Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Career Track ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

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

“So, this is the ESC's astronaut center?” asked Yukari, climbing out of the taxi. Akane checked her maps, checked the GPS in her other hand, then consulted her notes.

“As near as I can tell, yes,” she allowed. Yukari nodded, hiking her pack up on her shoulder as Akane grabbed her own pack. Turning to the cab driver, she handed him some Euros. When he handed her back some change, she selected a couple of bills from the change and handed it back to the man. “For you,” she said, turning away.

“Vielen Dank, verpasst!” the man called after her. Yukari waved at him as she heard the taxi pull out of the small visitor's lot. Approaching the main entrance to the facility, Yukari wondered what they were in for this time. Akane followed close beside her, glancing around as the two reached the entrance. Entering the facility, Yukari spotted the visitor's desk.

“Heißen Sie willkommen, wie ich darf helfen Ihnen? Welcome, how may I help you?” the receptionist said.

“Hello, I am Yukari Morita with the Solomon Space Association,” began Yukari, fishing in her backpack's pocket for her `mission pack' as it were - the zipped organizer with her passport, notes, business card and contact's information on it.

“Ah, we have been expecting you, Miss Yukari,” the receptionist smoothly switched to English. “One moment, please, while I contact your party,” added the woman, touching an interactive phone/intercom screen. After a moment, she fired off a burst of German like an MG42 spraying bullets. Smiling, she looked back at Yukari. “He will arrive in twenty seconds, Miss Yukari,” the woman informed her.

“Ok, thanks,” Yukari replied. Twenty seconds? Punctual people, Germans; or anal, she thought, hiding a small smirk. Glancing around the lobby, she assessed the facility where ESA astronauts were trained and maintained. The main office - as she guessed it was - was done in marble, granite, polished brass and oak with shiny aluminum and almost-industrial architecture surrounding the working spaces. The mirror-polished granite floor bore the emblem of the ESA. Yukari blinked, realizing that the mirror polish did another thing; likely unintentionally. Guess I made the right choice, she thought, absently smoothing her skirt.

Early summer in Germany was cool to her and Akane, used to the relentless sun at their own base and the baking heat of the tropics. When she had been handed the details of this trip, she had chosen to take it herself, since she didn't want to send her younger crews in blind. So, she and Akane had traded off a job with Kotomi and Amari and flown to Germany from Sydney by way of Thailand and the UAE. The cheapest - and least layover-complicated - route was on Air China, but no one at the SSA wanted to fly on a Chinese carrier.

So, the girls had set out on a red-eye, and twenty hours later, they were at the ESA astronaut facility in Cologne, Germany. Both girls were tired, but feeling ok. Their boss had booked them on a mix of Business and Economy. Due to their size and mass, the economy seats weren't overly cramped, but the two had not been looking forward to the hours in steerage. When they had checked into their flight, one of the flight attendants had recognized the two, and whispered that if they had a no-show in a better class, she would slip them into that seat. It had looked like they were stuck, but after take-off and the climb to cruising altitude, the attendant had discreetly moved the two up to Business class, seating them in window seats by the curtain that led to first class.

Akane and Yukari had dressed for a long day on a plane in skirts and comfortable tops with well-worn sneakers on their feet. Yukari had on a denim skirt that came to just above her knees, with a spaghetti-strap tank-top, while Akane had chosen a knee-length skirt in dark blue flannel, pleated and comfortable, with a grey summer blouse to match. For the trip, the clothes were comfortable, but now, standing on a mirror-polished granite floor, Yukari wondered if she shouldn't have just worn some shorts.

“You are Yukari Morita and Akane Miura,” stated a man's voice. Yukari blinked, turning to see a trim, tall man approaching them. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” he smiled, offering his hand. Yukari shook it by instinct. She could almost swear that he clicked the heels of his dress shoes together. “I am doctor Maximilian Herrmann, in charge of this facility. Please, call me Max,” he smiled again.

“Um, yes, Max-san,” Akane managed, staring at the man. Maximilian Herrmann was well over six feet tall, with a trim, strong build. His light brown hair was clean-cut and razor-precise, and his hazel eyes were calm and steady. Yukari eyed the man critically. The suit was obviously professionally tailored; and just as obviously expensive.

