbled, scratching his beard. “But I think Yukari was in the dream.”

“Daddy!” growled Matsuri.

“Oh! Hey,” greeted Nasuda, spotting the chief of the Tariho tribe and Matsuri standing not far from the medical wing. “What are you doing here?” he asked the man.

“Tobacco and medicine,” cackled the chief. “And if you have some sake that would be nice, too.”

“I thought you preferred the local drink?” Nasuda smiled.

“I do, but sometimes a bit of variety is good, too,” agreed the chief.

“Enough about drink! What is going to happen to Yukari?!” demanded Matsuri. Nasuda gave the father of two of his best astronauts a sharp look.

“You having visions again, Hiroshi?” asked the company director.

“No, no, nothing like that,” denied Hiroshi. “Just an odd dream last night.”

“Bad dream?” asked Nasuda, feeling a little uneasy.

“Probably not,” shrugged the chief.

“Probably?” Matsuri frowned. “Daddy, we need to dance a spirit dance for her tonight; just in case,” pronounced the girl.

“Matsuri!” complained the chief. “Do you know how much work that is?”

“It doesn't matter,” insisted Matsuri firmly. “Evil spirits might be after my sister. We should do the dance to protect her from them.”

“I'll cast a blessing for her,” began the chief.

“No, daddy! We need to do a spirit dance, or she might be hurt.”

“Who might be hurt?” asked Akane, approaching slowly from out of the medical wing.

“Yukari might be the target of evil spirits again,” Matsuri said.

“Again?” wondered Akane. Matsuri nodded emphatically.

“Evil spirits were what caused the Tanpopo to break,” the native girl explained. “And because Yukari is the first-born princess of our tribe, she is at greater risk for evil spirits attacking her than anyone else. We need to dance a spirit dance to protect her.”

“Spirit dance?” Akane wondered, absently looking at her legs. “I don't think I can,” she murmured.

“I'll do most of the dancing, since I know the steps. But I need you there to give me your spirit energy. You are closest to Yukari most often, so your spirits have intermingled. I'll join mine with yours, and we can reach out to protect Yukari,” smiled Matsuri.

“I don't think a spirit dance is…” began Matsuri's father.

“I'll do it,” Akane replied gravely. “Would it help if the others were there, too? Maybe we can get some of their `spirit energy' or whatever to help as well.”

“Old man? Any launches in the next couple of days?” Matsuri asked immediately, looking at her `boss'. It was a constant topic of debate as to whether or not Matsuri even understood the concept of `boss' or not.

“It will take two days?” Nasuda asked, disliking that possibility. Matsuri shook her head.

“One full night, but if too much spirit energy is used, we shouldn't visit the gods until we have recovered,” Matsuri said.

“Spirit energy? What's going on?” Chinami asked, she and Natsuko approaching the group.

“Yukari is being attacked by evil spirits, and we need to do some sort of spirit dance to protect her from the evil spirits,” Akane nut-shelled the conversation.

“Really?” breathed Chinami. “When?”

“Tonight, at the village,” Matsuri said.

“Can we come?” asked Natsuko eagerly. Matsuri nodded.

“Yes, and we'll take Kotomi and Amari with us. Daddy, go back and begin the preparations. We'll come to the village before sunset,” directed the girl.

“But…!” protested the chief. None of the girls were listening, the flight teams moving off in a group, still talking.

“Why do you hate spirit dances so much?” wondered Nasuda.

“Because we can't eat or drink while doing them,” complained the chief. “Even worse, I have to be sober,” he sighed heartily. Nasuda tactfully refrained from saying what he was thinking.

“I'll get those supplies for you,” he said instead. “Give me a few minutes, and I'll even drive you back to your village.” The chief brightened up. “So, can we come, too? To this spirit dance thing?” Nasuda asked.

“How strong is your spirit link to Yukari?” asked the girl's father. Nasuda looked at him, wondering if he was being serious or just jerking his chain again.

“Where is it?” muttered Yukari, almost frantically searching her pockets. She had just finished a demonstration of the SSA's spacesuit technology for some department heads, and had been changing back into her street clothes when she found that she was missing a very important item. She was in a locker room, and a couple other women in the NASA program were in there, changing after a training session in the tank.

“Lose something, Yukari?” asked one of the women. The teenager had found a sort of near-instant bond with the women in the NASA program. While she butted heads with the project director and she and Norman maintained their fiery by-play, the women and her seemed to understand each other a lot better. Probably because they know what it's like for me, being in a male-dominated profession, reflected the girl.

“Yeah, Tashawne,” she said to the black woman who was training for a six-week mission to the ISS, “have you seen my charm?” she asked.

“Charm? Oh! You mean that little doll thing on your cell phone, right?” Yukari nodded. “Sorry, sweetie,” the woman shook her head, “haven't seen it. It go missing?” she wondered. Yukari nodded, looking in her locker, checking her spacesuit and beginning to look under the fixed benches and near her locker.

“Did the string break or something?” asked Miriam, peering around the row of lockers.

“No, the string is gone, too,” growled Yukari. Miriam was an Israeli astronaut attached to NASA for training and flight. Tashawne was in her mid-twenties, and Miriam was in her late twenties. The two helped her search every inch of the locker room, as well as the shower. There was no sign of the charm.

“Sorry, Yukari,” apologized Miriam, “but it looks like it's gone. Maybe you can buy another one when you get back to the SSA?” she suggested.

“You don't understand,” Yukari said quietly. “That charm and I go back a long way.” Hearing giggles from the two, she glanced at them.

“Sorry, sweetie,” Tashawne held out her hand, palm out, “but hearing you say that at your age is funny. We're not making fun of you; just of the way the words came out.”

“Guess you have a point,” allowed Yukari. I'm only seventeen, but for some reason, I feel older than that… Yukari thought fleetingly. “But that charm was given to me by my mom when I was about five, and before that…well, it has a lot of sentimental value to my mom. It has also brought me and Akane back safely every time. I can't lose it. Not now,” she added.

“Well, we'll keep an eye out for it,” promised Miriam, “but we have to get going now. See you later, ok?”

“Yeah,” Yukari said, swiftly gathering up her spacesuit and moving back to her room to put it away. Outside the room, she found Norman and Wayne waiting for her.

“Heard you lost something,” Norman said. Yukari glanced at him.

“My spirit charm,” she said, her tone tight and serious. A thought crossed her mind. Giving him a narrow look, she faced him squarely. “Norman, you wouldn't be stupid enough to try playing a trick on me by taking it, right?” she almost ordered. Norman raised his hands.

“No way,” he said. “I'm as superstitious as you are, Yukari.”

“It's not superstition,” insisted Yukari. “Matsuri said that the charm is something like a kind of idol, and if someone steals it, the spirits will cause trouble.”

“Hey, after what we saw when we were visiting with you, that kind of thing seems possible,” Wayne soothed her. “We wouldn't do something like that, promise, Yukari.”

“I just don't get how it disappeared,” Yukari muttered, still fixated on the charm while moving toward her room. “And just when that stupid project manager was beginning to take me seriously, too,” she mused. Wayne and Norman glanced at each other, thinking of why the project manager was suddenly much more polite and attentive to Yukari's input and questions about the proposed joint project.

He got hammered hard by upper management after we made those calls, Wayne thought. And he certainly didn't like being slapped down, either. But he wouldn't do something like swipe Yukari's charm, would he? He's a grown man, after all!

Norman was thinking along the same lines. The project manager has to know that NASA is watching him closely after the stink we raised about his attitude toward Yukari, so he couldn't be stupid enough to jerk her chain by stealing her charm, could he? No way. His career would be over if he was caught doing something that ridiculous.

The two paused as Yukari ducked into her room and put her spacesuit away. She had declined to leave her suit in a locker, citing special care needs for it. As they waited, they heard a dull crash, and a moment later, they heard the alarm sound. Yukari popped back out of her room. “What is that alarm for?” she asked.

“Fire alarm,” Wayne said. “Come on,” he said, tossing his head. “SOP is to clear out when the alarm sounds.” Yukari dutifully followed the two NASA men down the hall and out a door with a fire emblem on it. Outside the building, Wayne led them to a certain spot, several other NASA personnel heading for that spot or other spots farther away.

“Wonder how big the fire is?” Norman asked idly. Before anyone could answer, a voice came over the PA, announcing that the fire was out and that they could return to their stations and duties. “Must not have been much of a fire,” Norman chuckled.

“Guess not,” Wayne shrugged. The three ambled back in. A little asking around revealed that an electrical short had made the computer in the office of the secretary of the project manager suddenly burst into flames. The man had grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher and gotten it extinguished almost immediately, but the smoke triggered the fire alarm.

Shrugging it off, the two had been talked into helping Yukari re-trace her movements for the last two hours inch by inch, searching for her spirit charm. Reaching the locker room, the two had waited while Yukari once more searched the entire room. Still no spirit charm. Hoping to cheer her up - and maybe improve her mood at the same time - the two had suggested that they go out on the town with Louis and Gordon for a little relaxation. Yukari had, as they expected, balked, but they more or less strong-armed her into going with them.

As they were waiting for Gordon to arrive at their SUV, they called out to NASA personnel they knew who were coming or going from the installation. Yukari was admittedly impressed with how many people the three crewmen seemed to know. When she commented on it to them, they had played it modest, saying that they only knew a tiny fraction of the people in NASA - even a small fraction of the people at that facility - while she likely knew nearly all of the people at the SSA. Thinking about it, she had realized that she did know nearly all the people at the SSA by name. Of course, there are only about six hundred of us, and NASA has tens of thousands, Yukari realized.

Shouts and some screams drew their attention to the far end of the parking lot, where a car was on fire. “Man, this seems to be a bad day for fire safety,” Louis mused. Unlike in the facility, there wasn't a handy fire extinguisher, so when a fire truck rolled up several minutes later, the car was nearly completely engulfed.

“Hope no one was in it,” Yukari mused. After so many failed caking tests and explosions of the fuel farm at her company, a car fire was boring. Gordon arrived.

“Sorry, got hung up at the last second,” he said, glancing at the now-extinguished car. “What's up with today? Two fires in a row,” he clucked his tongue. “You know that means a meeting tomorrow about fire safety and protocol.”

“Yeah, and it wasn't even in our areas, either,” Wayne laughed, twirling the keys to the company SUV. “Well, let's get going!” he said.

“Hold it!” demanded Yukari, jumping in front of him. “I'm not riding anywhere if you or Norman is driving,” declared the girl. “You two are reckless!”

“She's got your number, Wayne,” laughed Louis. Wayne gave Yukari a hurt look.

“But Yukari-chan…!” he began.

“But nothing! I'm not going to die over here,” came the clipped, firm response. Slowly, Wayne handed the keys to Gordon.

“Is it ok if Gordon drives, then? Since Norman and I are such dangerous drivers, and all?” he asked innocently. Yukari smelled a rat, but she couldn't tell what was really going on.

“I guess,” she allowed.

“Shotgun!” Louis yelled, jostling with Norman for a moment before managing to gain control of the front seat. Yukari frowned. Something is not right here… a little voice in her mind warned her. Damn if I know what, but…

Before she knew it, she was sitting in the middle of the back seat, Norman on one side, Wayne on the other. Fastening her lap belt, she noticed that her two NASA book-ends were tugging on their seatbelts firmly, as well as making sure the doors were locked tight. When the two draped their arms over the back of the seat, gripping each other's shirts at the shoulder, she had the strangest sense of being in grave danger. “What are you two doing?” she asked, suspicious and alert.

“Nothing,” denied Norman, taking a firm grip on the handgrip above the door frame.

“You two are up to something!” accused Yukari.

“Not at all,” Wayne calmly replied, also taking a firm grip on his own handgrip. Up front, she saw Louis tugging on his belt as well before taking a firm grip on the door and arm rest of the seat. Looking over at Gordon, she wondered what was wrong.

He seems to be calm, and he's making sure the mirrors are adjusted and his seat properly positioned, so what's going on? she wondered. Gordon cranked the SUV, fussily checked the instruments, fine-tuned the mirrors and carefully backed out of the parking spot. Yukari was getting a very strange vibe from the four NASA men. Almost delicately, Gordon wheeled the vehicle to the gate, where he greeted the guard.

“How did you get to drive?” the guard asked Gordon.

“Yukari felt that Wayne and Norman are unsafe drivers, and demanded that either I or Lois drive,” Gordon replied politely. The gate guard made some sort of gesture that Yukari could barely see. Gordon laughed. “She's Buddhist, Karl,” he said.

“Not familiar with that one,” the guard shrugged.

“Actually, my mom and I are Shinto,” Yukari replied, frowning. Not that we're particularly devout Shinto worshippers or anything, she left unsaid. She and her mom were more secular than anything.

“Fifty bucks,” the guard cryptically remarked, flashing some money.

“I'll take a piece of that,” Louis eagerly jumped in, pulling some bills from his pocket.

“Me, too,” grinned Norman.

“I'm in for a Benjamin, if you're willing to make a real bet,” laughed Wayne.

“Wait a minute! What is going on?!” demanded Yukari, certain she had been somehow tricked.

“Two gets you five?” asked the guard.

“Done,” pronounced Gordon. The guard shook hands with Gordon, then moved to the hut. “Get ready,” he said, pressing a button. The gate opened. Still Gordon waited, the SUV idling. “Get set, GO!” yelled the guard. Gordon's foot hammered the gas pedal to the floor. Behind the SUV, mixed with the white smoke from the tires, Yukari's screams faded after the white vehicle.

“What is it we need to do?” asked Akane, carefully tying the grass skirt around her hips. The flight program was there in force, even if they didn't know what a spirit dance was. All that mattered was that Matsuri was worried that evil spirits were after her sister, and thought a spirit dance was the best way to save Yukari from the evil spirits. All the astronauts were there - even Kotomi and Amari.

With Akane's knee and ankle still healing, they hadn't jogged to the village. Instead, they had taken one of the light armored vehicles from the base and driven to the village. And since it wouldn't be a jog through thick, heavy jungle along what amounted to a footpath, some of the other staff has chosen to come with them. Not far from Akane were Satsuki and Motoko. Both of the women were eying the grass skirts and tube tops suspiciously. Chinami and Natsuko - veterans of the village's festival - had swiftly wiggled into the clothes in the hut Matsuri called home without so much as batting an eyelash. And since Akane and Matsuri also showed no concern, the younger flight crew followed their lead.

“How are your legs feeling, Akane?” Satsuki asked the girl. “If they start to swell or throb, let me know immediately,” the doctor warned her.

“They feel fine,” the girl assured them. “Hurry up and get changed. It's nearly sunset,” the girl added.

“Um, about these outfits,” Satsuki said.

“What about them?” Akane asked. She checked her cell phone as she talked. Still no messages from Akane, even though I called her and left a voicemail message. I'm getting worried.

“Um, they're not really my style,” began Satsuki. She stopped, seeing Akane staring at her over her cell phone. Whoa, that's a look I never thought I'd see from mild-mannered Akane, Satsuki thought briefly. “Are they really necessary?” she asked instead.

“Matsuri thinks so, and that's enough for us,” Akane answered, setting her cell phone on top of her regular clothes. The tanned leader of this visit had hustled off to check on her father as soon as she had handed out the outfits to the others. Before Satsuki could reply, Matsuri nearly leapt into the hut, already topless and working on her shorts.

“Daddy's getting ready and the villagers are assembling,” reported the girl, dropping her clothes partly on top of Akane's clothes even as she reached for her native clothes. As always, modesty was a strange concept for the energetic girl. Seeing that the flight program personnel were changed, but the ground program staff weren't, she frowned. “Something wrong, Satsuki? Motoko?”

“They think the outfits are not their style,” Akane said, absently folding Matsuri's clothes. As she did, she checked the girl's phone. No message here, either. Are we too late? Matsuri studied the two.

“I'm sorry,” she said a moment later, “I didn't know you two had kids. Just leave the tops here and you're good to go!” chirped the girl. Motoko and Satsuki exchanged looks.

“Um…” Motoko began.

“Come to think of it, Yukari said you used to wear a wedding ring, Motoko,” Matsuri recalled. “She said something about you offering it to the gods for a safe launch, too.”

“That's not exactly what happened,” Motoko began, but Matsuri ignored her interruption.

“She didn't say you had children, though. When are you going to bring them to meet us?” asked Matsuri.

“I don't have any children,” Motoko said.

“Me, either,” Satsuki said. This brought a puzzled look to Matsuri's face.

“Then why do you say the outfits are wrong?” wondered the native.

“I think they're self-conscious,” Natsuko suggested.

“What's to be self-conscious about?” Matsuri asked, confused.

Before the grinning Natsuko could jump in again, Satsuki headed off the question. “Are these…clothes,” she allowed, “necessary to the spirit dance, Matsuri?”

“Yes,” came the immediate reply. “They show respect for the gods and spirits. If you don't respect them, they will not grant your request.” The two older women exchanged looks.

“If you aren't going to be serious about this, go back to the base,” Akane cut in, nearly forcefully. “I appreciate the thought - really, I do! But…”

“Do you honestly believe evil spirits are after her, Akane?” Satsuki asked the girl.

“Before, I would have laughed. But not now. Maybe I don't exactly believe evil spirits are after Yukari, but I'm more than willing cover the possibility that they could be. If a spirit dance will help her chances, I'll do it,” she said softly, yet unbendingly. Matsuri gently patted the shorter girl's bare shoulders, smiling softly at Akane.

After a moment, the two older women quickly changed into the native outfits. A half hour later, the SSA members were mingling with the villagers as the last of the sun dipped below the horizon. Shortly afterwards, the chief showed up, holding a torch and mumbling to himself. Matsuri took the torch and moved to a pair of small-scale bonfires, lighting one, then the other.

The father of two of the senior astronauts spoke to the villagers for a few minutes, resulting in several shouts. As the eccentric chief settled down a ways from the fires, Matsuri spoke briefly. Shortly thereafter, some village men showed up with some drums and began to beat on them in a strange rhythm.

“Jungle drums,” Chinami murmured, smiling a little. Matsuri approached the group, who had almost instinctively gathered together.

“What do we need to do, Matsuri?” Akane asked her.

“Dance, of course,” Matsuri said. “But since your leg is hurt, you can just give your spirit power to me and I will pass it along to the spirits to give to Yukari for you,” explained the girl.

“How do I do that, exactly?” asked the girl. Matsuri smiled easily.

“Think of Yukari, and wish her to return safely to us, of course. Feel her safety inside yourself, like she does each time you go up with her.” Akane blinked, but nodded, absently stroking her spirit charm. “Oh! You brought it!” squealed Matsuri. Reaching out, she briefly held the small, hand-made doll, one fingertip over the black circle that indicated the face. “Your spirit feels nice,” murmured Matsuri. “I can see why Yukari likes flying with you.”

“What about the rest of us?” asked Chinami. She and Natsuko held up their own spirit charms. Humming softly, Matsuri swiftly tied the small dolls to the skirts of the two.

“The rest of you will be dancing with me,” grinned the girl. “For now, watch me. When I tell you, join in the dancing,” she directed. Already, some of the women and men from the tribe were dancing, a strange, changing pattern forming around and between the two fires. Giving the flight team members and the two ground personnel a smile, Matsuri slipped into the dancing natives.

Chinami, Natsuko, Kotomi and Amari watched closely, seeing that even though the dance wasn't as complicated as some club dances they had done in Tokyo, there was a strange shifting pattern to the movements of the dancers that they found hard to grasp. The drumming helped some, but when the dancers began to sing, the girls found that they could sort-of maybe get hints about the pattern.

“When she calls, we better get right behind her and just follow her lead,” Natsuko suggested.

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” nodded Chinami. “Got it?” she asked the newest two.

“Yes,” Kotomi answered immediately. The drumming grew a little louder. Matsuri passed the group, motioning them to join the dance. Taking a breath, the flight crews moved into the dance. Satsuki and Motoko hadn't followed.

“What's wrong?” Akane asked the two, nearly scowling at them.

“It's been a really long time since I last danced,” Satsuki confessed. She could almost feel the girl's disapproval.

“I have never danced,” Motoko admitted.

“This isn't some ballet or night club,” Akane nearly growled, “get in there and follow Matsuri's lead.” That was clearly not a request; nor was it a suggestion.

Almost as if she could hear what the mission specialist was thinking, Satsuki put her hand on Akane's shoulder. “Whatever happens, don't you go dancing, Akane,” warned the older women. Akane's lips thinned, but she said nothing. Seeing Matsuri and the other astronauts approaching in the pattern, she glanced at Motoko, who sighed softly before nodding. As Matsuri passed them, the two headed in.

Satsuki wondered if how she was feeling right then was how the girls had felt when they had started working at the Solomon Space Association.

Yukari entered her room at NASA, feeling tired but strangely better after her terrifying visit to the near-by town with her four NASA maniac friends. Struggling off her clothes, the teenager flopped back onto the bed, sighing happily. Reviewing the evening, she realized that she had learned a lot about the four men on a personal level.

Wayne and Norman, she was already fairly familiar with. But Gordon and Louis she wasn't as used to. Once she had gotten herself under control after the suicidal run into town with Gordon at the wheel, she had chewed him out thoroughly, which only seemed to amuse him in some obscure way. The fact that the other tree men were chuckling told her a lot about the mindset of the four.

Finding herself in a booth in a restaurant, she had found the four men had bracketed her nicely. Waving to the woman who came by with menus, they had greeted her familiarly, which told her that the four were not strangers here. The waitress had veered off, returning shortly with drinks, setting them out in front of the group. Yukari had found herself looking at a glass of dark, non-carbonated drink.

“Fruit tea,” Wayne said, sipping his own drink. “It's their specialty here.” Yukari had tried it and found that - though a little strange to her taste - it was pretty good.

“How many calories are you allowed on your diet, Yukari?” asked Norman.

“None of your business,” Yukari had huffed, still a little irritated about the drive to town.

“So you would be ok with a cheeseburger?” Norman asked blandly. Yukari scowled.

“I'd like one, but it would mean an extra couple of kilometers tomorrow morning,” she said. “They have a reasonable steak here? Or maybe some seafood?” she asked.

“Which one you want?” Norman asked.

Yukari opted for a modest-sized piece of cow and a salad on the side, which was close to what she would have eaten at home. The NASA men ate a significantly heartier fare, though she did notice that they stayed away from the super-heavy food items. As they ate, they talked.

Gordon, she had discovered, came from North Carolina. She knew that was a state on the eastern coast, but not much more. The man was happy to tell her about it. He explained that in the south, there was a strong obsession with car racing. Yukari had heard of that, but once more, it was little more than a word to her. Apparently, there had been a time in Gordon's life where he had wanted to be a race car driver.

That time had lasted through high school. During his high school days, he had lost his license - twice - for assorted car-based offenses that mostly centered about speed. The last time, he had been hauled into the county courthouse the day before graduation. His parents had decided that some discipline would help him, and he had ended up in the Marine Corp the week after he got his diploma from high school.

In the marines, he had ended up flying fighters because they were the fastest thing the Corp had. After five years, he had gotten out to try his hand at race car driving, but to his surprise, it no longer held the same magic as it had before. During a weekend with friends from his Marine days, he had been told that the only thing faster than the fighters he had flown in the Corp was a space shuttle. So, he had gone after a slot in NASA's flight program.

It had taken him four years and three tries to get in, but had made it, and barely a year in, he had managed to get a seat on a mission. The Orpheus mission had been his third. Yukari thought that that story made sense, given what she had seen.

With her glass filled again, Louis had told his story. He explained that he had been a geek in high school who had fallen in love with space. Space meant NASA. So, he had done his research. By the time he graduated, he had figured out how to get what he wanted. He had signed up in the Army because it offered the shortest hitch and still had the skill set he figured would make him attractive to NASA. As soon as his three year hitch was up, he had taken his college money and grabbed two bachelors - one in communication technology and another in technical system analysis.

He had gotten into NASA the first time, but had had to fight - and train - hard to make flight team. It was, he explained, the problems with the shuttle program that had been his best tool for getting on a mission. Once he was on, he had managed to perform highly enough to be a first-choice for any technical slot on a mission. It was, he claimed, why he had been on the Orpheus mission in the first place.

Yukari had smiled, telling him that she and Akane had been on the Orpheus mission because they were small and capable. The four had agreed without hesitation. For the first time in a long time, Yukari had felt like she - and by extension her co-workers and company - was actually being thought of as equals in the world of space programs. It felt very good.

And speaking of co-workers, thought Yukari, fumbling for her cell phone. Finding it, she flipped it open, wondering if she had any messages from her company. To her surprise, her cell phone was off. Frowning, she pushed the power button, but nothing happened. Sitting up on her bed, she tried it again. Nothing. Flipping the phone over, she checked the battery. It seemed fine. Plugging in the charger cord didn't help any. How long has this been like this? wondered the girl.

Reaching over to the phone by the bed, she paused. After a moment, she pressed zero and waited. After a moment, the facility's operator came on. Yukari identified herself, explained that her cell phone had gone down and asked if she could be connected to her company's headquarters. The operator said she could, and moments later, she was listening to the automated switchboard of the SSA. Fingers dancing, she selected the line for Nasuda's office.

When his voicemail came up, she backed out to the switchboard and dialed Satsuki's number. Once more, the phone rang six times, then went to voicemail. And again, Yukari backed out to the switchboard. Punching in the extension that would connect her to Matsuri's phone, she waited.

Matsuri's cell phone went straight to voice mail. Yukari left a very short `my phone is out, get in touch with me' message. Instead of hanging up afterwards, however, she ducked back into the auto-switchboard and tried Akane's phone. Again she got voicemail immediately, which meant that Akane's cell phone was either off or set to silent mode. “What are they doing over there?” muttered Yukari, doubling back again and going after Mukai's extension. There's got to be someone working in the VAB or in the fabrication unit, thought Yukari.

One ring before voicemail would cut in, the phone picked up. “VAB six,” came a slightly slurred voice.

“Mukai?” Yukari asked.

“Sorry, he's asleep,” answered the voice. Yukari frowned.

“Is that you, Nobu-kun?”

“Yukari?” the technician asked, sounding more awake. “I didn't know you were back already.”

“I'm not,” answered Yukari. “Where is everyone?”

“What do you mean?” Nobu asked. Yukari could hear him yawn.

“No one is picking up in admin and both Matsuri and Akane aren't answering their phones. Are they flying a mission?” she wondered.

“No, we've got nothing up,” Nobu said. “I thought Nasuda and Kinoshita would be in their offices.”

“They aren't,” Yukari said shortly. “Is anything wrong? Satsuki isn't answering, either.”

“I don't think so,” the man replied. “What is it like, being the guest of NASA?” he asked eagerly.

“It's ok,” Yukari said. “But I'd rather be back home. Look, do me a favor, and the minute you see Nasuda or Kinoshita, tell them to get in touch with me through NASA immediately,” she stressed. “Day or night, I don't care. My cell is down, so I can't get in touch with you all, and I want to be kept informed about upcoming work and Akane's condition. Got it?” she barked.

“Ok, I'll tell him,” promised the man. “Anything else?” he asked.

“No, not right now. I've got a grab a little sleep before meeting with NASA's project manager again,” Yukari said.

“Well, um, do your best,” he said.

“You to,” replied Yukari, ending the call. Laying back down on her bed, she frowned at her cell phone. In the morning, I'll see about getting something worked out. Maybe see if they can check it in their lab or something. Probably just a short-circuit or a dirty contact or something stupid like that, the girl decided. Turning off the light in her room, she slipped under her covers. Wish I could find my spirit charm, worried the girl. When I get back home, I'll talk to Matsuri about getting a spirit tattoo. Thinking of her company, her thoughts turned to a different topic.

Where could they all be? Nasuda tends to run off at the drop of a hat, but Kinoshita and Satsuki don't usually disappear. What could they be doing?

“Huh?” mumbled Chinami, feeling someone nudging her side. Blinking, she realized that the first rays of dawn were breaking over the village. Akane stood over her, holding out a hand. Taking it, Chinami climbed to her feet, her legs sore from the dancing she had done. “What happened?” Chinami asked.

“You stumbled while dancing,” Akane said. “Matsuri caught you before you could fall, and helped you over here to catch your breath. You fell asleep about ten minutes after you lay down.”

“Sorry,” Chinami said softly. Akane shook her head.

“It's ok,” she said. “If I had danced, I would probably have crashed before you did.”

“Natsuko? The newbies?” she asked. Akane pointed a short distance away. Matsuri was helping Natsuko up. Kotomi was trying to wake Amari up. A little farther away, Motoko and Satsuki were still sleeping. The two women were lying against each other, propped against a beach palm trunk.

“Did you sleep any?” Chinami asked Akane softly, glancing at the girl. Akane shook her head.

“Neither did Matsuri,” replied the specialist. “She danced the whole night, non-stop. Kami, I wish had her energy,” sighed Akane. Chinami looked around, seeing that the villagers were all gone, doubtlessly already working. The two fires had burned out, leaving only barely-warm ash behind.

“When will we know if this worked?” wondered Chinami.

“If Yukari comes back safe and sound, we know it worked,” was Akane's certain reply. “How are you all holding up?” asked the injured girl of her co-workers.

“We'll live,” Natsuko said, rubbing her eyes.

“I don't know about Amari, but I'll be ok,” Kotomi said. She gave her sempais a small smile. “Not my first all-night dance party - by a long shot!” bragged the girl.

“I'm ok,” Amari chimed in, yawning.

“Let's wash our faces, change clothes and get back to the base,” Akane ordered. “We'll skip the morning run, but we have work to do.”

“And Satsuki and Motoko?” wondered Matsuri.

“Wake them up after we change,” Akane decided, making her way toward the shallow bay the village sat on. Wading into the crystal-clear water, she splashed her face with the cool sea water, taking a moment to enjoy the water. I think I'll take a long swim tonight in the cove, decided the girl. Her ankle and knee were healing nicely, though they were somewhat stiff and throbbed softly when she moved. Looking at her injuries, she noticed that they weren't swollen as much as they had been the day before.

After a few minutes splashing water on their faces, the group moved back to the hut where their normal clothes were. The first thing that Akane did was check her cell phone. Seeing she had voice mail, the girl quickly got into her voice mail box. “Thank Kami,” she sighed in relief, hearing Yukari's voice in her ear.

“Sis called?” smiled Matsuri, carefully putting her grass skirt away, her simple top already hung up. The other girls were changing as well.

“Yes,” smiled Akane. “Yukari's cell phone broke. I'll call her from the base through the NASA number,” the girl said, untying her own grass skirt in preparation to change.

Matsuri was looking at her necklace, a small frown on her face. “Something wrong, Matsuri?” wondered Chinami.

“The stone of blessing is turned,” the girl mused. The other girls waited.

“Is that good or bad?” prompted Natsuko.

“It can be either,” Matsuri said, slowly slipping the necklace over her head and pulling her hair out from under it before reaching for her bikini top. Akane recognized it as one of Yukari's tops. “Since we did a spirit dance last night, it shouldn't have turned. I'll ask daddy what might have made it turn even though we were doing a spirit dance,” the girl decided, wiggling into her tight cut-offs and nearly bounding out the door.

“Ugh, how can she have so much energy after all that dancing?” came the sour voice of Satsuki. She and Motoko were making their way up the bamboo ladder to the hut. Akane shrugged.

“She's Matsuri,” was all the answer there was for such a question. The two older women were looking a little rough around the edges, but seemed no worse for wear. “Yukari called. Her phone's out,” Akane relayed. “I'm calling her thorough NASA as soon as we get back.”

“I'm sure she's fine…” began Satsuki, only to stop when she saw the look in Akane's eye. “But it couldn't hurt to let her know we got her message,” she backtracked subtly. I think it's safe to say that the flight crews have bonded thoroughly, thought the doctor blandly.

Swiftly changing into their normal clothes, the group exited the hut, finding Matsuri waiting with a rough native pitcher of something and a couple of coconut cups. Pouring from the pitcher into the cup, she handed the first one to Akane before filling the second and handing it to Satsuki. “Have some,” she invited. Akane sniffed briefly before carefully sipping the drink. It had a sharp, almost biting flavor, but the aftertaste was almost like fruit punch. After a couple of larger sips, she handed the cup to Natsuko, who was closest to her.

“What is this?” Satsuki asked the native girl.

“It's caotaeo, of course,” Matsuri said, taking the coconut cup from Chinami and taking a pull herself. “Perfect for waking up in the morning,” added the girl, pouring the last of the native drink into the coconut cup from the pitcher.

“Native coffee, I guess,” Satsuki said, sipping carefully. After a couple of swallows, she handed her cup off to Motoko. Matsuri handed the cup in her hand to Kotomi, giving her an encouraging smile. The smaller girl followed the lead of her sempais and took a couple of gulps before passing the cup to Amari.

Matsuri called out to one of the native women, handing her the pitcher and exchanging some words with her. The woman laughed, gestured to the edge of the village and moved off, still giggling softly. Matsuri looked where the woman had pointed, shook her head and jogged off. “Wonder what that is about?” Akane asked, feeling oddly alert and awake and absolutely great.

“That stuff is better than a double espresso,” Satsuki said. “I feel like I slept all night and had a double this morning. Must be some native caffeine in there.” Motoko was looking at the coconut cup, a thoughtful expression on her face. About then, the group heard the sounds of a vehicle approaching, and shortly thereafter, a light armored vehicle with the SSA logo on it burst through the overgrown foot path into the clearing around the village.

“Need a ride?” Nasuda asked the group.

“Sure,” Satsuki agreed, the group piling into the transport. As Nasuda made a K turn to head back to base, Kotomi asked if they weren't waiting for Matsuri.

“Passed her on the way in,” Nasuda replied, “she'll probably beat us back to the base,” he added. The girls could believe that easily enough - Matsuri ran through the jungles like they ran along the base fence.

“Yukari called,” Akane said.

“Yes, she left me a message by means of the assembly team. I thought I would wait to call her until I picked you all up. By the way, we have a request to consider the feasibility of deliberately dropping a bird by means of attaching a micro-burn motor to the bird. Akane?”

“W…why me?” the girl demanded warily.

“Because you are our best flight brain, that's why,” Nasuda replied.

“But, Yukari has more experience…” began Akane.

“This isn't a job; not yet, anyway,” Nasuda reminded her. “And you got the highest marks in Astronautics. So, I'll let you think it through.”

“Yes, sir,” Akane replied unenthusiastically. “Kotomi, you'll be working with me on this,” the girl added. Kotomi was second-best in astronautics among the flight crews. While Kinoshita might be the one with the best grasp of the math, he had zero flight experience, and fortunately for the flight crews, he was aware that math and theory only went so far - the rest was real-life.

“Yes, Akane-sempai,” the girl agreed immediately. Motoko was thoughtfully looking at the small amount of native drink left in the coconut cup she was holding carefully, her mind busy. While her first and greatest love was oxidation, she was a master chemist and had spent years working in the lab of a major pharmacology company.

“Beats me,” shrugged the lab-coat-wearing tech in the NASA electronics workshop. “I can't find a thing wrong with it, electronically-speaking. Most puzzling…”

“Well, thanks for checking anyway,” Yukari replied, “I appreciate your time.”

“What? Oh! No problem,” the man assured her, waving a hand. “It makes for good practice to work on unknown problems when you are paid to find solutions to impossible failures of equipment; keeps you sharp.” With quick, sure skill, he reassembled her cell phone, which he had managed to disassemble with surprising skill and speed, the better to test the circuits. “Do you want me to try pulling the memory from it?” he asked her. “I think I can find a way to leech it out of the storage chip without losing anything.”

“Um, I'll have to think about that,” Yukari said. “I've got ten minutes to get back to the meeting.”

“You know where to find me, if you want me to try,” the man said before turning his attention back to the pile of circuit boards he had been working on before she asked him to see if there was a problem with her phone. Exiting the workshop, she made her way back up to the meeting room, where the others were just coming back from lunch.

“Yukari!”

The SSA astronaut turned to see Miriam waving at her. “Hi, Miriam,” Yukari returned her greeting. The Israeli hurried over to her. “What's up?”

“I was just wondering if you found your doll or charm or whatever,” the woman said. Yukari shook her head.

“Still missing,” she replied. “I think I'll get one tattooed on me when I get back home,” she thought aloud. Well, if it doesn't go somewhere too obvious or too painful, allowed the girl. Miriam gave her a surprised look.

“You're getting a tattoo?” she asked.

“It's not like that,” began Yukari.

“Wow! Yukari's getting a tattoo!”

Norman, Yukari thought, knowing that voice all too well. Turning, she glowered at him. “And what business of yours is it what I do, Norman?” she asked him frostily.

“Just never figured you for a tattoo sort of girl,” he grinned insolently at her. “Isn't that sort of thing what Yakuza do? I think I recall hearing that tattoos are associated with criminals in Japan.”

Yukari shrugged. “Used to be that way, but more and more people are getting tattoos and piercings in Tokyo; or so I hear,” she casually responded. “Still nothing like over here, though.” Norman shrugged.

“Different cultures, I guess. Never went for the body piercing stuff, but a tattoo isn't necessarily a bad thing,” opinioned the man.

“If you say you want to show me a tattoo, I'll kick you in the nuts,” muttered Yukari, moving past him. “Come on, baka, we're going to be…” began Yukari, only to stop when the lights went out, leaving them in a somewhat dim interior hallway. “What just happened?” she asked, curiously.

“Power failure, I think,” Norman replied. The emergency lighting came up just then. The conference door opened, and the project manager and some of the consultants, section heads and accountants emerged, looking around.

“What now?” the head of the project wondered. Talking into their two-ways, it was quickly determined that several circuits had shorted. The repair was estimated to take several hours. Yukari gritted her teeth. “Don't worry,” the project head said, glancing at her, “just a little electrical problem. Probably have them all the time at the SSA, right?”

“Matter of fact, no,” Yukari replied tightly. First my spirit charm is lost, then my cell phone, now this…! She found that she was wishing she was back at her base, with her friends. At least if I were there, I wouldn't have to put up with this pompous windbag, and I might even be heading upstairs even now. “Guess I'll look for my spirit charm,” she sighed.