“Nice to meet you,” Yukari said. The man gestured toward the hallway behind and to the side of the desk.

“If you would?” he said, leading the two into the complex. Yukari looked around as they moved through the area. “This is our administration wing, obviously,” the good doctor said as they walked. “My office is right there, if you ever need to reach me,” he added, pointing to an office as they passed. “I have arranged for you to have a room in the dormitory while you are here, but I can get you a room in a hotel if you prefer to stay there.”

“Dorm's fine,” Yukari said. Five days, four nights - we can take it, she thought to herself. Besides, I don't want to have to travel to and from this place every day. “Thank you for offering, though,” she added. “Where are we meeting, and what is the schedule?” asked Yukari, moving right into business.

“It has been agreed that you two will be attending the seminar on EVA techniques and protocol in the classroom block, second floor, room two one eight,” he replied. “Allow me to show you your room and where the major parts of this facility are,” he offered.

“Thank you,” Yukari said. For the next half hour, the two followed him around the facility. When they had finished the basic tour, the two happily called it a day. Yukari checked the schedule against the clock in their room, setting her alarm accordingly. After a visit to the bathroom, the two climbed into bed, asleep within minutes.

Over the next four days, the two participated in a training seminar about EVA work. Without a question, the SSA was qualified to do this, given that every time they went up, it was an EVA hop. Yukari and Akane learned how the ESA trained their astronauts, and at the same time, lectured about the way that the SSA operated. Mostly, Yukari explained how she had set up the protocols for EVA safety, and what she had learned from every job. Akane added to the discussion as necessary, but Yukari took the lead; like always.

During meals, the two ate with the other training astronauts. English was spoken by everyone as a first, second or third language, so it wasn't too hard to converse with their `peers'. The ESA astronauts were fascinated by the two. Sure, they had heard about the SSA - a lot, as it turned out - but hearing about them and meeting the lead flight crew were two different things.

It was during the meals that the girls learned interesting things. Topics depended on who they were eating with, and ranged from spacesuit technology, to orbital debris concerns, to the politics of space. Also a hot topic was space development and the recent '80 Hour War' and how it would affect the space business. By and large, Yukari and Akane were careful about what they said and to whom they said it.

Worrisome to Yukari was the number of people she talked with who were in favor of merging the Agencies into a single organization. Also of concern was the number of ESA personnel who didn't see any issue with inviting the Chinese to work with them. When Yukari asked them if what the Chinese had done didn't bother them, the usual answer was either a blank look or a shrug. The two girls had not said anything more about the issue.

The final day was a two-hour conclusion to the lecture and a little meet-and-greet with some of the staff. Some pictures were taken, a few short speeches made, and some contact information exchanged. Bidding the ESA goodbye, the two headed for the airport. All in all, it had been a good experience for the two, and Yukari spent an hour or so typing up her notes and impressions on her laptop. It had surprised the two to find that the ESA had requested that the airline - Lufthansa for the first leg - upgrade the pair's tickets to First Class.

Because they were in First Class, with the amenities thereof, the two were able to hear the news at the same time that the SSA did. In an official statement, the new President of the United States announced the formalization of an agreement to disband national space programs and form a single, world-body space agency comprised of the eleven nations with space programs. The new space agency would be called the International Space Agency, and would assume the administration of space development.

As the American President waxed eloquent about the summits that had led to this historic moment, Yukari found herself suddenly understanding how people who assassinated leaders must feel. Leaning back in the comfortable seat, Yukari calmed her thoughts down. Listening to the talk of the businessmen and women who had seen the news announcement, Yukari was irked to find that most of them agreed with the propaganda. I guess, if you have never actually worked in space, you could never understand what it means go up there, she told herself. Akane was watching her, worry on her face. Reaching over, she patted Akane's cheek. “We're fine,” she assured Akane, speaking in Japanese. “We knew this might happen, right?”

“Right,” Akane replied, managing a smile. Yukari eyed the flags behind the President as he spoke. It occurred to her that China's flag wasn't there.