“That blue doll thing you keep on your cell phone strap?” Norman frowned. Yukari nodded.

“Still haven't found it. Since then, things have been…” she waved a hand in the air.

“Isn't that the charm you said you kept in the capsule when you flew? The one that Matsuri said was to protect you from evil spirits?” Norman asked. Yukari nodded.

“It's what got us down safe each time we've had a problem. I even had dad make one for all the girls.”

“Superstitious, hmm?” the project manager suggested.

“Call it what you want,” dismissed Yukari. “Matsuri said that bad things would happen if it got lost, and it looks like they have been.” Norman's phone chirped. Looking at it, he smiled.

“Yukari, you have a call waiting for you. It's Matsuri. We can catch it at the front desk,” he said, leading her off. In mere moments, Yukari was talking to Akane and Matsuri. Strangely enough, the first thing Matsuri did was ask her if her spirit charm was missing.

When Yukari told her about what had happened, Matsuri hummed. Akane told her about the spirit dance they had done, and assured her that they had probably driven away whatever bad spirits were after her. Matsuri had come back on the line. “I'm worried someone might have stolen the charm from you,” her sister said.

“Stolen?” Yukari frowned. “I guess that might be possible, but…”

“If someone stole it, they are in great danger. The charm is linked to you, and to steal it stirs up the evil spirits. After the dance, the spirits are going to be especially active. I hope that whoever took it lives to return it to you,” Matsuri said.

“Lives?” Yukari wondered. It's not that I believe in evil spirits or anything, but… She had seen too much to dismiss her sister's belief as nonsense.

“Something wrong?” Norman asked. Yukari waved him silent.

“Matsuri, what kind of thing might the spirits do?” she asked her sister.

“Evil spirits have been known to make boats burn on the sea, to cause waves to come out of nowhere, even to make the ocean swallow villages. There is no limit to how much trouble they can cause,” Matsuri warned her. “They have made food spoil nearly instantly, to bring sickness or war…evil spirits are dangerous. And you have always had a strong bond with the spirits; like our father.”

“I don't know about that,” Yukari said, “I mean, you seem to have a much better connection with the spirits than I do…”

“Don't take this lightly, Yukari,” warned Matsuri.

“I won't,” she said quietly. “Anything else going on there?” she asked, turning the topic aside.

“Wow, that is something else!” Tashawne exclaimed. She and Miriam had managed to catch Yukari in the cafeteria that day, and before she knew it, she was telling them about the SSA. While their name was known in the business by now, they were still very much a novelty and sort of `stealth' outfit in the space business. “Are things really that way at the SSA?” wondered the black woman.

“Well, they've gotten a little better recently, as work has picked up and we've had more time to work on problem areas,” Yukari replied. “And the trainees have taken a lot of weight off Akane and I,” smiled the girl. I need to get back home and check on Kotomi-chan and the others, she thought fleetingly.

“You've already got trainees in the program?” asked a surprised Miriam, who was in the process of setting her tray down on Yukari's other side.

“Yeah,” Yukari nodded, working on her chicken breast and vegetables. She had been carefully trying out some of the strange dishes that were offered, and had found some that were good, some that were novel, and some that would be fine if only they didn't have certain ingredients. Stacked beside her plate was a growing pile of one such ingredient: okra. She wasn't sure what okra was, but whatever else it might be, it was not fit for human consumption - of that she was sure. “Chinami and Natsuko were our first ones; I had to kind of make it up as I went when training them.”

“Wait,” Miriam said, “you train the recruits?” Yukari nodded, sipping her water.

“Sure. It's not like I'd trust old man Nasuda or Kinoshita-san after what they did to Akane and I. Besides, Matsuri, Akane and I are the only ones who really know what is important for newbies to know. And it isn't like I'm doing it all myself. Matsuri and Akane help me out, and Kinoshita is still the main instructor in astronautics and math.”

“But, you train them, at your base, right?” Tashawne reiterated. Yukari nodded again. “And how long…?”

A shrug this time. “Depends on the trainees. Chinami and Natsuko trained for nearly two months before I started thinking about letting them go up on a job. But then, they were the first two, and I was still working out my training technique.”

“And what a training regimen it is,” came Norman's amused voice. The blonde and Wayne settled across from Yukari and her friends. “Yukari-chan here has the soul and temperament of a drill instructor in boot,” the man chuckled. Yukari scowled at him.

“That's `-san' or `-sempai' to you, Norman-kun,” the girl snippily insisted. “And anyway, you and Wayne helped me work out the training cycles,” the girl reminded the two.

“Don't drag us into your sadistic game,” Wayne denied, smiling at her. “You and your sister ran those poor girls into the dirt!”

“Those two `poor girls' now have more launches than you two do,” smirked Yukari. “We've also done an orbital intercept and docking drill, worked on more than half of the birds up there, and will soon be offering wider services.” Miriam and Tashawne could easily see how she had become senior mission commander. Yukari Morita was competitive, driven and focused - all things that made a successful professional. And at the same time, she was concerned with the well-being of her workers, compassionate and protective.

“Even so,” Norman said, taking a big bite of his sub sandwich, “your business model is in danger of failing, since the birds aren't breaking and the amount of upgrades you can do is limited.”

“I know that,” Yukari replied evenly, flicking a piece of okra at him. “Why do you think I'm here right now? Believe me, I'd rather be back home; no offense to your hospitality,” the girl qualified.

“You know, Yukari,” Wayne said, “you've been almost on edge ever since your spirit charm got lost. Something eating you about that?”

“Of course it's bothering me,” growled Yukari. “But if someone did take it, Matsuri said that the evil spirits could end up killing them.” Both Miriam and Tashawne giggled at that, but quickly stopped, seeing that Yukari was serious; and neither Wayne or Norman were laughing.

“Oh, come one,” urged Miriam. “It's a doll. Even good luck charms are - in the end - just items with emotional attachment, right?”

“Most of me agrees with you, Miriam, but…” Yukari just shook her head instead of finishing the thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gordon stick his head into the cafeteria, look around for a moment, then make a bee line for her.

“There you are, Yukari,” he said, slipping into a seat next to Norman. “Been looking for you,” he murmured, glancing around. Yukari's trouble sensor started to ring.

“What's happened?” she asked, a little apprehension in her voice, but mostly resigned. This is just how my life goes, I guess, she thought.

“Well, the project manager was just hauled out in an ambulance. Apparently, they think it's acute appendicitis,” Gordon began. Yukari rolled her eyes.

“Of course,” she muttered. Not that I can say I'm sorry to hear it, though!

“There's more,” Gordon said. “When I was talking to his assistant, he got a call. Apparently, his house burned to the ground shortly after he left home this morning. He's gone to deal with that.”

“Sure, makes perfect sense,” Yukari groaned. “Who's in charge of the project committee now?”

“They're discussing that right now,” Gordon said. “But anyway, the strangest thing happened. You know the training tanks? Well, they somehow sprung a leak.” Yukari snorted delicately.

“I'm wasting my time here, aren't I?” she said, sounding thoroughly disgusted.

“I don't think you are,” Wayne said. “The project is just…experiencing some organizational issues.” Yukari did giggle at that.

“So that is how you say `a disorganized, mismanaged mess' in NASA,” ribbed the girl. “Man, this has been a rough trip.”

“Admittedly, this isn't one of our smoother projects, no,” Gordon agreed calmly. “String of bad luck…” muttered the astronaut. Yukari's fork dropped to her tray as the girl nearly shot to her feet. “Yukari, where…?” began Gordon.

“Just checking something,” said Yukari, hurrying out of the cafeteria. More familiar with the girl than most, the three NASA men hurried after her. Yukari made her way right to the office of the project manager.

“You don't think…” began Norman doubtfully. Yukari shrugged.

“Probably not, but it makes a certain amount of sense,” she said, swiftly scanning the room. After a moment, Norman moved over to the man's desk and began to go through the drawers.

“What are you doing, Norman?” Gordon asked.

“He wouldn't leave it in the open,” shrugged the blonde.

“You know that what you are doing is a violation of NASA policy, right?” Wayne noted. Norman nodded. “You can have your flight status pulled permanently for this; even be fired.”

“Look, Norman,” Yukari said, glancing at the blonde, “they can't do much more than tell me to leave, but there's no reason for you to risk your career for what could turn out to be nothing.” Wayne glanced at Gordon. Gordon nudged the door to the office closed.

“We'll check the assistant's desk,” Gordon said, winking at Yukari.

“Thanks,” the girl said, swiftly turning back to the search. Not a minute later, Gordon poked his head in.

“Yukari,” he said simple, tossing his head. Yukari and Norman hurried to the assistant's desk. In the back of the top left drawer was a familiar blue charm, its black face seeming to stare at the group.

“Finally,” murmured Yukari, gently picking up the doll. Absently, nearly habitually, her finger stroked the `face' of the charm. “Am I glad to see you,” she whispered to the doll, her lips brushing it.

“So, what should we do about this?” Wayne asked his friends softly.

“Don't do anything,” Yukari said firmly. “None of this ever happened,” she repeated herself.

“Yukari, he…” began Norman.

“He what, Norman? Stole it? Can't prove that. Even if he did, think about why he might have done it. If we make a big deal out of this, then our own actions become suspect. I don't want that. Besides, I think the spirits have taught him a lesson,” smiled the girl. Her hands were still holding the charm close to her chest. “Let's just pretend that nothing happened and leave it at that. Not like they are going to say anything, right?”

Following the girl back out of the office area, Wayne found himself re-assessing the girl. It wasn't the first time he had had to re-think his view of Yukari. In only months, she has grown a lot; and not just as an astronaut, he thought. Not even old enough to vote or drink or sign up for the military, and she was already more mature than several people who were twice her age - or more. And yet, she still acts like a bratty teen most of the time. Design or chance? wondered the man.

“Ah! It's working again!” exclaimed Yukari delightedly. She had grabbed her cell phone from her room and reattached the charm, and her cell phone - unresponsive since the charm was lost - powered right up like nothing was wrong. “What the…?” Yukari blurted out, looking at her screen. Wayne and Norman looked over her shoulders. Spotting the number of voicemails, text messages and missed calls, the two began to laugh. “It's not funny,” carped Yukari, shooting the two dark looks.

“Motoko, what did you call me over here for?” wondered Nasuda as he entered the domain of their resident mad chemist. He found her working at a chemistry set on a table against the far wall of the lab. Strange, she usually works on the compound table in the center of the room, he thought fleetingly.

“Drink this,” Motoko said, handing him a vial with some slightly-cloudy fluid in it. Nasuda made no move to take it.

“What is it?” asked the man suspiciously. Motoko smiled at him.

“Something better than coffee,” replied the woman. Nasuda still didn't make a move to accept the vial.

“Where did you come up with this?” he asked instead.

“Something I came across at the spirit dance,” shrugged Motoko. “It's got a strange organic molecule that looks almost identical to caffeine, but appears to have a much greater effect.”

“You discovered super coffee?” Nasuda asked slowly. Motoko leered at him.

“Drink it and see for yourself,” invited Motoko. After another moment of silent debate, Nasuda took the offered vial and carefully sipped it. It had an indescribable taste.

“Gah!” he gasped, feeling like he wanted to brush his tongue. “What is…?!”

“I admit, the taste is an issue in distilled form,” Motoko headed him off casually.

“And after-taste,” muttered Nasuda. Twirling the vial, he handed it back to Motoko. It didn't occur to him until he saw her smirk that he was not only wide awake now, but his mind was unusually clear for being first-thing-in-the-morning. He hadn't even had his coffee yet, but now he didn't see the point.

“That was barely one hundred milligrams, mixed to a thirty percent solution with purified water,” revealed Motoko. “Oh, and I don't think that you should drink any more caffeine today.”

“Don't think I'll need any,” Nasuda said. “So, can you make this stuff in larger batches?” he asked. Motoko sighed mournfully.

“Sadly, no,” she almost pouted. “Whatever ingredient provides the molecule that does this is unknown to me or to modern chemistry. We have an unknown ingredient.”

“Maybe Matsuri can tell you what is in the drink,” suggested Nasuda.

“I already asked. And she told me. I know all the plants, and none of them have this new molecule. I want to send some of the less-known ones to a friend at my old company; just to make sure that I didn't miss it.”

“Ok, but be sure that you don't tell him or her what this molecule does or we might miss out on a profitable side-business,” Nasuda approved her request. “And if the molecule isn't there, perhaps it is formed in the making of the drink from other, more common molecules?”

“Obviously,” Motoko said, turning back to her chemistry set. “So Satsuki, and Kinoshita, and now Nasuda,” she mumbled, making some notes on a small pad.

“What?” Nasuda asked, having been thinking of something else.

“Talking to myself,” Motoko mumbled.

Exiting the propellant/space suit lab, he saw the flight team running along the perimeter fence. He could almost see Yukari leading them, even though she wasn't there at the moment. In front of the other girls, easily loping along, was Matsuri's dusky form, a smile on her face. Blinking, he saw that Akane was determinedly walking behind the group.

“Welcome back, Yukari,” Akane greeted her partner, hugging the tired girl warmly. Yukari returned the hug.

“Good to be back, Akane-chan,” replied Yukari, patting Akane's back. Akane eased back a moment later. “How're your legs doing?” asked Yukari.

“Good,” Akane answered. “Satsuki has put me back on flight status,” she said.

“That's nice. How are your legs?” repeated Yukari, dumping her suitcases and squatting down to carefully feel Akane's knee and ankle. “Still hurt when you move? Swelling?” asked the senior pilot of her partner.

“They are a little tender first thing in the morning, but by the time I reach the door, they have settled down. Satsuki has told me that that is normal for sprains and that kind of thing. I've even been running each morning for the last couple of days,” smiled the girl. Yukari gently patted Akane's knee before standing. Grabbing her suitcases, she and her partner resumed their trek toward the dorm. “So, tell me about the meeting with NASA!” begged Akane.

“It was a rough trip, but I think it will work out in the end for the best,” Yukari said. Entering the dorm, the two rode the simple elevator up to their floor. Yukari swiped her card through her room door and opened it. She didn't get to step into the room, though, because her sister all but tackled her, hugging her tightly.

“Yukari!” squealed Matsuri, squeezing her tightly.

“Can't breathe,” managed Yukari. Matsuri was a strong girl, after all. Giggling softly, Matsuri eased her grip slightly; but only slightly.

“I'm glad you are safely home,” Matsuri said, resting her forehead against Yukari's forehead. Yukari stroked her hand along Matsuri's back.

“I'm glad to be back, sis,” she said softly. Frowning, she realized something. “Why are you naked? And wet?” she wondered.

“Just finished washing off after nut hunting in the forest,” Matsuri said. Yukari smiled slightly as she herded her sister back into their room. Akane helpfully pulled her two suitcases in after them, closing the door behind her. Yukari spotted her sister's half-full bag of nuts on the small table. It's that time of year again? she thought, glancing at the calendar.

“How was your trip? Any presents?” Matsuri asked, smiling eagerly. Yukari, her memory jogged, nodded.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” she grinned, tossing her clothes suitcase onto her bed and opening it. After a moment of rummaging around, she pulled out a small box. “I got a few things for you and the others, but Norman and the guys sent some gifts for you all, too,” she revealed.

“So you talked with Norman, then? What did he say about your mom and him?” Matsuri asked, direct as always. Yukari sent her sister a slightly-annoyed look.

“Actually, that never came up,” she said. Recalling what her mother and she had talked about on the beach, she was glad that that topic had not come up. Matsuri slipped into her short shorts and bikini top before pulling her hair back as she reached for a band. “Is that my bikini top, Matsuri?” asked Yukari.

“Yep!” Matsuri confirmed happily. Yukari grimaced briefly, seeing how the top struggled to contain her much-more-blessed younger sister. On Yukari, it was a nice fit. When Matsuri wore it, however, it looked positively flimsy and irritatingly sexy. Swallowing back her annoyance, Yukari dismissed those thoughts. I might be older, but I think it's clear that I will never have the bust-line Matsuri-chan does, admitted the girl; but only to herself.

“Yukari, is this…?” breathed Akane, having opened her simply-wrapped package. Yukari nodded.

“That is a genuine, signed mission patch from NASA. It's from the Orpheus mission, of course,” added Yukari. The patch was carefully mounted on an understated plaque, with the signatures of the four crewmen who had been on the Shuttle when the SSA had first worked with the American program.

“Of course,” Akane murmured, carefully brushing her hands over the heavy-duty cloth patch. “I sometimes wish we had mission patches on our suits,” sighed the girl. Yukari laughed softly.

“With the number of flights we run, and the type and construction of our suits, we would end up looking like patch billboards in no time, Akane-chan. Besides,” she added wryly, “most of our jobs are little more than janitorial services.”

“Oh! What's this?!” Matsuri asked, having demolished her own gift bag. Yukari smiled.

“That's a small Cherokee dream catcher,” Yukari explained. “You are sort of hard to shop for, but after the thing with the charm…”

“What thing with the charm?” demanded Akane.

“My charm just got…misplaced for a bit, Akane,” Yukari said calmly, not realizing that her hand gently grasped the charm, hanging from her cell phone strap.

“Did the thief survive?” wondered Matsuri, examining the dream catcher from every angle. Yukari - watching her sister's reaction from the corner of her eye - was relived to see that her sister was clearly very pleased with the dream catcher.

“Thief? Someone stole your charm?!” demanded Akane.

“I got him back, so does it matter?” Yukari asked.

“Even if you have forgiven the thief, the spirits are not so lenient,” Matsuri ominously warned.

“I don't want you or dad casting any curses on them,” stated Yukari firmly. Matsuri looked at her, her expression serious.

“We won't have to,” was all the girl said. Yukari felt a little uneasy about that, but in light of how her trip had started, she was willing to overlook it.

“Oh, before I forget, I picked up something for you two,” Yukari said, digging in her suitcase again. Pulling out two small boxes, she peeked in each before handing the cardboard boxes to each girl. “I wasn't sure what to get, but after I talked with some of the guys, I came across this idea,” she said quietly.

Matsuri opened her box, finding a pair of simple, fairly small earrings, set with an unfamiliar stone in a silver cradle. Akane opened her somewhat-larger box to find a bracelet of similar craftsmanship. Yukari reached into her pocket, and a moment later, she pulled out a ring, slipping it onto her finger before holding out her hand. Her ring was clearly the same type as the other two items.

“Turquoise in silver settings,” Yukari explained to her two friends. “I heard it was supposed to be lucky or something,” smiled the girl. “Since Matsuri is the only one with pierced ears, I got her the earrings. I figured that getting you a bracelet would be smart, since I don't know your ring size, which left me with the ring. They are all made of the same things, but each is unique.”

“I love it,” Akane assured Yukari, examining the bracelet on her wrist. It was a thinner bracelet, with a trio of small, polished turquoise in the top, the silver wire wrapped and spun, giving it a natural spring so it didn't require a latch. “Did you get some of this for the other girls?” she wondered.

“No,” said Yukari simply. “It's something for the three of us - the first crew,” she said softly. Matsuri pulled her sister and Akane into a hug. After a moment, the trio separated. Yukari grabbed a plastic bag out of her suitcase, pulled a legal pad from the inside lid of the suitcase and turned for the door. “Let's go find the girls and then talk to Nasuda. We have some things to think about,” said the girl.

They were intercepted between the dorm and the admin building by four very excited girls, all squealing for souvenirs of their sempai's trip. Yukari smiled, reaching into the bag and a moment later producing four tee shirts. Swiftly sorting them, she handed them out. After a moment considering the tee shirts, the four junior flight members exploded into squeals and excited cross-talk.

“Tee shirts are popular as ever, I see,” noted Kinoshita, approaching the group from the direction of the administration building. Yukari nodded. “Was your trip a success?” he asked Yukari. Yukari wiggled the legal pad.

“Let's talk about that,” she said quietly, leading Akane and Matsuri away from the other astronauts. “Old man ready to listen to me?” asked the head astronaut. Kinoshita nodded. Three minutes later, Yukari began her report on her meeting with NASA about the larger, older space firm's idea. Listening intently were Nasuda and the heads of the departments.

Yukari groaned, shifting back from the laptop she was using. “I hate this!” she complained loudly. She was in her room, working on one of the ideas she had had while talking to NASA. I'd rather be flying, she thought wistfully. Right now, above her head by a few hundred kilometers, Chinami and Natsuko were resetting a bird's controller module. Akane was supervising the training of Kotomi and Amari in preparation for their first solo live mission upstairs. And here Yukari was, stuck doing developmental work for the Old Man.

“I hate him,” she pouted. He always seemed to be pushing work off on her when she should be flying missions, but try as hard as she could, she couldn't argue his logic about her being the only one who understood her idea. And that was why she was working on a laptop in her room, trying to put together a suitable brief for the department heads so they could understand her idea.

Growling in annoyance, she saved her work, closed down the laptop and headed for the door. The cove was calling her. A half hour or so in the cove and I'll be ready to work on that damn brief again, she told herself, smiling as she nearly skipped down the hall, toward the exit. Might as well check in on Akane and her two, as well as Matsuri in mission control, decided the girl, settling her sunglasses as she faced the brutal tropical sun.

In the training block, she found Akane multi-tasking as usual, Kotomi being drilled repeatedly on the somewhat-tricky docking to their target bird, while also overseeing Amari's training in the procedure simulator. Akane hadn't caught Yukari's stealthy arrival, so the senior member of their team silently watched Akane work her two newest. What she saw impressed her. Akane was merciless, but fair. Not the smallest mistake escaped her, but instead of browbeating the girls, Akane focused on the mistake and how to avoid making it again. Yukari was impressed with her partner.

She was also impressed with the newest pair. Kotomi was showing her normal focused, dedicated drive, and Amari's meticulous, precise nature was proving to be a powerful tool for the specialist. Any mistake made was swiftly found, analyzed, picked apart and memorized. It was, Yukari knew from her own training of the two, exceptionally rare for either girl to repeat any mistake. Virtually unheard-of, in fact, thought Yukari, slipping up behind her specialist and putting her hand on Akane's bare shoulder. Akane flinched in surprise.

“Yukari!” she exhaled, seeing who it was. Yukari grinned at her. “What are you doing here? Finished the briefing already?” wondered the girl. Yukari grimaced.

“Not yet,” she said. “Taking a short break and checking up on my team,” she smiled. “You two are doing good,” she said, leaning over Akane's shoulder to speak into the microphone. “Remember that when the real thing comes, there are no re-starts and no second chances, so take this time to explore as many possible scenarios as you can.”

“Yes, Yukari-sensei,” the two responded in unison. Yukari touched the mute button.

“And you're doing good, too, Akane-chan,” she said to her specialist. “Stay on them and give them as many curve balls as you can, ok?”

“I know, Yukari,” Akane nodded. Yukari patted Akane's cheek.

“I know you do,” she said, straightening. “I'm heading for mission control, then the cove for a bit,” she said, exiting the simulator space. Akane waved a hand, already talking to Kotomi about how to improve her docking approach.

It was the work of five minutes to walk to the control room in the mission control building. Sliding her card through the reader, she slipped into the control room. Kinoshita nodded to her. “How is the mission going?” asked Yukari, smiling and nodding to Matsuri, who was at her station.

“Perfectly normal,” Kinoshita said.

“That bad, huh?” grinned Yukari. Kinoshita grunted.

“Coming up on docking contact in fifteen seconds, Solomon,” Natsuko's voice came over the speakers.

“Looking good, Guava,” Matsuri confirmed. “Remember the wing root is off-center on this bird,” reminded the native girl.

“Roger, Solomon,” confirmed Natsuko, her tone slightly dry. Yukari moved over to her sister's station, patting one tanned shoulder as she leaned forward.

“Guava, this is Yukari,” she said crisply. “What is complacency?”

“Complacency is a funeral service, Yukari-sempai,” Natsuko came back immediately.

“Are you two complacent, Guava?” challenged Yukari.

“Negative, Solomon. Docking…now,” stated Natsuko. “We are docked and preparing for EVA, Solomon.”

“Do the job, come home safe, Guava. Yukari out,” the senior astronaut straightened, putting both her hands on Matsuri's bare shoulders for a moment, watching the instruments at her sister's station as well as on the big board. “You feeling anything wrong, sis?” she asked quietly.

“No, the spirits are calm,” Matsuri said, turning to look at Yukari. “Are you feeling something, Yukari?”

“Just tired of working on a laptop instead of in space,” smiled Yukari, fondly caressing Matsuri's cheek. “Gonna take a dip in the cove to refresh myself, then finish up that brief.”

“'Kay!” Matsuri smiled. Yukari laughed softly, exiting the control room. Those two are in good hands, she thought, heading for the cove. Stripping off her shorts and sandals, she happily waded into the transparent water of the cove, ducking under and swimming for a bit before floating on the surface of the water, enjoying the endless ocean breeze and bright sunlight. Idly raising an arm, she smiled. I might end up as dark as Matsuri, thought Yukari. If only my breasts would get as big as hers…

“Is this a private beach, or can I join you?” came a voice, startling her. Spinning and turning, Yukari looked to the beach, finding a woman standing there. Farther up, along the road, she spotted Kurosu watching. Seeing him nod, Yukari watched the head of security slowly climb back into the vehicle he used to patrol the base and - still slowly - drove off.

Yukari looked back at the figure on the beach. It took her a moment to realize who it was. “What are you doing here?” she asked, moving out of the water, absently brushing water from her face.

“I was hoping I could join you for a swim,” smiled the woman. “I'm feeling tired and could use a nice dip in the ocean.”

“Sure, I guess,” Yukari said. The woman swiftly pulled off her shorts and shirt, dropping them next to her own clothes. Yukari noticed that the woman had on a white bikini under her shirt and shorts. In short order, her shoes were off and the woman was wading into the water.

“Ah! This feels great!” she sighed happily.

“You didn't answer my question,” Yukari noted, moving back into the water, following the woman as she moved out into the deeper area of the cove. “What brings you to the SSA, Cindy?”

“It's like she said, Yukari,” Nasuda assured his lead astronaut, “she's here to observe for a little, look around some and talk with the staff a little.” Yukari stared at Nasuda, clearly not buying any of it. Beside the girl, Cindy Morgan, Lieutenant Commander, USN calmly waited. “Do you have a problem with her being on base?” Nasuda asked.

“No, but you know I don't like being treated like an idiot, either,” Yukari reminded him. She glanced at Cindy. “Only Matsuri wouldn't wonder why there's an American military officer here.”

“Ah, yes, Matsuri,” Nasuda cut in eagerly. “You haven't met Yukari's sister, have you, Commander Morgan?”

“No, not yet,” Cindy replied. “And please, just call me Cindy. I'm a visitor here, after all,” urged the woman.

“Old man,” began Yukari, her tone warning of brewing trouble.

“You remember what we talked about a while back? About contracts for work on non-civilian birds?” Nasuda said. Yukari nodded. “With recent developments between our company and NASA, we are moving closer to getting those contracts.”

The light came on. “But because we aren't a US company, they aren't sure if they can trust us,” Yukari nodded to herself. “So, they sent Cindy to assess us. How am I doing, Cindy?” she asked.

“You are correct, Yukari,” Cindy confirmed nonchalantly. “I am here to assess if the SSA is capable of meeting the requirements we would have for any work done on military satellites. If things here are in good shape, then it is very likely that you might get an initial work contract for one of our older satellites. Depending on the outcome of the mission, the SSA could become our preferred service provider for work on our satellites.”

“I see,” Yukari said, studying the woman. “How's your Japanese?” asked Yukari - in Japanese.

“Progressing,” Cindy replied. Her accent was a little better than Norman's was, though she clearly had more to learn. “Of course, I already know that everyone here speaks English,” added Cindy.

“Not everyone,” Yukari corrected her. “But close enough, I suppose.”

“I'll just leave Cindy in the care of the flight program,” Nasuda said, already opening some mail on his desk. Yukari scowled at him.

“Like I didn't see that coming,” muttered the girl. “Have you done any prep-work for her stay here?” Yukari asked him sarcastically.

“I got her a visitor pass,” Nasuda shrugged. Yukari rolled her eyes, thinking evil thoughts about her boss. “Are you still here?” Nasuda asked her.

“No,” Yukari replied, her tone resigned. Tossing her head, she turned for the door.

“Yukari,” Nasuda said, not looking up from his paperwork, “Kurosu was looking for you earlier. Something about qualifying again.”

Yukari frowned, glancing at the calendar on the wall of Nasuda's office. “Shit,” she muttered. Pulling up her phone, she swiftly composed a text message and sent it, then dialed another number without breaking stride.

“Qualifying?” Cindy prompted.

“Quarterly quals in marksmanship,” Yukari said, her mind busy. “Got upcoming quals on first aid, too,” she muttered. Fingers danced over her phone. A moment later, her phone chirped. Looking at the screen, she tucked the phone back into her pocket. “Better get you settled fast,” she said. “Let me see your pass.”

Cindy obediently handed it to her. Flipping it over, Yukari glanced at the back, nodding when she saw the mag strip. Once more, her trusty phone came out and she dialed a number from the phone list. Putting it to her ear, she waited as her party picked up. “It's me,” she said. “Yeah, I know we're looking at quals. I've sent my team a text message. I'm thinking we'll see if we can do it this evening or tomorrow morning after our run. Yeah, I know, but we've got other things we need to do, too, you know? Yeah, yeah, I know. Oh, right - the reason I called you. Cindy Morgan, you gave her a visitor pass. Did you code her into a room in the dorm yet? No? Ok. Hmm, that is a thought. Hold on a sec,” Yukari glanced at Cindy. “You want to stay in town?”

“I'd prefer to stay on base, though I do want to look around town,” Cindy replied.

“Kurosu? Yeah, we'll stash her in the dorm. I'll text you the number, and she can come by your office to get her card coded, ok? Thanks,” Yukari ended the call as the pair exited the administration building.

“Kurosu is the head of security here?” Cindy asked, fishing up a pair of sunglasses as Yukari settled her sunglasses.

“Yeah, he's a good guy,” Yukari confirmed.

“He looks military-trained,” noted the American. “Was he JSDF?”

“He was some sort of soldier,” Yukari shrugged. “Probably JSDF, though he might have been JSSDF. You'll have to ask him to be sure.”

“How many guards does he have?” Cindy asked, clearly making mental notes.

“He's the head of security, which includes the gate and docks, as well as recovery security, so he probably bosses all twenty five of them,” Yukari shrugged.

“Mostly former JSDF of some sort, I am guessing?”

Yukari shook her head. “Not a clue,” she replied candidly. “I think a couple of them might have been cops at some point before working here.” Reaching the dorm, Yukari swiped her card, entering the building in front of Cindy, who had a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. The pair ran into Akane as they reached the stairs. The building had an elevator, but the flight team usually used the stairs.

“Hello again, Akane,” Cindy smiled at the mission specialist. Akane blinked, realizing who the woman was.

“Oh, hello, Cindy-san,” the girl said. “What are you doing here?” asked Akane.

“Tell you later - when I tell the others. She'll be here for a while. Did you get my text?”

“Yes, I did. Is it that time again already?” Akane sighed. Yukari smiled, patting her partner's head.

“Afraid so,” commiserated Yukari. “But it shouldn't be too hard; not since we got the right size guns.” Akane brightened.

“That's true,” she said.

“Right size guns?” Cindy wondered. Yukari glanced at her.

“It's a long story,” evaded Yukari. “I'll tell you some other time. Right now, we have work to do.” Akane joined the two as they climbed up the stairs. Selecting a room two down and across the hall from her own room, Yukari used her card on the reader to open it. “This is you,” she said, gesturing to the room as she fiddled with her phone again. Cindy swung her bag off her shoulder, looking around the room.

“It's nice,” she said. “Do I have a roommate?”

“No,” Yukari said. Akane glanced at Yukari. “I thought about putting you in Akane's room, but I think it will be better for both of you to just have you room here. When we're training for a job, our schedules can get crazy, and there's no point working across each other.”

“Reasonable,” Cindy nodded. Turning, she studied the two closely. “You don't trust me, do you, Yukari?” she said more than asked.

“I wouldn't say that,” Yukari said. “It's more of a case of being unsure about your reasons for being here.”

“I know you have taken a lot of cheap shots from governments and agencies, Yukari,” Cindy said. “And I won't pretend that I am not here on government business. But that doesn't mean that I am looking to torpedo you, your team or you company. In fact, part of the reason I was sent here is because you have several supporters in NASA, and your handling of the incident that landed you in the Gulf impressed a number of the people who saw it.”

Yukari looked Cindy in the eyes. “That sounds good, Cindy,” she said softly. “But you'll understand if I am a little skeptical, won't you?” Cindy nodded.

“Of course.” Yukari would make a great officer, thought the woman. The more she saw of the SSA and Yukari, the better she liked them. “I hope we can become friends during my stay here,” added Cindy.

“So would I,” Yukari agreed. Looking down the hall, she saw her flight team arriving. Making a decision, she glanced at Cindy. “You came here to check us out, right?” Cindy nodded. “Well, you might as well start now,” said the girl, tossing her head. Cindy exited her room and was introduced to the flight program members.

“This is Chang's, finest Chinese cuisine in town,” Yukari said, leading the group into the restaurant. Cindy glanced at Yukari.

“There's more than one Chinese restaurant?” she challenged.

“No, but it's still the best Chinese in town,” Yukari replied easily. “He can do a lot more than Chinese as well. He's gotten pretty good with European dishes and his hamburgers are divine. Wish I could eat them more than once every couple of months,” sighed the girl. “Chang! Shrimp Lo Mein with dumplings, please!”

“Ah, Yukari! Welcome back!” the owner/operator of the restaurant called out to the group, bowing to them. “Food ready in no time!” he said, already busy with the preparations. Swiftly moving three of the small tables together, the group settled in, Han Li appearing a few moments later, setting out their drinks.

“Go ahead and order, Cindy,” Yukari encouraged the older woman. “Everything's good, so just pick something if you aren't sure.”

“I'll follow your lead. Shrimp Lo Mein,” the woman said.

“A new friend, Yukari?” Han Li asked, eyeing the American.

“Guest at the base,” Yukari said. “Cindy Morgan, Han Li and Chang Tinjin. Guys, Cindy Morgan.”

“Welcome, welcome!” Chang called out, still working on the food. He had two woks going, a large pot of rice and a board full of ingredients. Han Li efficiently served the group, staying in the background as she worked. Cindy listened as the girls from the SSA talked among themselves. Yukari had managed to wrangle a town visit for the entire flight team, and had taken Cindy along.

For the last two weeks, she had been undergoing what would be considered hazing at Annapolis. Yukari had woken her up every morning when she and the flight teams began their daily PT, and the woman had known that Yukari was expecting her to keep up. So, she had. And that wasn't all. Yukari had gone the full distance for her.

She was given to Satsuki, who had run her thought the physical for flight. When she had tried to beg off, Yukari had innocently suggested that if she wanted to know about them, it would make sense to know how well they were cared for by their support staff. It was that remark that had made the officer certain that she was undergoing hazing.

When she had tiredly headed to the cafeteria with the flight crew, looking forward to some food, she had discovered the hazing wasn't close to over. When Yukari had introduced her to the woman who ran the cafeteria, the woman had flipped a chart in her hand, nodded to herself, and placed a tray before the woman. “This is it?” Cindy had asked, seeing how little was on the tray.

“Yes,” the woman had said, swiftly setting out trays for the rest of the flight program personnel. “Satsuki just sent over your calorie plan a half hour ago.”

“You do realize that I am not flying, right?” Cindy had wondered.

“You are on a controlled diet, so stop complaining and keep the line moving,” the head of the cafeteria had barked. Cindy had bit her lip and followed Yukari to a table. Looking at the food on the younger girls' plates, she realized that she was actually getting a little more than they were. Well, guess I won't have that extra ten pounds when I ship back, she had told herself. Being assigned to Naval Intelligence and working in a compartmented program had not helped her keep in shape. She tried to work out at least once a week, but it was not as easy as it had been when she was attending Annapolis or even as easy as when she was posted to fleet before finally getting transferred to Intelligence after she completed her post-grad work while serving in fleet.

It had not exactly surprised her when she had found herself planted in a seat in a discussion of a proposal that Akane had been working on. The greater part of the meeting was conducted in math. Sadly, she quickly realized that they were using a math she was not familiar with. Orbital deterioration curves, non-constant thrust equations, thermal loading formulas and point-intersect formulas were tossed back and forth as the group - consisting of Akane, Kotomi, Yukari, Chinami, Kinoshita, Nasuda and Mukai - mulled over some sort of theory about safely de-orbiting old or irreparable birds. She knew full well that she had no business sitting in on the meeting, but it occurred to her what Yukari was doing.

Yukari, she had quickly figured out, was actually cooperating with her mission. If she wanted to know about how things worked around the base, Yukari was going to show her - from the ground up. After the meeting, Cindy had asked the flight crews to teach her astronautics; at least enough so that she could understand what they were talking about. She had found herself spending an hour a night with Akane and Kinoshita, being taught in a manner she had not seen since Annapolis and Navy boot camp. Cindy considered herself lucky that she had always been ok with math, and it had only taken her about five sessions to get a workable grasp of the formulas and theories. As a reward, Yukari had stuffed her into the simulator and told her to put what she knew into practice. She had died six times in one hour.

It wasn't all one-way, though. Her very first day had been interesting. After a quick head-shed with her team, Yukari had re-introduced her to the head of security, the grim, quiet man all the girls just called `Kurosu-san'. He had coded her card for her door, then unlocked an arms locker in a room next to his office. To her surprise, she had found herself looking at two dozen M16A4s, a half-dozen combat Remington 870 shotguns, two dozen Glock 17s and a pair of Remington 700 precision rifles. A quick scan of the second locker showed a sufficient number of magazines and ammo for the arms locker.

Kurosu had unlocked a smaller locker inside the larger lock box, and Yukari and her team had pulled out pistols. Cindy had been surprised to see that they were not the same as the guns in the locker. As the group moved toward their firing line at the far end of the base, Yukari had told her a little about the situation with the guns. It didn't really surprise her that Norman and Wayne had gone above and beyond for these girls. Given the reports they filed and the interviews we had with them, they respect - and like - these girls, she recalled.