“Calm down,” Yukari sighed, waving a hand. Her girls fell silent. She and Akane had not even gotten two full steps into the base before her girls had mobbed her, nearly frantic about the bombshell. “It's not like we didn't know this might happen, and besides, it will take time for all this to happen.”

“But, when all the agencies are merged, will we still be able to fly?!” demanded Natsuko.

“That will probably depend on what we can get done in the time before the merger is completed,” pronounced Yukari. Handing her pack to Natsuko, she turned for the administration building. “Your souvenirs are in the top. Put the bag in my room when you are done, and make sure you have your revisions to the manual ready for me to look over by supper. Now beat it,” Yukari ordered. Her teams watched her for a moment, then dug into Yukari's pack to find their gifts. Yukari always treated her girls right, and this trip was no exception.

Meanwhile, Yukari made her way directly to the boss's office, entering with barely a knock. Nasuda looked up, as if he had expected her to look for him there. The two met each other's gazes for a moment. Shutting the door behind her, Yukari locked it before taking a seat in front of the man's desk. “Well, Old Man? What's the next move?” Yukari asked her boss.

“Honestly? I don't know yet,” admitted Nasuda. Yukari snorted delicately.

“Yeah, whatever,” she scoffed. Silence fell for a few minutes. “What's the schedule for the next four months?” Yukari asked.

“Right now, we have seven jobs for the next six months,” came the answer from her boss. Yukari frowned.

“That won't cut it, Nasuda,” she stated firmly.

“It would appear that we are the victims of our own success,” shrugged the man. Yukari brooded silently.

“Any work for the American government?” asked Yukari. Nasuda pursed his lips.

“They are sort of pre-occupied right now,” he replied. “More accurately, they are obsessed over China.”

“Nothing about what happened makes any kind of sense,” Yukari sighed. “I just don't understand what they are up to.”

“No one seems to,” agreed Nasuda.

Yukari frowned. “Nothing we can do about that right now,” she let it go for the moment. “Um, I'm thinking of trying an idea,” she said carefully.

“Idea?” wondered her boss.

“You know about Mingxia, right? Han Li's cousin?” Yukari asked. Nasuda nodded.

“I'm thinking of training her for flight,” Yukari said, watching Nasuda carefully.

“You're the flight program head, so if you think you should, it's your call,” shrugged Nasuda, “but you realize we don't have the work to use her, right?”

“I know,” nodded Yukari, “but I…sort of have an idea I am thinking my way through. I might not do it, but…” she shrugged.

“It's your call,” Nasuda said. “I don't interfere in your running your department.”

“Since when?” grunted Yukari. Standing, she stared at the wall behind him for a moment. “Anyway, I think we're going to stay at the village tonight,” she said, turning for the door. Nasuda didn't say anything, but she could feel him staring at her. “Say it or stop looking at me like that,” growled Yukari, giving him a weak glare.

“Say what?” Nasuda asked innocently.

“I know Satsuki has been briefing you about it, so don't play coy with me, Old Man!” snarled Yukari. “If you want to ask about it, or say something about it, say it to me! If not, stop giving me that fucking look! What I - we! - do between missions is our business!”

“You're right,” Nasuda agreed. Yukari watched him suspiciously.

“But?” she prompted.

“I just worry something might happen,” Nasuda relented. Yukari exhaled slowly.

“We take precautions,” she said, unlocking the door. Well, except Matsuri, she thought. “And it might not be a concern for much longer anyway,” she murmured. I can't think of any way to attack this problem!

“Giving up?” Nasuda asked her, a faint twist to his lips.

“Have I ever given up?” hissed Yukari, flinging open the door to his office. “Later, Old Man.”

“May day, may day, may day,” a voice crackled in her headphones. “This is Discovery. We have had an intersection. Hull integrity is compromised, OMS off-line and we are a dead stick. Repeat, Discovery is a dead stick.”

“Discovery, this is Houston,” NASA ground control came back, “Confirm may day?”

“Confirm May Day,” replied the voice. Yukari tugged on Akane's safety line gently, signaling her partner. Akane nodded, switching channels on her radio. “Secondary debris has damaged electrical system, we are losing power rapidly, over.”

“Crew status?” NASA ground control came back.

“Alive for the moment, two wounded, one critical,” advised the man.