At the firing line, Kurosu had put targets up on the ten meter rack, then moved back to the girls. “Same as before, eighty two to pass, you stay until you do,” he had said simply. The girls broke up into lanes. Cindy watched how they handled their guns. She was honestly curious, since guns were not common in Japan, and even less so to teenage Japanese girls. Kurosu had seemed to know what she was thinking.

“Don't worry, they're safe,” he had assured her.

“You train them?” Cindy asked.

“Yes, though those two NASA guys re-trained them,” was all the man had said. The girls loaded their magazines.

“So, you military or police?” asked Cindy, casually.

“Senior master sergeant, JSDF,” the man had almost barked. “Facility security was my specialty, but I also taught recruits marksmanship and unarmed combat.”

“And now you are protecting astronauts,” Cindy subtly probed.

“Pay is better, location is nice, and the job needs doing - and doing right,” grunted Kurosu.

“And you get to be your own boss; more or less,” agreed Cindy.

“Cindy,” Yukari cut in, “you going to talk all day or shoot?” asked the girl, setting her last loaded magazine to the side, ready for her.

“I forgot to bring a gun,” Cindy replied easily. Kurosu pulled out his beloved Government model, offering it to her butt-first.

“Use mine, ma'am,” he offered. Seeing the girls watching her, she smothered a smile.

“If you insist,” complied the older woman, taking the gun and briefly inspecting it. God, he reminds me of a marine, thought Cindy, seeing the condition of the gun. She could eat off it, though the pistol was clearly heavily - and frequently - used. Looking at the gun, she saw that a few small parts had been replaced, and the sights were newer than the gun.

“She's dead on at ten meters, ma'am,” Kurosu had told her. Cindy had nodded, taking the lane next to Kotomi. When she was settled, the group donned their hearing protection and Kurosu gave the command to begin firing. Cindy took a calming breath, exhaled, and brought the Government up. She finished her magazine before the other girls had fired more than a shot or two. Buttoning the empty magazine out, she handed the gun back to Kurosu.

“I think you will find that I passed - by a comfortable margin,” Cindy smiled. Kurosu looked at the solid grouping that more or less obliterated the X ring. “You are absolutely right about it being dead on at ten meters,” noted the woman. The SSA astronauts were staring at her. “Didn't I mention it, girls? I am Expert-rated on rifle and pistol.”

Thinking back on that, Cindy smiled as she sipped her tea. So far, her initial assessment of the base and personnel were looking good. She filed interim reports nightly or every other night, depending, using her laptop and a DOD-sourced double encryption program. It was sufficient for her initial reports, but her final report would be typed up and delivered in person to her boss when she got back.

Looking and listening, she realized that she would need to check the town as well. It made her wonder at the relationship between Yukari and this Chinese restaurant, considering that the girl had figured out that it was likely a Chinese rocket that had nearly killed her and Akane almost a year ago. Clearly, Yukari and her crews are close to these two, but after what we have been seeing in the last ten years, I'm a little worried about this place, Cindy worried.

“Food's ready!” called the man, and moments later, Han Li was setting the first plates before the group.

“Han Li, right?” Cindy said to the girl as she set her food in front of her.

“Yes,” smiled the girl. She was barely older than the astronauts, Cindy guessing her age to be about twenty.

“How long have you been running this place?” asked Cindy, picking up her chopsticks and digging into the food. Mm, this really is incredible! she thought happily, tasting the perfectly cooked and seasoned food. “This is incredible,” added the American, smiling.

“Told you,” grinned Yukari, digging into her own food. Matsuri sneaked her chopsticks over to seize a shrimp off Yukari's plate. “Hey!” protested Yukari, though she didn't make any move to stop her kid sister from stealing food from her plate.

“About ten years,” Han Li said. “Chang opened this shortly before the base was built, and when business picked up, he asked me to come help him with the place.”

“Oh? Where did you live before moving here?” asked Cindy.

“Hong Kong, of course!” chirped Han Li. “Couldn't you tell by how good my English is?” grinned the girl. Cindy acknowledged the point with her cup of tea.

“Doesn't your family miss you, living down here in the Solomon Islands?” asked the navy officer.

“Chang is my closest relative,” Han Li said. “The rest of my relatives are in Hunan Province and a few in Guangxi Province.”

“Miss them?” Cindy wondered.

“No, not really,” shrugged the girl. “Like Uncle, I dislike the Party's policies. It is easier to live overseas.”

“Food ready,” Chang called out again, more plates landing on the table. Realizing that Yukari was staring at her as she ate, Cindy backed off, deciding to enjoy her meal instead. Besides, the food was good. That night, after the others were in their rooms, Cindy booted up her laptop, opened her program, and began to type. She had just clicked on the `send' button, throwing the locked and sealed document toward her boss's inbox when she heard a soft knock on her door. Almost instantly, she heard her door click open.

Yukari stepped into the room, her expression serious. A short, loose spaghetti-strapped tank top covered her chest, a thin, close-fitting pair of shorts on her hips. Cindy blinked. “What's up, Yukari?” asked the military woman. “Something wrong?”

“That's what I want to ask you,” Yukari said, watching the older woman closely. “Why are you going after Chang and Han Li like that?”

“What makes you…” began Cindy.

“Do me a favor, Cindy, and don't treat me like an idiot,” Yukari cut her off. “Is there a problem with Chang and Han Li?”

Cindy stared at Yukari for a long moment. Trust goes two ways, the voice of her first commanding officer came back to her. That little piece of advice had been nearly forgotten in the years in Naval Intelligence, where trust was virtually unknown. But this isn't Naval Intelligence, decided Cindy.

“You remember what you said to me, when you were at that convention in Washington?” Cindy said quietly. “About your theory of who might have shot at you and Akane?” Yukari nodded. “Tell me,” sighed Cindy, leaning back in her chair as she gestured an offer to Yukari to join her at the small table in her room, “how much do you know about Chinese intelligence networks?”

“Papaya, radio check,” came Matsuri's voice over her headset.

“Solomon, Papaya confirms radio check,” answered Yukari. “How does the weather look?”

“The break in the thunderstorms is closing,” Matsuri came back a moment later. “Kinoshita and old man Nasuda are discussing delaying the launch.”

Yukari touched her mute. “Akane?” she asked. Neither girl had their helmets closed, even though they were strapped into their capsule.

“If we delay, it's going to cause trouble with NASA and the ISS schedules,” warned her specialist. “And it will make us look bad at a time we can't afford to look like amateurs,” added Akane.

“Right,” Yukari smiled, nodding slightly. Releasing the mute, she spoke to her sister. “Matsuri, we're good to go here. Start pre-flight check and countdown, and let's get upstairs before the rain comes. Roger?”

“Ok, Yukari,” came back Matsuri's cheerful voice.

“Papaya, we copy you are in favor of launch,” Kinoshita's voice came over the radio. “Is that correct?

“Solomon, that is affirmative,” Yukari said. “Papaya powering up gyros and initializing mission program. Capsule is go flight, repeat, Papaya is go for flight, over.”

“Ok, Papaya, we'll get you up fast, then,” Nasuda said.

“Thanks, Solomon,” Yukari said, fingers moving over the controls even as Akane did the same. The two of them spoke only occasionally and usually in acronyms as they ran the checklist from memory, checking behind each other as they did the list. Over the radio, they heard ground checking in as each section reported ready.

“Papaya, the winds are picking up a little, you might hit some rough patches. Still want to go?” Matsuri asked over the radio.

“You hearing anything, sis?” asked Yukari.

“No,” replied her kid sister.

“Then send us up,” Yukari said firmly.

“'Kay! Countdown ready on your mark,” Matsuri chirped happily.

“Mark,” Yukari said, even as she hand-signaled Akane to close and lock her helmet.

“Ten,” Matsuri said immediately. Nine seconds later, the rocket under their capsule thundered to life, and the senior team headed upstairs once more, clocking in for another day at the office.

In the control room, Cindy was silently watching and listening as the launch went down. She was impressed with how professional, yet calm the SSA was. Not far from her, Akane was murmuring to Kotomi and Amari, who were intently studying Matsuri. Yukari had suggested to the two junior-most that they at least familiarize themselves with the job Matsuri usually did. They had taken that suggestion from their leader much like it was a commandment from god.

“Enjoying the show?” asked Nasuda, catching Cindy by surprise. She hadn't heard him slip into the control room.

“Seems like you have a well-oiled machine going,” replied Cindy.

Nasuda shrugged. “Always is until something happens,” was his nonchalant answer. “So, do you want to stay and watch the whole thing, or would you rather see something a little closer to you?”

“What do you mean?” wondered Cindy.

“I am going to assume that you know about Yukari's mother,” Nasuda replied blandly. “She's finished her sketches and plans for the expansion of the base, and I have approved them. Now, I am about to meet with the construction group who will be doing the work. Would I be correct in presuming that you would interested in sitting in on the meeting?”

“Yes, I would be,” Cindy confirmed, “though I wanted to see this mission, too.”

“No problem,” Matsuri spoke up. “If you want, I can call you when they start, or you can watch the log later.”

“Log?” Cindy wondered.

“We record everything from every mission in our archives - safety policy as well as archive resource - so everything you could see here during the mission can be brought up later, if you like,” explained Kinoshita.

“Really? That's handy,” Cindy smiled. “How are you set up for retrieving those records?”

“They are stored digitally in the servers, in a secure directory. I can arrange for you to access them from a secure connection,” Nasuda interjected. Cindy smiled.

“That will make things a lot easier,” she said. I want to see what happened to Yukari and Akane that time, Cindy made mental notes. If we had known that they had such an archive, we would have asked for a copy before, the lieutenant commander thought. “Would it be possible to get a copy of those records?” she asked.

“I am afraid that they are company confidential, miss Morgan,” Nasuda said. “No copies.”

“I understand,” assured Cindy. Might have to think about asking a favor from those geeky pricks over at No Such, mused the American. Of course, if the SSA is careless enough to leave their servers unprotected, then that brings up a whole different set of issues. “Look but not buy, right?” she smiled. Nasuda smiled back.

“Something like that, yes,” he nodded. “Shall we?” invited the head of the SSA, gesturing to the door. The two departed the control room, leaving the flight in the hands of the control team and the flight team high over head.

Above them, Yukari and Akane were approaching their rendezvous point. This was a mission first for them, since they were doing something new this time. As part of the project development program she had discussed with NASA, the two SSA astronauts would be exploring the feasibility of what NASA termed a `joint agenda technical mission'.

“Looks like the shuttle is already docked,” Yukari said, coming up on the ISS.

“Cargo bay is open and the launch netting is removed, too. Looks like we can get straight to work,” Akane agreed.

“That's good,” murmured Yukari. “ISS, this is Papaya, approaching for docking. Over.”

“Papaya, this is ISS, station commander Tebue speaking. Welcome to the ISS, Papaya. Over.”

“Glad to be here, ISS,” Yukari replied. “We have visual on the station and the shuttle. Looks like we're ready to work. Where do you want us to park, over?”

“Roger, Papaya,” came back the man's voice. “You can latch to the shuttle's arm, or if you prefer, there is a docking plate and airlock directly opposite the shuttle. Ladies' choice, over.”

“Roger that, ISS. Standby, over.” Yukari acknowledged. Switching to inter-capsule, she asked Akane what she thought would work better: the arm docking - which they had already done - or the docking plate by the air lock. After a moment of discussion, they chose the docking plate. “ISS, we're heading for the docking plate opposite the shuttle, over.”

“We confirm docking opposite shuttle by air lock, Papaya. Over,” came back commander Tebue. “Do you have an ETA for docking? Over.”

“Yes, ISS, we will be docked in about five minutes, over,” Yukari replied, already beginning their maneuvering.

“Roger that, Papaya,” answered the ISS. “Our team is pre-breathing now, over.”

“ISS, how long have they been in pre-breathe? Over,” Yukari frowned, Akane extending the arm of their capsule in anticipation of latching to the ISS docking plate.

“They started when Solomon confirmed launch commit, over.” answered the ISS.

“What?” blurted out Yukari. “ISS, can you confirm that pre-breathing was not commenced until you received launch commit from Solomon? Over.” Akane recognized the tone of voice of her partner.

“Oh, no,” murmured Akane. Yukari thinks they aren't taking us seriously again, the girl silently sighed.

“Roger that, Papaya,” confirmed the ISS, “our team and yours should be ready at about the same time, over.”

“ISS, we are ready to work right now,” Yukari bit out tightly. “Did that information not reach you, commander Tebue? Over.”

“The report from NASA mentioned a difference in pre-breathe time, Papaya,” the station commander came back, “but the difference should be negligible, over.”

“ISS, our program does not require any pre-breathing, do you copy? Repeat, zero pre-breathing for SSA astronauts. Over.”

“Er…we were under the impression that that was a little inter-agency horse-play, Papaya. NASA has been known to exaggerate a time or two, over.”

“Understood, ISS,” growled Yukari. Akane could practically see her eyebrow twitch. “For future reference, however, please be advised that we are a company, not an agency, and this is business for us. Now, what do you have that we can do while we wait for your team to finish pre-breathing? Over.”

“Our apologies, Papaya,” the man replied, his tone slightly embarrassed. “We will make note of that from here on. As for what you can do, I think the best course of action would be to come on into the station and let us show you around while our team finishes pre-breathing, since we have already staged everything, over.”

“Understood, ISS. See you shortly, over.” Yukari said, watching Akane deftly secure their arm to the docking plate. Once they were secure, the two closed and locked their helmets, depressurized the capsule and exited one-by-one, securing their lines as they went. Yukari took a moment to run an anchor strap from the Papaya to the docking plate, tugging on it to make sure it was closed before carefully maneuvering to the airlock with Akane.

It was the work of a moment to open the outer door, step into the lock, release their safety lines so the outer door could close, and allow the air lock to cycle. When the inner door slid open, they found a quartet of astronauts waiting for them. Akane and Yukari took off their helmets, tucking them under their arms. Dead silence greeted the two as the four stared at them.

“Problem?” asked Yukari, her voice carefully level and even. Akane was sure that if Satsuki were looking at their bio-readouts, Yukari's blood pressure would be up a little.

“Uh, no, of course not,” one of the astronauts managed. “It's just that those suits are…” he trailed off, groping for the right words.

“Silica-based proprietary formula,” supplied Yukari. “They form a seal to our skin, creating a micro-climate barrier which negates most of the effects of vacuum. Our packs do the rest. Due to their special composition and close-fitting nature, we are able to move and work far more efficiently in space, while maintaining pressure equilibrium in our bodies. Is that what you meant to say?” suggested the girl.

“Yeah, that was what I was going to say,” managed the astronaut.

“Thought so,” Yukari replied blandly. “So, how about that tour?”

“I was expecting this call,” chuckled the man on the other end of the line. Yukari grimaced, but didn't rise to the bait. “Things were a little rough up there, I take it?”

“Not so much rough as disorganized,” complained the girl angrily. “What the hell have you been telling astronauts from other agencies about us?!” she demanded.

“Our reports have been exactly accurate, Yukari,” Wayne assured her. “The problem is that until more astronauts work with you, they won't believe the reports about your suits, your skills or your abilities. It is as simple as that.”

“And you let me walk right into it,” muttered Yukari, clearly pissed.

“Would you have gone if you had known that you would be running into a group of people who thought you were a joke?” asked Wayne directly.

Yukari opened her mouth to say absolutely not, but paused. If I had known they would be jerks, I wouldn't have gone. If I hadn't of gone, they would have continued treating us as a joke. If they continue to treat us as a joke, our company will eventually be forced out of business, no matter how critical a service we provide. Damn it, why does it have to be so complicated?! “I get it,” she sighed, still unhappy, but no longer angry. “But you could have warned me,” she added.

“Would you have listened?” Wayne chuckled. Yukari unwillingly smiled a little.

“Probably not,” admitted the girl. “It's just…I though you said that Akane and I had made an impression at the conference - that our handling of China's little sword-rattling act had impressed the ESA and the Russian program.”

“It did,” confirmed Wayne, “but that was inside the atmosphere. There have been other companies that looked good in the atmosphere, but couldn't deliver in space. By and large, space programs tend to be an odd mix of high hopes tempered by low expectations.”

“Hope for the best, plan for the worst, right?” Yukari paraphrased. “Our head engineer once told me that spaceships were a collection of conservative technologies,” smiled the girl.

“Good analogy,” Wayne approved.

Yukari snorted. “And not an hour after that, he was pushing for a mid-project change of propellant - one that had blown up the last four tests,” laughed Yukari. “I was a little upset about that,” she sighed nostalgically.

“I think I've heard this story before. You went on a hunger strike because of that, didn't you?” Wayne chuckled.

“Yeah,” Yukari smiled, “But luckily for old man Nasuda - and me, too, I suppose - mom showed up and talked me into flying. Glad she did…” Yukari finished softly.

“So, I hear you got a tour of the ISS. How did you like it?” Wayne asked her.

“It was interesting, to say the least,” Yukari replied. “Akane was much more into it than I was, but then, she's geekier than me,” Yukari giggled softly. “Over all, though, I think we both prefer living on Earth and only visiting space; at least right now.”

“It could change?” Wayne asked.

“Maybe,” Yukari said. “I might consider a mission to the moon; or Mars,” she allowed. “But just living in LEO is not something I want to do. It's sort of like living in cave instead of a house, you know?”

“Yes, I can see you viewing it that way,” agreed Wayne. “However, this project is the first step toward a Moon base or a manned Mars mission, so you are already opening the door for such a choice.”

“I get what you are saying, Wayne,” Yukari replied, “the implications were pretty clear once NASA started talking to me instead of talking down to me. Why didn't they just put you or Norman in charge of the project from the start?” wondered the girl.

After the misfortunes the spirits had wreaked on the project manager and his assistant, NASA had ended up handing the interim coordination of the project to Wayne. He had not been happy about that, since it meant losing a seat on the upcoming shuttle mission, but he had realized the importance of getting the project off the ground. He had more or less drafted Gordon as his assistant, and threatened Norman and Louis with recommending them for assignment to the development team if they didn't help out.

She had spent five more days in meetings and development sessions at NASA before returning to the SSA to organize the joint mission she and NASA had worked out as a test bed. Now, back on Earth, Yukari was sitting under the brilliant stars on the sand of the cove, watching her flight teams frolic in the sea while she called Wayne.

“Hey, I signed up to fly Shuttle missions, Yukari, not shuffle papers,” Wayne replied. “Looking over those papers, I see that the mission went more or less as expected. Anything you or Akane noticed as you did it that didn't make the report?” he asked.

“How would I know what did or didn't make it into a NASA report?” scoffed Yukari. “I'll type up my own briefing later tonight and email you a copy if you want,” offered the girl. “It went pretty much like we talked about. The module was moved from the shuttle to the station by the robotic arm and the ISS team, while Akane and I connected it to the station and did the fine work under the direction of the ISS commander. Mission time was six and a quarter hours, while only three hours and eight minutes were needed to complete the job itself. Could have done it faster if the commander had been prepared like I asked him to be prepared,” Yukari found herself once more complaining.