“Orbital data?” NASA asked. Yukari grabbed her pen and jotted the numbers down on the arm of her suit. Kami, they are way the hell away and gone, she mused fleetingly. MEO minus one, sounds like. That's a high rad orbit path. What were they doing that far up? she wondered.

“Mission status?” NASA asked. Yukari frowned.

“Primary complete, secondary aborted,” came back the voice of the commander.

“Is there any possibility of completing secondary objective, Discovery?” NASA asked.

“What the hell kind of a question is that?!” snapped Yukari, transmitting on NASA frequencies.

“Identify yourself,” NASA demanded.

“Papaya, SSA, Morita commanding,” she shot back. “Shuttle commander, I copied your orbital path. Give me a minute to run the numbers for an intercept and we'll send up two rescue capsules within three hours,” she said. “Your suits can hold that long, right?”

“Negative, Solomon,” NASA cut in. “Discovery, go to secure channel,” directed the ground controller.

“You do that and you will lose more than a shuttle!” Yukari yelled, floating toward the capsule, where Akane was already organizing the twin launch with Matsuri. “Our crews are suiting up now, and we have two birds on the pads, NASA,” she said, swiftly stowing her lines. “Standard seven man crew, Discovery?” she radioed. She frowned not hearing an answer. Accessing her radio module from inside the capsule, she checked the frequency. It was dead.

“Yukari, Natsuko and Kotomi are ready as soon as we get them the orbital target,” Akane reported. Yukari flicked a hand.

“Tell them to strap in and hold,” her commander directed. Touching a channel icon, she called down to her base. “Engineering, I need to know if that thing we talked about was finished or not,” she said.

“Um, what thing?” Mukai asked, sounding lost.

“Discovery has gone silent on normal frequencies,” Yukari said carefully.

“Oh! That thing!” Mukai recalled. “Well, I can't say if it will work or not, but…”

“I didn't ask if it would work, Mukai! I asked if it was installed!” Yukari said, holding her arm out so Akane could copy the data to a worksheet.

“It's installed,” he said. “You just need to boot the application, and then run it on the secondary radio,” instructed Mukai. Yukari swiftly worked the interface for her onboard systems. Finding the application, she ran it from the SSD. After a few seconds, she programmed her second radio with the new program.

“Done,” pronounced Yukari. “Cross your fingers,” she added, switching radios. It took her a few moments to find the channel, and another ten seconds before the application did its job.

Heavy static was washing out the communications. Taking her control stick, she hand-signaled Akane what she was doing, her partner bracing as Yukari kicked the capsule into a higher orbit, hoping for a better reception. Snatches of conversation came and went.

“Yukari,” Akane said, showing her the worksheet. Yukari studied it intensely for a moment. Nodding, she turned her attention back to the radio as Akane relayed the intercept coordinates to her two junior pilots.

“Discovery is on fire,” breathed Yukari, realizing what she was hearing. Making her decision, she switched radio feeds, making sure that the second radio was feeding into the data link channel - and therefore being recorded at the base. “Natsuko, Kotomi, I want you upstairs in thirty seconds, program on the fly, max burn table,” ordered Yukari, firing her own OMS. “I'm going in first, you two move your asses,” she finished.

“Yukari,” Nasuda's voice broke in on the SSA's channel, “we've been told to stay out of this,” he said quietly.

“What?!” yelled Yukari. “The shuttle is crippled and burning…!”

“Yukari,” Nasuda said. A flash drew her attention, Yukari rolling the capsule with the skill of a zero-G acrobat even as Akane focused the binoculars the two had started carrying in the capsule.

“Ah!” gasped her partner. Yukari closed her eyes.

“Kotomi, Natsuko,” she said quietly, “scrub launch. We're too late, over.” Yukari turned off the radio. Seven astronauts. What the hell is NASA thinking?! boggled the girl, unable to grasp what could possibly make such a decision possible. Sighing softly, she felt Akane touch her shoulder. “Plot us a burn home,” she said, touching Akane's hand as her partner squeezed her shoulder.