“Easy, Yukari,” chuckled Wayne. “The station commander has many responsibilities, and therefore, many things to do. Do you think that the project will prove viable for the goals we discussed?”

“Sure,” Yukari agreed. “Using heavy-lift rockets to bring up craft and large-scale satellites for assembly in orbit shouldn't prove any real sort of problem, provided that the unique characteristics of space assembly are taken into account in the design stage. The biggest issue will be controlling the attitude of the pieces relative to each other as we work. Honestly,” sighed Yukari, “our current system is more for docking with a satellite and working on it than maneuvering large section into position and connecting them. We are going to need NASA's flight frames for that.”

“That is why we are looking at building them next to the ISS, and then moving them once they are built. Anything else stick out in your mind?”

“You remember what we were talking about? The idea of `space construction specialists'?” Yukari asked.

“Yeah, astronauts trained specifically for building trades in space, right?” Wayne confirmed.

“If this is going to work, we will need a team of them based on the ISS. About six, I think - three two-man teams or two three-man teams. For the moment, mission specialists with work experience should do ok - people like Norman - but we will want to look at people with construction experience using robotic arms, machine assemblers and remote construction robots. When we find them, they will need to be trained under the NASA program for flight; our program is too specialized and too focused on a particular profile mission to work for this.”

“Also,” continued Yukari, her mind on the issue at hand, “they will need to be trained to use your style of spacesuits, since they will be spending longer outside than we usually do, and will need the extra capacity and safety to make the most of orbital movers. Our suits are not as tough as yours, though they are more maneuverable and less restrictive.”

“You are saying that our basic template for these jobs is sound, right? We send up the big parts by heavy-lift rockets or the Shuttle, organize them by the ISS, and then your crew comes up and does the fine assembly, supported by our `construction specialists'.”

“That seems a workable template to me,” Yukari said. “I was thinking,” she mused, waving to Matsuri, “if this becomes a regular mission, we could adapt the new orbiter to a four-seat configuration. That would give us the option of a greater workforce per launch. If the tools and parts are already at the ISS, we could store them in a locker on the outside of the hull, so all we would do is run up to the station, dock, grab the tools or parts we need, and get right to work.”

“What you say makes sense, Yukari,” Wayne agreed. “Anything else?” he asked. Matsuri splashed out of the water of the cove, grinning in the light of the moon. Yukari knew what her sister wanted.

“Not off the top of my head, no,” Yukari said, standing, “look, I gotta go. I'll email you a brief with my thoughts later, ok, Wayne?” she said.

“Sure, Yukari,” laughed the man. “Enjoy yourself, and give the others my regards.” Yukari hummed, closing her phone and swiftly stripping off her short and shorts, dropping her phone on top of them even as Matsuri dragged her toward the water. Hugging Yukari to herself, Matsuri dove them both into the warm, clear water. When the two surfaced, Matsuri maintained her hug.

“Everything ok, Yukari?” asked her sister. Yukari smiled, hugging her kid sister back.

“Yes, Matsuri, everything's ok,” she assured her. “I think we need to start working on developing the new orbiter.”

“'Kay!” smiled Matsuri.

“But for now,” grinned Yukari, “let's just relax and enjoy ourselves.” With that said, Matsuri and Yukari separated, Yukari grabbing Akane and Kotomi while Matsuri seized Natsuko and Chinami. Amari barely evaded the native girl. For the next half hour, the flight team played under the light of the night sky.

Alarms blared as Yukari desperately worked on stabilizing a nasty shimmy in the orbiter. “Hull temperature exceeding thermal capacity!” warned Akane, also frantically working with Yukari to bring their ride under control.

“I know,” Yukari growled, “we have to stop this shimmy before…!” Everything went dead.

“Sorry, but you two just burned up over Australia,” came Matsuri's apologetic voice. Yukari scowled.

“Mukai,” she said tightly, “what the hell caused that shimmy when we did a re-entry adjustment burn?”

“Um, I'm not sure right now,” the man said slowly. “The CAD analysis of the new OMS system indicated that it shouldn't have started oscillating on the longitude axis, but the simulation program apparently indicates that something was missed,” he postulated.

“Software problem or hardware problem?” asked Yukari, making some notes on a small pad taped to the side of the capsule where their orbital charts would normally be clipped.

“Hard to tell, really,” admitted Mukai. “It could be a case of incorrect or inaccurate values being programmed into the simulation software, or it could be something that was overlooked in the design of the OMS system. Too much or too little pressure in a regulator line or vent geometry…”

“Whatever it is, we need to figure it out and fix it,” interrupted Yukari. “Akane?” she asked her specialist.

“Well, it was acting normal until we did that mid-entry angle adjust bump,” mused the girl, thinking hard, “Has the front-side geometry been checked against re-entry?”

“Three times,” Mukai confirmed. “I even sent the CAD model to NASA and they came up with the same results as our three simulations did.”

“I see,” Akane mused. “So, we can be pretty sure that it isn't geometry doing this, then. Which leaves either a faulty value set in the simulator controller, or a problem with the OMS system.”

“This capsule is not flying until we find all the gremlins,” warned Yukari. And even then, the first three or four flights will be Akane and I, she left unsaid. There was no way in hell she would risk her junior crews in a new capsule until she was sure it worked right.

“Calibrate the OMS in a burn test,” Akane said, her tone certain.

“What?” blinked Mukai and Yukari.

“Take the capsule over to the test range, strap it down, and burn the OMS. Check the calibration on the energy from each vent against what is in the simulator controller program. That will tell us if there is a problem with either or both,” explained the girl.

“Do you know how expensive that will be?” Mukai gaped.

“Cheaper than our lives, you mean?” asked Yukari dryly. Mukai closed his mouth. “Tell you what,” began Yukari, “for now, let's reset at orbit. This time, we will try an emergency de-orbit, straight in with no correction. If the gyration starts again, we'll pull both the controller software and the capsule, rethink and try again.”

“'Kay!” sang out Matsuri, who was manning the simulator controls. The simulation capsule rotated and the instruments showed them in prime orbit just above the ISS, moving toward a pole orbit. Yukari glanced at the watch on her wrist.

“Only have time for one run at this before we start pre-launch,” Yukari reminded everyone.

“Got it,” Akane said. Yukari checked her straps before taking the stick.

“Ok, let's kick this tin can,” smiled Yukari, flicking off the OMS safety even as she scanned the instruments to confirm her orbit. “Burn?” she asked Akane. Her specialist reeled off the numbers, Yukari punching it into the main computer before her fingers caressed the OMS control buttons, the capsule gracefully turning and rotating. “De-cel burn,” warned the girl, engaging the main OMS engine, killing their speed so they dropped into the gravity well.

“So far, so good,” Akane said, watching her instruments as Yukari did the same.

“Keep sharp back there,” Yukari murmured, flipping switches as she prepared to slice through the atmosphere. “It was good until that shimmy last time, remember?”

“I'm on it,” Akane assured her. In the control room, Cindy watched with great interest as the SSA crew worked the kinks out of their prototype capsule even in the middle of mission launches.

“Where are we going, again?” asked Cindy, brushing aside the thick jungle foliage. Ahead of her, Yukari was moving through the jungle, herding Kotomi and Amari in front of her, Matsuri leading the way.

“Just making a small trip,” Yukari said. “You said you wanted to look around, right?”

“Yes, but what are we going to see?” asked the woman. This is tougher than jungle survival training, thought the women.

“We're going to see the chief about some charms for our newest girls,” Yukari answered without answering. Kotomi and Amari had dutifully cut locks of their hair and given them to her dad several days before, and he had told Matsuri the last time she visited the village that the charms were powered up and ready to be linked to the two new girls. Cindy had foolishly expressed an interest in where the girls were going, and Yukari had dragged her along. She had also had Matsuri take them through the jungle instead of the easier way along the over-grown foot path.

“It's not too bad, Cindy-san,” Kotomi said from in front of Yukari, “our survival training was much worse; this part of the jungle is easy.”

“Easy?” muttered Cindy.

“Yes, easy,” Yukari said. “The southern jungle makes this place look like a park. Only Matsuri can move through there with any kind of ease or speed,” she explained.

The naval officer was silent for the rest of the journey. When Matsuri announced they were there, Cindy found herself looking at a smallish village of dark-skinned natives. “Daddy! We're here to get the charms!” called out Matsuri, scampering toward the largest hut, which sat in the center of the village.

“Matsuri! Yukari!” came a man's voice. A moment later, a skinny, bearded, wild-haired man emerged from the hut, waving a rough bottle. He was clearly tipsy and Cindy realized that he was not a Polynesian, but an Asian. Looking closely, she thought he might be Japanese. But if he is Japanese, why is he the chief of the village? wondered the woman. “Have a drink with your daddy!” he invited the group.

“What did I tell you about that, dad?” growled Yukari. “You have the spirit charms ready or what?”

“Yes, yes,” sighed the man, taking a pull from the bottle. He started to turn back toward the hut, but stopped, seeing Cindy. “Who's your friend?” he asked, staring at Cindy.

“Cindy Morgan,” Yukari said, “She an American visiting the base. Now where are the spirit charms, dad?” Cindy wondered if that last little bit was deliberate or not. The wild-looking man was still staring at Cindy. Yukari scowled at him. “Hey, drool on your own time!” barked Yukari.

Matsuri giggled as their father sighed, moving back into his hut. Cindy looked over at Yukari. “You called him `dad', didn't you?” she asked. Yukari sighed.

“Unfortunately,” Yukari replied. “He is my father, as well as Matsuri's father. Mom and him came here on their honeymoon, and he just up and walked off one night, leaving mom. Eventually, I came here to find out what happened to him, even though Mom said it was pointless. One thing happened after another, and…well, I got Matsuri and space out of the deal, so I guess I came out ahead,” Yukari smiled, grinning at her sister.

“You dad is a Japanese national, isn't he?” Cindy asked. Yukari nodded. “And this tribe,” she made a gesture.

“The Tariho people,” Matsuri supplied eagerly.

“The Tariho tribe,” Cindy corrected herself, “they're Solomon Islanders, right?”

“We are the Tariho people,” repeated Matsuri. “The others are Solomon Islanders, but that has nothing to do with us,” the girl stated. Yukari smiled.

“What she said,” parroted the older sister.

“Right,” Cindy agreed blandly, “so I wonder how it came to be that a Japanese man ended up as chief of a native tribe.”

“The spirits brought him here,” Matsuri said. “Grandfather - the chief before daddy - had a dream one night, and the next morning, daddy was standing in the village. So strong were the spirits with him that grandfather named him the next chief and mom married him that day.”

“Along with about a half-dozen others,” Yukari muttered.

“Of course - he is strong with the spirits,” Matsuri answered Yukari's unintentional commentary. “And he is very knowledgeable about the outside world, too! Many families wanted to join their line with his.”

“I'll bet,” Yukari grunted. It occurred to her then that her anger - even all strong feelings about her father - had faded away in the time she had been at the SSA. I think I understand now, Mom, thought the girl. Looks like I have moved past him, too. It was both a relief and a slight disappointment to realize that.

It was then that the man in question emerged once more from his hut, a fresh bottle in one hand, two small dolls in his other. “Here are the charms,” he said. Just then, his foot slipped on the bamboo ladder. In spite of his inebriated state, he managed to turn the fall into an ass-landing on the rung below the one he had slipped on. Yukari smirked.

“Is he…” Cindy murmured to Yukari.

“Always drunk to some degree?” supplied the girl. “As long as I have known him, yes,” she answered. “He's also probably been smoking some of the local plants, too,” she recalled.

“Just Spirit Tree Leaf and some Dream Sap,” Matsuri answered. “It helps him communicate better with the spirits,” the girl insisted.

“I don't want to know,” Yukari held up one hand.

“Have you ever used either?” Cindy asked the tanned native girl. Before Matsuri could answer, Yukari pressed her hand to Matsuri's mouth. Turning to stare at Cindy, she answered for her sister.

“I said I didn't want to know, Cindy,” she repeated herself. “You have been given access to our medical records, which include blood work and screening. Whatever Matsuri may or may not do here is separate from her work at the SSA. Leave it there, ok?” warned the girl. “And in any event, it is traditional - probably religious, too - in her tribe.”

Cindy held up her hands. “Hey, just curious,” she backed off. Yukari gave a half-shrug, approaching her father, who had watched the exchange with a grin.

“She's really cute,” he said to Yukari, once more watching Cindy. The American military woman was wearing khaki jungle shorts and a tight tee shirt, a floppy jungle hat on her head and a belt around her waist that supported a canteen, compass and sheathed machete. Her feet were comfortably housed in a pair of broken-in jungle hiking boots.

“She's not your type,” Yukari replied, taking the dolls. “Which goes to who?” asked Yukari, inspecting the spirit charms closely. As with her own charm, they were hand-stitched and carefully made. The dark circle that formed the `face' of the pointed-ears head seemed to stare back at her.

“The one on the left goes to the serious girl,” her dad said, pausing to take a long pull from his bottle. Before he could finish, Yukari had spun on her heel and almost marched back to her junior flight crew.

“Kotomi, this one is yours,” she said, handing one of the two to Kotomi. “And Amari, you get this one,” she finished. “Keep them close, and never fly without them on the instrument panel,” ordered the senior astronaut. Both girls swiftly attached the charms to their cell phones.

“And don't lose them, either,” Akane warned, smiling. Both girls nodded.

“What if someone steals them?” asked Amari. Yukari and Matsuri exchanged a look.

“They will regret it,” Yukari smiled a very odd sort of smile.

“Anything in particular we need to do for them?” wondered Kotomi, absently caressing her new charm.

“Not really,” Yukari said. “I tend to check on mine each evening and morning,” offered the girl. Both her young astronauts nodded. It wasn't like they hadn't had dolls before; though they got the strangest feeling that these were not like any dolls they had ever had before.

“Let's have a drink to celebrate!” suggested her father eagerly. Yukari turned to glare at him.

“We're under-age, dad,” she reminded him acidly. “Besides, I think you have had enough for all of us already,” sniped the girl.

“How about you, Cindy?” he asked, moving over to the Naval officer.

“I don't know,” she began. Yukari glanced at the bottle in her father's hand.

“That sake or local brew?” asked his first-born daughter.

“Some sake with a little local,” replied her father. “You should try some,” he added, offering the bottle once more to his daughter.

“Cindy, you should try some,” Yukari suggested. “Wayne and Norman liked it,” she added. Cindy hadn't heard that part before. “Besides, you aren't flying, so why not take the chance to learn more about this exotic tropical island?” suggested Yukari, her eyes crinkling slightly behind her sunglasses. “Hey, Matsuri, is there any of that stuff we had at the festival around?” she asked her sister. Matsuri smiled.

“There should be,” answered her sister, starting to scamper off. Yukari grabbed her sister's hand.

“You all stay here - we'll be back in a bit,” she ordered her flight crew before running off with her sister. Matsuri checked a strange hut to the side of the others, rummaging around in some hand-made and manufactured storage jars, pots and containers. Once she was sure they were alone, Yukari had a question for her sister. “Hey, Matsuri,” she said quietly, touching Matsuri's shoulder, “I've been meaning to ask you about something.”

“Sure!” chirped her sister, turning to face her squarely.

“You said your charm was tattooed on you. Where is it? And how big is it?” wondered Yukari. Matsuri smiled even wider.

“You want one?” she asked eagerly.

“I didn't say that!” hissed Yukari, glancing at the door. “It's just…well, I might consider getting one; after what happened to this guy and all,” she said, once more caressing her charm. “But it depends on where it goes and how big it is - and if it hurts too much, too.”

“It doesn't hurt at all,” Matsuri said, swiftly moving her clothes aside so she could show her sister her charm tattoo. Yukari stared at the tattoo for a long moment. It wasn't big, but it wasn't exactly small, either. About the size of a fig, it was a very strange, vaguely geometric tattoo in dusky blue ink of some kind. From the location, Yukari wondered how it could not hurt to get one. She said as much. “It only took three hours to make it,” Matsuri said easily.

“Three hours?” breathed Yukari, studying the tattoo. No way could that `not hurt'! she thought. Matsuri nodded. “And you say it didn't hurt?” wondered her older sister.

“Not at all. It felt kind of tingly, actually,” giggled Matsuri. “Mom and some of the other women were there, singing and watching, so it was more like a party.” Yukari couldn't quite grasp that thought. “We can get yours done today, if you like,” Matsuri suggested eagerly. “We already have the flight teams here, and…!”

“Um, not yet, ok, Matsuri-chan? I don't think I'm…ready for that,” finished Yukari. Matsuri looked at her for a moment before pulling her into a hug.

“I will always be here for you, sister,” Matsuri said. Yukari blinked.

“What are you talking about, Matsuri?” she wondered. Matsuri held her close.

“I am worried about you, Yukari,” said the girl quietly, her lips next to Yukari's ear.

“Worried about me? Why?!” blurted out Yukari. If anything, Matsuri is the one who needs to be worried about! she thought, confused. I'm the older sister, after all!

“You seem to be uneasy with yourself, Yukari,” Matsuri said. “I thought maybe it was just the wrong moon for you when you asked me to send those young men away during the first festival, but I am beginning to think something is wrong with your inner self.”

“Because I didn't want to have an orgy, you're worried something is wrong with me?!” sputtered Yukari, shocked nearly insensible.

“What's an orgy?” wondered Matsuri. Yukari opened her mouth, paused, shut her mouth and shook her head instead.

“Never mind, sis,” she said, hugging Matsuri back. “I'm fine - really! It's just that I am a little busy with other things, and have responsibilities, that's all.”

“I can sense your unease, Yukari,” Matsuri said. “You have something keeping you from becoming your true self. I want to help you.”

“True self?” murmured Yukari. What is she talking about now? wondered a totally lost Yukari. “Anyway, you do help me, Matsuri, and I will be fine,” insisted Yukari. “Right now, put your clothes back on right and let's go check on the others.”

“Yukari…” Matsuri said, clearly not ready to let it go yet.

“Tonight, Matsuri,” Yukari said, caressing her sister's cheek, “we'll talk privately tonight, ok? I have a few questions myself,” she added.

“'Kay!” chirped her sister. Moments later, the two were back to their search for the drink Matsuri had given the girls at the last festival. It took them a little longer to run some down, and by the time they returned, Yukari saw that her dad had somehow managed to get Cindy to take more than a taste of his brew. The American woman seemed a little off-balance.

Two hours later, the girls had to help a vaguely tipsy Cindy back to the base. By the time they had reached the base fence, Cindy was noticeably unsteady on her feet. When the guard asked if she was all right, Yukari had assured him that Cindy was fine, just getting to know the local scene a bit better. Once they had the lieutenant commander tucked into her bed, Yukari tended to some administrative tasks, her teams reviewed their assignments, checked for any changes in the mission load, took a swim in the cove, then hit the sack. As promised, Yukari and Matsuri had a long talk. It was often embarrassing for Yukari, and also often a little confusing for both girls. But by the time that they turned in for a few hours sleep, both girls felt closer than before the talk.

“What happened to you, Cindy?” asked Satsuki, seeing the American woman carefully maneuver herself into her office.

“Yukari and her crew tricked me into trying some of whatever it is that her father drinks,” groaned Cindy. “I'm really not feeling very good this morning,” added the woman.

“You don't look so good this morning,” Satsuki hid her smile. “Let's see what I can do about that,” added the head of the medical staff at the SSA. She helped Cindy to one of the beds, settling her on top of the sheets before moving to her cabinets. “You have any allergies I should be aware of?” asked Satsuki.

“No,” replied the woman, grimacing as she rubbed her temples. “At least not any that I am aware of,” she allowed. Could be something native here that has it in for me, though, realized the officer. “You ever try any of that stuff, Satsuki?” she asked the doctor.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Satsuki said. “Was he drinking sake or some of that native brew?” Satsuki asked.

“Um, sake and brew mixed, I think,” Cindy tried to recall. Satsuki shook her head sympathetically.

“Sucks to be you, I guess,” she smiled. Cindy gave her a narrow look. Satsuki pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number. Speaking softly for a moment, she ended the call. “Fortunately for you,” continued Satsuki, “Hiroshi-kun wasn't drinking the really strong stuff.”

“Strong stuff?” Cindy wondered. Satsuki hummed, rummaging in her drug locker.

“The Tariho have a native drink that they sometimes have on special occasions. It will lay you out flat for days if you have a cup of that stuff. A little sake mixed with the normal fermented juice I can handle.”

“So the juice was fermented,” Cindy mused. “Any idea how strong it is - before factoring in the sake?”

“Hmm. As a guess, I would say his normal brew is about one hundred thirty proof. But it isn't just the alcohol in there. Something about the plants they use and the way they ferment it creates an odd molecule that interacts with the neural chemistry in unusual ways.”

“Drug?” suggested Cindy.

“By definition, yes, but not in the way you likely mean it,” Satsuki said, moving back toward Cindy, a small cup of pills in one hand, a similar cup filled with a thick, opaque liquid in the other. “Pills first, then the activator solution, and finally, drink at least two liters of water by early afternoon to flush out your system,” directed the doctor.

Cindy looked at the pills. “What are those, exactly?” she asked, a little suspiciously.

“Something for the pain, something to replenish the vitamins and minerals your body has lost to the drinking, a little stimulant to keep you going for most of the day and little something for your immune system,” cataloged Satsuki. “Plenty of water and a good night's sleep tonight and you should be perfectly fine tomorrow.”

Cindy hesitated for only a moment before taking the pills, tossing them back, then taking the thick liquid and swallowing it in one go. The taste was something she tried not to dwell on, forcing herself to swallow it all. When she looked at Satsuki again, she found the doctor offering her a cool bottle of water. Cracking the top, she took a long pull from the bottle, glad to wash the taste of the medicine out of her mouth.

“So,” she said, sighing happily, “how much interaction do you all have with the Tariho people?”

“Before Matsuri joined us, practically none,” Satsuki said. “This site was selected because it was nearly entirely uninhabited and in an advantageous location for space shots. The government of the Solomon Islands asked the Tariho, but they didn't care so long as we didn't disturb the spirits; and didn't try to take their village from them.”

“We had barely begun building the base when Hiroshi - Yukari's father - wandered out of the jungle. He warned us the spirits were strong here, and to be careful not to offend them. By the time we had finished the base, we had met the Tariho tribesmen, but they weren't interested in us, and since they didn't have a space program, we tended to ignore them.”

“We got the LS5A running, but the payload problem pushed us to develop the LS7. The spirits must have been in a playful mood, because we never got one flying until Yukari came here, Matsuri following her sister. Yasukawa-kun just wasn't cut out to be an astronaut, but Yukari, Matsuri and Akane? Since then, things have worked out pretty good.”

“But even so, aside from Hiroshi bumming drink and cigarettes from us, and Matsuri visiting home, we don't have a lot of interaction with the Tariho. Of us all, the flight teams are the only ones with regular contact with the natives; which makes sense, considering that Yukari and Matsuri have a connection to them, and the rest of flight follow their lead.”

“They said something about the NASA men visiting the village?” prompted Cindy. Satsuki smiled.

“Yes, Wayne and Norman ended up being invited to the yearly festival. It was certainly educational for them,” grinned Satsuki.

“I also heard mention of a `spirit dance' recently,” noted the visitor. “Seems like the flight program attended, along with you and Motoko.”

“Yes,” nodded Satsuki. “It was…interesting.”

“From what I saw and heard yesterday, I can't help but wonder if the customs of the Tariho tribe pose a risk to the health of SSA personnel,” mused Cindy.

“In what way?” asked Satsuki.

“Aside from the drinking and possible drug use?” Cindy asked rhetorically. Satsuki's expression didn't change, but Cindy sensed that she was pushing it with the doctor. “Do you know if there is a risk of diseases passing between the groups?”

“We haven't had a problem with it yet,” Satsuki said. “Besides, all our personnel are vaccinated against nearly every disease known in this part of the world.”

“Does that include STDs?” Cindy asked.

“Exactly what are you saying, Cindy?” asked Satsuki.

“I'm asking if you screen your pilots for possible infections,” Cindy said firmly. “An STD could take a crew off flight at a critical time, not to mention spreading if unchecked.”

Satsuki stared at Cindy. “The girls are all given regular, thorough checks to catch any such problems.”

“Any monitoring done of their activities off base?” Cindy asked. Satsuki turned back to her medicine lockers, re-locking them.

“No,” said the woman flatly. “And we don't tell them how to live their lives any more than what is strictly necessary for them to work here, either.”

“Pretty risky,” Cindy noticed. “Do you have any plans in place for when the girls become sexually active? If they aren't already, of course.”

“Week one, day three of medical inspection of perspective recruits,” Satsuki quoted, “physical examination, brief verification of appropriate understanding of sexual education principals, and notification of available contraceptive means.”

“Such as?” Cindy asked.

“I keep a pillow-sack of condoms with me,” Satsuki said sarcastically, “and throw them like beads at Mardi Gras every couple of days.”

“That all?” asked the officer.

“That is all that concerns you,” Satsuki said. “Anything more is privileged information.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning we're done with this topic,” said Satsuki. Cindy sighed softly. She knew what that meant: any further information would have to come from the girls - and she suspected that they weren't going to be all that forthcoming about anything not involving flight.

“You going to lie there all day or come see something that might interest you?” Jerking, Cindy twisted her head around, seeing Yukari standing in the door to the medical evaluation room, an indecipherable look on her face. Bringing herself upright, she stood.

“Coming,” Cindy said, finding that the drugs were working and she was feeling - if not human - at least somewhat alive. How long was she there? wondered the woman.

“Hey, Yukari,” Cindy called, tossing her towel over a hook and moving into the shower area on the flight team's floor. She had just finished the morning exercise cycle with the flight teams and eaten breakfast, so the girls were showering off the sweat before beginning their normal work assignments.

“Yeah?” Yukari answered, taking the shower next to Cindy's.

“Are you serious about taking up the experimental capsule tomorrow?” asked the American. Yukari nodded.

“Yes,” confirmed the girl. “And we're going to do a test docking with the ISS under administrative protocol, the better to test our procedure. Any problems need to be found and addressed before I let anyone else fly the new capsules.”

“I still think you should take me with you two,” Natsuko spoke up. “It's a three-person design, right? So shouldn't it be tested with three live people in it?”

“Forget it, Natsuko. Same for the rest of you all,” Yukari cut that debate right off - just like she had every time before since she had mentioned that she and Akane were ready to try the new capsule in space trial. “I've already told you the reason we're not taking anyone else, and that is final - so save your breath.”

“You're hogging all the good jobs,” pouted Chinami. Sounds of support came from the rest of the flight team - even from Matsuri. Yukari was having none of it.

“That's life - deal with it, girls,” she said remorselessly, ducking under the shower in preparation to shampoo her hair. “Besides, you have a job tomorrow morning, upgrading the signal converter box on that TV satellite. You two ready for it?”

“Last three runs in the sim were perfect,” Chinami said. Natsuko nodded.

“Flight and intercept are milk runs, boss,” the other half of her second flight crew backed up her partner. Yukari turned to stare at the girl. “But, we're going to practice it again today,” capitulated Natsuko. Yukari resumed her shampooing.

“Kotomi, I want you and Amari to swing by medical once you're done here, then you two are going to be practicing running the simulator. You were a little rough last time, Amari. After lunch, Akane and I are going to begin familiarizing the rest of you with the first-draft of the manual for the new orbiter, so we'll be in the conference room. Come prepared to take notes and ask questions.”

“Hai!” chorused the girls.

“If things go right tomorrow, you can all expect to start training in the simulator the day after,” revealed Yukari just before she ducked her head under the showerhead to rinse away the shampoo. Excited squeals filled the room. Beside the girl, Cindy found herself once more assessing Yukari. It had been three days since Yukari asked her if she wanted to see something that might interest her. She had spent the next four hours watching Yukari and Akane try their damnedest to break the simulator for the new orbiter. Each time they managed, they had emerged from the mock-up long enough to furiously jot down notes and rattle off orders to Mukai and his team. Cindy smiled as she recalled that the exercise had only ended when Yukari had decided that Mukai had enough to do.

“I take it that he says he got everything working?” she asked Yukari.

“He said it is all done, tested, and re-tested,” Yukari said, beginning to lather up some body wash. “We'll find out for sure tomorrow,” added the girl, scrubbing herself clean. Cindy nodded, likewise washing herself off. One thing about being here, thought the woman happily, I'm getting tanned and I've lost fifteen pounds already! From her morning exercise, she was already feeling a lot better; and her next physical would be a piece of cake.

Yukari rinsed off, pausing as her fingers ran along her pubic bone. Frowning, she reached into her bath basket and pulled out a small tube of shaving gel and a razor. Cindy had noticed that none of the flight team had any body hair, and she had heard passing remarks about them keeping themselves `bare', so she knew what Yukari was doing.

Across from Yukari's position, Akane was already rummaging for her own shaving gel and razor. On Yukari's far side, Matsuri was humming happily as she carefully removed stubble from her own body. Seeing this, the other four girls swiftly followed the lead of their sempais. After a moment of thought, Cindy glanced at Yukari. “Can I borrow some shaving gel?”

Yukari handed her the small can of gel. Cindy quickly lathered up and began to remove her own body hair. She had done it before, of course. But not in years. Not since Annapolis, in fact, Cindy mused. She smiled. Well, the girls here have been on target so far; and honestly, the heat and humidity here were making me a little uncomfortable. This should be cooler.

“Cindy,” Yukari said quietly, finishing up her own grooming, “what would you say to trying out a little capsule training?”

“Welcome, welcome, Yukari!” sang out Chang. “Please be seated!”

“Hey, Chang, Han Li,” smiled Yukari, entering the restaurant. Behind her came her mother, Akane, Matsuri and Cindy. “There will be some more along in a bit,” Yukari warned Han Li.

“No problem,” smiled the woman. Glancing around the small restaurant, Yukari saw that there were a few other patrons there. Some local fishermen, a few other business owners, and a couple of men in suits. Yukari - recalling the last time a stranger had been in Chang's - touched Han Li's arm. When Han Li leaned in close to her, she asked who the suits were.

“They are business men from Hong Kong,” Han Li said, keeping her voice low. “Their card said they are in the movie business,” she added.

“What do they want here?” Yukari wondered. “It's not like we're going to let them shoot a movie on base; or even near it,” she warned. Han Li shrugged.

“Didn't say anything about wanting to talk to you all,” she murmured before moving off.

“Not everything is about the SSA, hmm?” suggested her mother, smiling at Yukari. Blinking, Yukari laughed softly.

“No, I suppose not, mom,” she said, sipping her green tea. In short order, the group was joined by the rest of the flight team, and after a good meal and some casual talk, the group settled their bill and began to depart. Cindy lagged behind, saying she had to visit the bathroom before they headed back to base.

As they waited outside, Yukari saw Han Li slip out the door, her hand holding a take-out box. “Your boss called and asked me to give you this - he wanted some Lo Mein and dumplings, and since you were already here, he said you would take it back to him,” explained the girl. Yukari rolled her eyes, taking the take-out box from the girl.

“Stupid old man,” sighed the girl. “Got it, Han Li,” Yukari said. Han Li offered her an apologetic smile. “What?” Yukari began, only to suddenly scowl. “He said I would pay for it, too, right?”

“Sorry, but yes,” Han Li gestured an apology. Yukari grunted.

“I ought to just cancel the order,” muttered Yukari, “but it wouldn't be fair to make you take the loss, so what's the damage?” asked the astronaut, digging in her snug short's front pocket. Her mother handed the Chinese girl a few folded bills.

“I have this, Yu-chan,” smiled her mother. Yukari smiled at her.

“Thanks, mom,” she said. Hiroko patted her daughter's head. “Where is Cindy?” wondered the girl.

Inside, Cindy was chatting with the two suits. “So you can't get me Chow Yun Fat's autograph? Aw…!” she complained. “I heard you were in the movies in Hong Kong, and I thought maybe you could get me Chow's autograph. I'm a big fan of him!” she giggled. “How about John Woo? Could you maybe tell me how to meet him? I would love to audition for a part in his next movie - even if it's just as an extra! He is so talented…!”

“As I said, we are a small company compared to those that came before,” one of the men said, “though we hope to become as famous as our brethren studios. We are actually here looking for the right location for our very first motion picture.”

“Wow! Here? You're going to be shooting at the base, then?” gushed Cindy.

“Ah, maybe next project,” the other man begged off. “Our first movie is a story of love, lust and betrayal in the great age of discovery. We are looking for an isolated beach - perhaps even a native village that has not become too modernized - to film the segments of the tall ships landing on various islands.”

“So you're doing a romance film, then? And one with sailing ships and natives? That's so awesome! Hey! Could I be in it?!” she asked. “Even if it isn't a lead role, it'd still be a movie, right? So I could tell my friends from school that I'm a movie star!”

“We're just scouting locations right now,” the first man said, “the main cast has been assembled, but we won't be ready to start shooting for some weeks - if this location is even selected,” he qualified.

“That's ok,” Cindy burbled, “I'll be in the Solomons for a couple more months. Maybe I could audition with the director - if he picks this location?” she suggested. The two men glanced at each other.

“I suppose we could pass that along to him,” the second allowed.

“Great!” squealed Cindy. “Do you have a card or a phone number or something? I can give you mine, so you can get in touch with me,” offered Cindy, fumbling for a pen before grabbing the small napkin off their table and writing down a number. The first man reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a business card, glancing at it before handing it to her.

“This is the number to our main office in Hong Kong,” he said, Cindy taking the card. “You can call and ask for Bruce Yu Chin - that's me - or for Ton Yi Won. They should be able to connect the call for you.”

“Thanks,” cooed Cindy, tucking the business card into her top, winking at the two before sauntering toward the door. She passed Han Li coming back in. Outside the door, Cindy quickened her step, moving to the far side of the SSA vehicle before slowly opening the door, her gaze fixed on Chang's restaurant; in particular on the window next to the door.

“Cindy?” came Yukari's voice.

“Yes, Yukari?” Cindy murmured, easing into the light armored vehicle while maintaining her focus on the window. After a moment, she settled in, flicking her hand at Kurosu, who was playing taxi driver. He had brought the second wave of SSA personnel to Chang's, while Yukari and her group had come out with Yasukawa in his taxi. He had come back when Yukari texted him that they were finishing up.

“Something wrong?” Yukari asked her, the take-out box on her lap.

“Probably not,” Cindy denied. “What's with the box?”

“Old man Nasuda called in an order,” Yukari snorted delicately. “Stuck us with the bill, too. Stupid old man,” she complained habitually. Cindy eyed the box.

“I'll take it to him, if you want,” she offered. “Didn't you say you wanted to talk to Mukai when you got back? About the change in the new capsule's control layout?”

“Yeah, I do need to talk to him about that,” Yukari murmured. She had discovered that the position of the main control panel and the display for the main flight computer was not quite right. In the simulator, it wasn't very noticeable, but in space, it had been. Not enough to be a risk, but not as comfortable as the older Mangosteen series capsules. She was pretty sure that raising the central control cabinet a couple of centimeters and shifting the display a few centimeters to the left would make it much easier to work with in space, but wanted to talk with Mukai and the build team, both to make sure that they were all on the same page and to make sure that such a change wouldn't cause other problems to arise. “Go ahead and take the old man his food,” Yukari said, sliding the box over to Cindy. Cindy took it, smiling.

When they got to the base, the group broke up as they exited the vehicle. Cindy headed toward the administration building, take out box in hand. When she entered the building, she paused, opening the box and looking it over. After a short debate with herself, she went ahead and took it to Nasuda's office. Nasuda eagerly dig into the food. Cindy made small talk for a bit before excusing herself.

Heading back to her room in the dorm, she booted up her laptop. Pulling the business card from where she had tucked it in her top, she set it beside the keyboard. Opening up her browser, she logged into the Wi-Fi network the SSA maintained. Bringing up her search engine, she quickly checked on the movie studio the two claimed to be from.

Two hours later, Cindy closed out all her open programs and logged out of the Wi-Fi network. Pulling a small flash drive from her sea bag, she plugged it into a USB port and waited. A moment later, the program installed on the flash drive finished loading. The officer entered her two-stage cipher pass, waiting a moment while the program set up, then quickly typed out a detailed report. Reviewing it, she confirmed that all her concerns, thoughts, suspicions and hypotheses were included.

Finished, she activated the program. Creating a primary key, she waited as the program completed the first stage. With that done, she created a secondary key that fit the randomly-generated encryption challenge. The program on the flash drive finished the cycle, and terminated itself. Unplugging the drive, she tucked it back away. All that was left was to log back into the network and send the email to her boss. Unlike normal, however, she used a different email address - one that would automatically tell her boss that the message was priority and contained secure data.

“Coming up on docking point,” Akane reported. Yukari checked her instrumentation.

“Got it, Akane,” she confirmed. “We're twelve seconds early, too,” grinned the senior flier of the SSA. Akane giggled softly. “Atlantis, this is Papaya, do you read?”

“Papaya, this is Atlantis, we read you loud and clear, and we have you visually. You are looking good for docking.”

“Roger that, Atlantis,” confirmed Yukari. “Where are you all at in terms of EVA readiness?” she asked.

“Five minutes until pre-breathe is complete and we are EVA, Papaya,” came back the reply. “Also, the ISS has reported that the tool lockers have been fastened to the outside, and we can begin to fill them as necessary, copy?”

“I copy,” confirmed Yukari. “We're going to be docking in just a few seconds, Atlantis,” she warned the shuttle.

“We're ready when you are,” came back the reply. Yukari touched her mute button.

“All yours, Akane-chan,” she said. Her specialist brought up the arm camera display on her screen, her hand gripping her manipulator control stick even as she verified the ratio setting for the controller.

“I got it,” Akane said, her attention focused on the display. “Three, two, one,” counted down the girl. “Docked,” she said, closing the clamp on the end of the Shuttle's arm. “Servo lock engaged, relatives all zero,” smiled Akane.

“You are getting to be old hand at this,” Yukari praised her partner. Akane blushed a little. It always made her feel a little embarrassed when Yukari praised her like that. “So, let's put her in stand-by and get out there.”