As the capsule soared through space, the sun rose behind the earth, fire dancing along the edge of their native planet. At least the scenery is still so majestic, mused Yukari. For just a second, she thought she saw a glint to the side of their high orbit. Looking toward where she thought the glint came from, she couldn't see anything. Must have imagined it, she thought. Moments later, Akane handed her the new worksheet, and she programmed the data into her console. With no reason to stay, she began the de-orbit burn schedule immediately.

Back on the ground, she found herself called to Nasuda's office. He prefaced things with a quiet `please keep your temper in check and think about that problem we have, Yukari,' before he touched his phone, picking up a call that had been holding. “Morita is here now,” he said, the phone on speaker phone.

“Listen to me, little girl,” yelled a man's voice, “you pull anything like that shit you tried to pull just now and we'll shoot you down!”

Yukari's lips peeled back. “Oh?” purred the girl, leaning closer to the phone, “just who is `we', jackass? Last I heard, NASA was a civilian outfit, and that means they wouldn't be shooting anyone down - especially a rescue capsule. So, who the hell are you?”

“That mission was a military one, little girl,” the man came back. “You should be glad we don't just ground your little day camp!”

“Yeah, you try that and see what happens,” Yukari jumped right back at him. “And you still haven't said who you are or who you work for. You sure as hell aren't NASA!”

The man was silent for a few moments. “Look,” he said, his tone carefully calm and reasonable, “it's not that I don't understand you wanting to be a hero, but…”

“Hero?” Yukari cut in, incredulous, “who the fuck cares about being a hero?! I'm just not in the habit of watching good astronauts die!”

“I already told you, they were soldiers, and had a mission to perform…” the man insisted.

“So you let them die for no reason?” challenged Yukari. “With bosses like you, they don't need enemies!”

“Don't you try to lecture me, you little slant-eyed Jap cunt!” the man exploded. Yukari sneered at the phone.

“Oh? `Slant-eyed Jap cunt' is the best you could come up with? Pathetic,” she clucked her tongue. “Such language! I think I should report this racist, sexist harassment to the cable news networks,” suggested Yukari, smiling widely as her eyes glittered dangerously. “You do realize that this is being recorded, right?” she asked casually.

“I'm going to…!” began the man, only to have the line go dead. Sniffing dismissively, Yukari turned on her heel.

“Yukari,” sighed Nasuda, reaching for his pack of smokes.

“Seven men, Old Man,” Yukari said, glancing at him. Nasuda grunted, firing up the cancer stick. Yukari closed the door behind herself.

“You have a talent for making trouble,” Norman sighed. Yukari snorted contemptuously. “The military is not very happy with us right now, you know,” he shared.

“How is that my fault?” replied Yukari, unconcerned. “I tried to save your fellow astronauts, and all I get for the effort is insults, anger and accusations of me making trouble! The hell is wrong with you, Norman?!” she vented.

“Yukari, things are a little different in an Agency than in a private company,” the blonde began.

“So Agencies don't care if their astronauts die so long as they do so for the gain of the military?” the SSA pro challenged. “Aren't you all civilians now?”

Norman was quiet for a long moment. “We are, Yukari,” he confirmed, “but that doesn't mean that we aren't proud of our service, or won't put the good of our nation above our own good. You would put the lives of any of your crews above your own life, right?”

“Of course I would! What kind of stupid question is that?” scoffed Yukari. “That's my point…!”

“Those crewmen chose to put their nation's good before their own, Yukari. To them, America was their crews, and they were you,” stated Norman quietly. Yukari frowned, considering that. They switched frequencies instead of respond, and not one of them tried to use one of the rescue packs, recalled the young woman. They had time, of course, so why didn't they? They could have even tried their luck in their suits alone. All they would have had to say is that they were abandoning the shuttle, and we would have searched for them, she considered. And yet, they didn't. They went secure and they died.

“They still didn't have to die, you know,” Yukari insisted. “We could have saved at least a few of them.”

“I don't know the details, Yukari,” Norman replied, “but obviously, whatever they were doing, they considered it worth their lives. I think you can relate to that, can't you?”

“I guess,” she sighed. “Hell of a way to treat us, though.”

“Well, it isn't like you were just sitting there, now is it?” he suggested. Yukari found herself smirking a little.