“Hai!” chirped Akane, she and Yukari flipping a few switches. With the capsule in stand-by, they were ready. Yukari released her belts, reaching up to un-dog the capsule's hatch. As she did, Akane handed her the ends of her safety-line coil. Once the capsule door was open, Yukari held the dogging wheel firmly with one hand while her other clipped one end of her line to the line stanchion just inside the hatch. Once she had tugged on it to confirm that it was secured, the other end of the line was clipped to her safety tab on her suit.

The safety tab was a specially-made part of the suit. A harness of thin but extremely strong woven fiber had been crafted into the suit, the tab protruding from a special gusset. Prototype versions of the SSA suit had the safety line clipped to the support pack, but Nasuda and Kinoshita had had concerns about the actual wisdom of that, and had asked Motoko to come up with an integral option. After some experimenting, she had found a way to build the safety harness directly into the suit.

With leg loops, chest loops and waist loops, the integral harness securely held the astronaut to the ship. Motoko had said - almost eagerly - that the girls' bodies would disintegrate before the harness material failed. Yukari was both reassured and concerned by that proclamation. All that and you can hardly see a single line through the suit, thought Yukari, tugging on her end of the safety line to confirm it was secure before moving out so Akane could emerge.

Yukari used a toe and a finger to hang just outside the hatch. She watched Akane mirror her own movement, securing and testing her line before emerging from the capsule. Together, the two moved down the arm, toward the cargo bay. Each girl had two more coiled, ready safety lines secured to their packs, and when they reached the cargo bay, they paused to pull out a new safety line coil, clipping it to the Shuttle's safety rail. It was then just a matter of changing over the line clipped to their safety tabs.

Leaving the lines to their capsule floating serenely by the robotic arm base, the two moved toward the component they were supposed to be connecting to a second component that had been lifted to orbit the week before. Above and to the left, the ISS floated. It seemed close, though it was more than a kilometer up and two away. She was sure that the station staff were crammed into whatever module gave them the best view of the mission, binoculars to their eyes.

Pushing that thought from her mind, she turned to look at the service hatch, which had opened, first one, then another heavy-suited astronaut emerging into the bay area. “Hey, looks like we're ready to get started,” Yukari called to them, she and Akane floating just off the deck of the cargo bay.

“Ready when you are,” came back a voice over the radio. “I'm Tom, senior mission specialist, by the way,” said the first astronaut, waving a hand. “Looking forward to working with you,” he added.

“Yukari, Mission Commander,” Yukari replied. Tapping her arm, she indicated the pink chevron under her name on her right arm. “So you can tell who is who, I'm pink.”

“Ok,” confirmed a new voice. “I'm Tyrone, mission specialist assisting. Pleased to meet you.”

“I'm Akane, mission specialist,” Akane introduced herself. “I'm blue,” added the girl, pointing to the blue chevron below her name on her arm. The girls also had matching color bands below their names on their breasts, too, in addition to chevrons on the arms, legs and the rear of the helmets.

“You can tell us apart by the red line on Tom's helmet, girls,” Tyrone said, pointing to the thick, bright red line on the top of Tom's helmet.

“Seems simple enough,” nodded Yukari. “If you want to get started with extracting the module, Akane and I will start with checking the pre-lift module,” suggested Yukari. In moments, the two teams were hard at work, trying their first real-life build job.

Yukari exhaled, breaking the surface of the water in the cove, having swum underwater from the beach to mid-cove. “Ah!” sighed the girl, rolling to float on her back. Matsuri swam up to her, grinning. Not far from Yukari, Akane was swimming with Kotomi and Amari while Chinami and Natsuko were horsing around a little farther out.

It had been a week since the first construction job, and while there had been some snags and some unanticipated issues, Yukari was feeling very good about the project. Yes, some fine-tuning would be necessary, and a little more thought given to coordination, but those were fairly minor things; she was sure that Wayne and his friends could get NASA to do what needed to be done since she and Akane had given them a successful test run. The mission time was long for the SSA, but short for NASA.

The sun had set a half hour before, and the girls were enjoying a dip in the cove before some studying and maybe a little gossip time. “Hey, girls!” came a voice from the beach. Turning to look, the flight program personnel saw Cindy dropping her shorts and over shirt to the sand, leaving her in her bikini. Beside her was Hiroko, once more in her micro-bikini. “Mind if we join you?”

“Suit yourself,” came Yukari's answer. The two older women moved into the transparent water.

“This is heaven,” sighed Hiroko happily, leisurely stroking over to her daughters. Matsuri and Yukari smiled at her. “I'll be sad to have to head back to Tokyo,” sighed the older Morita.

“What? When?” asked Yukari, not liking the news.

“Not until I am sure that the project is on track,” her mother replied, “but probably within the next week to ten days.”

“I see,” sighed Yukari. She had come to like having her mother on base with her; even if they were both very busy nearly all day, every day. Hiroko patted her daughter's cheek.

“I'll be coming back again,” she said.

“When? For how long?” Yukari wondered.

“Probably in a month or two for a few days, then probably every six to eight months for a couple of weeks,” Hiroko shared. Yukari frowned.

“As part of your work?” she wondered.

“The first time, yes,” Hiroko said. “But after that, I'll be taking my vacations here - with my daughters.” Yukari and Matsuri looked at each other, both grinning. “And I might have company when I come here,” Hiroko added. “I have gotten to know the Miura family pretty well since you and Akane started flying rockets.”

“Really? That's great!” enthused Yukari. Akane swam over, having heard that last bit.

“Mom and dad might come see me?” she asked.

“And your brother, as well,” nodded Hiroko. “They are very proud of you, you know,” Yukari's mother reminded the specialist.

“But, they have so much work,” Akane began.

“They do get vacation days, you know,” laughed Hiroko. “We spoke about it after your last visit home, and they want to see where you work.”

“Um, mom and dad aren't very comfortable with being outside the city,” Akane said, glancing at Yukari. Yukari knew that Akane was very much her parents' daughter.

“They'll be fine,” Yukari assured her partner. “After all, you've adapted to the islands nicely.”

“Maybe we should give some thought to visiting family members,” suggested Chinami.

“Looks like we might have to,” Yukari said. “I think it might prove best for everyone if we looked into housing the visiting family members in town, rather than the base.”

“Why?” wondered Natsuko.

“You know the work schedule we keep, Natsuko,” Yukari said, once more floating on her back in the cove. “Also, our base is busy and not a little dangerous if you don't know what is going on where and when. I also admit I don't want to have to go back and forth getting door cards coded all the time. If families want to visit, then we can show them around, but I don't think that we want to leave them to their own devices.”

“That does make sense,” allowed Akane.

“And it will help stimulate the local economy to have them staying in town instead of on base,” Cindy noted. “It can only help you all for the town to view you as good for their standard of living and economic growth.”

“There is that,” Yukari shrugged. But, I'm going to talk to Kurosu and see if I can just have Mom keep her card, she left unsaid. After all, she's more or less a part of the SSA at this point.

“So, you thinking of turning this place into a tourist stop?” Cindy asked. Yukari gave her a flat look.

“No.”

“How about a filming location?” wondered Cindy. Yukari bent and turned, treading water so she was face to face with Cindy.

“What went on in Chang's last time?” Yukari asked the American directly. “And keep in mind what I told you your first day here, Cindy,” cautioned the teenager. Seeing that the entire flight team and Hiroko were watching her, Cindy made a command decision.

It was another first in SSA history. They were sending up two rockets at once, fully half the pads in use. Kotomi and Amari were going up in the Papaya, Natsuko and Chinami heading up in their own Guava. Matsuri was their flight controller. Yukari and Akane were not in the flight control room, strangely enough; though both were on alert, and would come running if needed - either to the pre-flight room to suit up for a rescue launch, or to the flight control room to take over GCO duties for one of the capsules if Matsuri needed them to.

Yukari and Akane were with Cindy, the three of them visiting the Tariho tribe's village before heading to town. Once the two flights were in the drink, the three of them were taking the chopper over to Guadalcanal. Apparently, Cindy had some things to do and Yukari and Akane were going with her.

The two flights had a three-part mission. First was a rendezvous in orbit at a satellite that had dropped off line two weeks before. The client had no idea what had happened, but they were paying for the SSA to find out. Natsuko and Chinami were senior team, but Yukari had attached Kotomi and Amari to them, stating that it was good practice and they needed two capsules up anyway, so the freshmen would be assisting the junior crew in inspection and documentation.

After that, the two capsules were headed for the ISS, where they would be given the tour, shown the tool lockers and help the ISS crew with a little maintenance to the ISS that was proving difficult in the NASA-type suits. It would also be a good chance for the four to size up what was coming down the line in terms of missions. Yukari had spent four hours going over the important details she and Akane had found in their previous runs. The senior flight team was very focused on making sure that the two junior teams were aware of how big the stakes were in this new role.

Once they had left the ISS, the two capsules would do a brief series of orbit shifts and translation burns given to them by NASA. NASA would be tracking the capsules, logging their adherence to the sequence they had been given, and pretty much evaluating their flying skills. Once that was done, they would return to their recovery orbit. Yukari had told them that she wanted them to dock with each other - the entire time repeatedly telling the two crews to be exceedingly careful because a mistake could kill them - before separating and returning to base. Yukari stipulated that the Papaya would go in first, with Guava watching. Two orbits later, the last capsule would come home. Yukari had made the two crews practice the capsule-to-capsule docking maneuver for three hours each in the simulator while she, Akane and Matsuri threw everything they could think of at the crews, from malfunctioning OMS vents to camera failures, to electrical issues. Akane had even set up a triple gyro failure for them to deal with.

Even as the two capsules began their mission, Cindy and the senior flight team entered the Tariho village. Because they were on stand-by, the group had driven to the village, Kurosu standing ready in case they needed to haul ass back to the base, where an LS7A and the new orbiter waited for a rescue launch if the need arose. Also, Yukari had made sure that her suit and Akane's were ready so they could slip into them at a moment's notice.

“Ah! Good to see you again, Cindy-chan!” called out the chief of the village, grinning at the American naval officer.

“What? Not glad to see your daughter?” Yukari snorted, rolling her eyes. Same old dad, she thought fleetingly.

“Yukari! Welcome! Want a drink?” he father offered. His first-born flipped her hand, dismissing the inappropriate offer.

“No thanks,” she said. “We came here to talk to you, dad,” she added. The chief shrugged, taking a sip before offering the bottle to Cindy. Cindy declined as well. Leading the three into the main hut, wobbling a little as he did so. Inside the hut, the four sat down, the chief fishing around for a moment before pulling up a crude pipe and a pouch.

“Don't smoke while we're here, ok, dad?” Yukari pre-empted him.

“It won't hurt you,” her father insisted.

“Says you,” scoffed Yukari. Almost pouting, her father set the pipe and pouch aside.

“What brings you here, Cindy?” he asked. Cindy's eyes darted over to meet Yukari's eyes for a split second. Yukari just smiled a little at the look Cindy was giving her.

“Has any one approached you or your villagers about filming around here? Or asked about the base? Maybe a Chinese man or two?” Cindy asked.

“Yeah, a couple of Chinese men came by the other day, asking about filming on our beach,” Hiroshi nodded.

“What did you tell them?” Yukari demanded.

“I told them that the spirits didn't like them, and they should leave before the spirits got angry with them,” he shrugged. “They looked around a little, then left.”

“Where did they look around at?” asked Cindy.

“They looked at the beach area, checked the jungle some, tried to talk to a few of the villagers, then left,” he answered.

“Which direction? Toward town?” pressed Cindy. Hiroshi scratched his beard.

“Yeah, they kind of headed that way,” he decided.

“On foot?” Yukari asked. Hiroshi shrugged.

“They said that they had a taxi waiting on the main road,” the chief carelessly shared. Yukari pulled up her cell phone, glancing at the screen before dialing a number from her phone book. Once more, old man Nasuda's luck holds, she thought. The village was just inside the reception range of the base's cellular network.

“Did they leave you a card or say anything about coming by again?” wondered Cindy.

“They left a card, but I burned it,” Hiroshi grinned. “And I doubt that they will be back,” added the chief, chuckling as he took another swig.

“Why do you say that?” Cindy asked, confused. The chief sighed.

“Matsuri would have understood,” he said dejectedly. Akane pulled out her cell phone, hitting a speed-dial number. Her party picked up almost immediately, the girl murmuring into her phone.

“Yasukawa took them back to town, and they left nearly immediately on a boat,” Yukari said, closing her phone. “They didn't stop for dinner,” added Yukari. Cindy nodded.

“He what?!” blurted out Akane. “S…sorry,” she apologized to Cindy and Yukari, phone still to her ear. “What? Oh, no, that's all, Matsuri. It's nothing, really! Tell you when we get back, ok? Thanks. Everything ok with the mission? Yeah? Ok, then. Bye,” Akane ended the call.

“What did she say?” Yukari wondered.

“She said daddy cursed them,” Akane replied. Yukari looked at her father.

“Sorry,” he shrugged. “Should I not have? Are they friends?”

“It's ok,” Yukari said. “Was it a strong curse?” she asked. Hiroshi shrugged.

“About the same strength as the ones I used to turn the rockets into fireworks,” he answered. His daughter nodded.

“Perfect,” she smiled slightly.

“What possessed you to curse two strangers?” Cindy wondered. Hiroshi shrugged.

“The spirits didn't like them.”

Yukari sat on the sand of the cove, staring out over the cove and the ocean beyond. Not far from her, Cindy waited. It was late, and the two would usually have been in bed by that time, but Yukari was wrestling with a decision. Cindy was there to answer any questions that Yukari might have, though she was determined to try her best not to push Yukari one way or another.

“Is this the way it always is in the military?” Yukari asked Cindy.

“Sort of, but this is more an issue of the job Intelligence has more than it being military. Businesses frequently face this kind of choice, too,” shared Cindy.

“I never really thought about the politics of our situation,” sighed the girl. “We're a private company - why are we always being dragged into a political pissing match?!” complained the girl.

“Because that is just how things work,” was the best that Cindy could do. “If it weren't for your success, you probably wouldn't be looking at this risk,” added the woman.

Yukari snorted. “You could just as accurately say that if the Chinese government wasn't such assholes we wouldn't be having this conversation,” countered Yukari. Cindy laughed softly.

“Probably true,” allowed the American.

“We don't even know if it is really a threat!” bitched Yukari. Cindy hummed. “But,” growled Yukari, “we can't just assume it isn't, either.”

Cindy shrugged. Minutes passed. “Yukari,” she said quietly, “I have asked my department to see if there is any connection between Chang and Beijing.” Yukari turned to look at her.

“And what happens then?” Yukari asked.

“Well, it's not like we're going to tell you that you can't eat there, or anything,” Cindy said, “but you must be smart enough to know that if there is a connection, there won't be any work to be had from us.”

“And of course, word would spread,” grunted Yukari. Which would poison our growing relationship with NASA and the rest of the space agencies, to say nothing of our corporate image? “Maybe I should ask what happens if you can't find a link?”

“Well, in that case, it's likely that you could see some work for the Navy. Not to mention that it could mean more open doors for sensitive work with defense contractor companies,” Cindy postulated.

“So, basically, the future of our company hangs on something we have no control over,” Yukari said disgustedly. “Great,” she added drolly.

“Yukari, believe me, this isn't easy for me, either. You have impressed me time and again. I actually want to recommend your company to my bosses. NASA has been campaigning on your behalf since the Orpheus mission, and both times you have interacted with the other agencies, you have come out with a better reputation than you went in with,” the officer encouraged her.

“But all of that can be ruined if there is a link between China's government and the owner of the Chinese restaurant in the town next to our base. How fair is that?” asked Yukari rhetorically.

“Would it make you feel better to hear that even if my service files a report that notes that China is looking at your company, you might still get work from the US military?”

“How would that work?” wondered Yukari.

“Well, it's kind of funny, really,” Cindy began her explanation. “The Navy doesn't really have much to do with satellites. In fact, the service with the overall satellite portfolio is the Air Force.”

“So why did the Navy send you here, if it isn't the one managing the satellites?” Yukari asked. She wasn't very familiar with anything military; nor did she particularly care. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious about what Cindy was alluding to.

“Because it is China, the Air Force is not going to be the service that ends up being the one to pressure them,” Cindy answered. “It would be different if it were some other country, but China is both powerful, and an ocean away from the bulk of the Air Force's power. The Navy, however…” she glanced at Yukari, to see if she was following what she was saying. Yukari was nodding.

“The Navy can go anywhere there's ocean,” murmured Yukari. Cindy nodded.

“Exactly. And if China needs a reminder that they don't rule the world, the first thing that will happen is the US will send some of the Seventh Fleet to remind them of that. Yes, the Air Force has about one hundred and thirty or so fighter aircraft stationed in Japan, but that's not enough, given the sheer numerical advantage China has along with the bases in Japan being within missile range. A carrier carries fewer planes, but we're highly mobile, and China knows that if they fail to put down the carriers, they are at a disadvantage - assuming a non-nuclear exchange, of course,” qualified the Naval officer. “So, what better way to remind Beijing to play nice than to have my service step on their toes, as it were?”

Yukari mulled that other. “I guess, but how does that affect me?”

“The Air Force doesn't always listen to what the Navy says, same as the Army. That inter-service rivalry means that even if we end up deciding not to offer you any work, they might decide to do it. And there is the fact that the NRO has been watching your company since your first launch.”

“The NRO?” wondered Yukari.

“The agency in charge of the bulk of America's non-corporate satellites,” Cindy elaborated. “They basically plan, launch, fly and maintain the birds, in conjunction with the military and…other agencies and companies.”

“Like whichever company that slime-ball Smith worked for,” recalled Yukari, grimacing. Cindy giggled.

“Yes, we all pretty much feel that way about his company,” the older woman replied blandly.

“So I should assume that we're going to have more `visitors', then? I'm guessing that if the Air Force or NRO or whoever is thinking of using us that they will probably send people like you to check us out.”

“Well, they might, or they might not,” Cindy shrugged. Yukari digested that for nearly twenty minutes.

“Cindy, is there a way to limit the potential fall-out of the Chinese issue? Perhaps a report or paper about the fact that we only do work on satellites we are paid to do, without trying to reverse-engineer anything?” asked Yukari. Cindy considered that.

“I think it would be fair to say that the larger issue is chain of custody procedure and base security,” analyzed the officer. “I have filed a few preliminary reports about the base security and how things are handled here, and my final report could focus more on those issues, I suppose,” allowed the woman. “And it can't be overlooked that nearly everyone working for the SSA is Japanese, not Chinese. And the one that isn't Japanese is a native and relative to the head astronaut,” smiled Cindy. Yukari smiled back, thinking of her sister.

“True,” she agreed.

Silence filled the cove for another quarter hour before either spoke. “So, what are you thinking of saying to Nasuda?” Cindy asked.

“I'm thinking about it,” Yukari replied. “What if we talked a little bit about options?”

“Options?” wondered Cindy. Yukari scooted closer to Cindy.

“Option,” repeated the girl. “I like options.”

When the two finally returned to the dorm, they had decided on a few things. One of the things they had decided on was what to tell their bosses, and what to suggest as the next move.