“You know I have a hard time taking attitude from people, Norman,” she said, shrugging. Hearing someone approaching her, she turned to see Akane nearing her, a coconut cup in her hands. She nodded her thanks as Akane offered it to her, taking a pull from the potent local drink before finishing up her phone conversation. “Anyway, thanks for the understanding and support, Norman. Gotta go,” she said, hearing Matsuri call to the two.

“All I'm saying is try to be a bit more flexible, ok?” Norman tried one last time. Yukari shrugged once more, starting back toward the village. Around her, the Tariho people were settling in for the night, several of them smiling and speaking to Yukari, though she wasn't sure what they were saying. I really should try to learn some of their language from Matsuri, Yukari made a mental note. “Where are you?” Norman asked, sounding curious. “Doesn't sound like the cove.”

“It's not your business where I am,” Yukari replied snippily.

“Yukari! Hurry up! Our husbands are eager and if you don't hurry, the others will get them first!”

“Coming!” Yukari called back. “Later, Norman,” she said, ending the call and switching her phone to vibrate mode as she and Akane broke into a jog. Reaching the hut that Matsuri's husbands lived in, the two hurried up the bamboo ladder, finding the other girls were already eating. “Way to wait for us,” Yukari said, settling next to Matsuri, who offered her a plate packed with fresh fruits and grilled fish. Forcing the matter from her mind, Yukari determined to enjoy the evening with her crews.

Norman, meanwhile, had hung up his phone, and was frowning at the ceiling of his apartment. What is going on at the SSA? he wondered. It almost sounded like Matsuri was saying something about husbands, but Yukari has never shown any interest in boys. He considered the changes in the girl in the last several months, and added in what Hiroko had said to him about her. Slowly, he grinned. “Got it!” he gloated aloud. Yukari-chan has a boyfriend!

Yukari draped her towel over the back of her chair, tossing her hair as she reached for a thin spaghetti-strap tank top. She had just finished a nice, warm shower after a tedious job helping NASA assemble some sort of module for the ISS, and she was looking forward to some supper. Shrugging into the shirt, she slipped on a bikini bottom before stepping into a loose mini-skirt. She shook her head as she thought about the fact that she now had more bikinis than bras and panties - and she wore swimwear more often than underwear.

With her things tucked into place, she exited her room, finding Akane waiting for her, similarly dressed. Together, the two made their way to the cafeteria for their meal. As they exited the dorm, they acquired Kotomi and Amari, fresh from a simulation session. The four headed for the cafeteria, chatting of minor matters. Entering the feeding station, the four found that Natsuko, Chinami and Matsuri were already there. Seeing her second-senior flight team wave her over, Yukari headed for the group.

“What's up?” she asked the two.

“They found Helium-3 on the moon!” Natsuko replied, her tone excited. “That probe that you and Akane helped launch detected large amounts of it in the lunar soil.”

“That's good, I take it?” Yukari replied, unimpressed. Natsuko frowned at her boss.

“You don't know what Helium-3 is, do you, sempai?”

“No, not really,” admitted Yukari with calm candor. “I'm guessing it comes after Helium-2,” grinned the girl.

“It's a non-radio-active isotope,” explained Akane, “there is a lot of interest in it for a second-gen fusion generator. A stable supply could solve the energy crisis of Earth for at least a century; if the research is to be believed.” Yukari smiled at her partner.

“And here I thought you were a biology girl,” Yukari smiled at Akane, who blushed a little.

“I like science,” she replied. Yukari patted Akane's head.

“Glad one of us does,” she grinned. Just then, a gaggle of technicians burst through the door, talking over each other excitedly. “Hold that thought,” Yukari said, hurrying to the serving line. She barely beat the group. The lunch lady handed her the trays for her and Akane, Kotomi picking up the trays for herself and Amari. Together, the two returned to their normal table, where the rest of their sisters waited, still talking.

“So, we should have work for the next few years, right?” Yukari said, glancing at Akane.

“I hope so,” her partner replied, “but it depends on how expensive it will be to get at it. If there isn't a way for private businesses to get at it, then the ISA will be the only ones able to reach it.” She didn't need to tell her fellow rocket girls what that could mean. Yukari considered that for a long moment.

“Well, we can only do what we can do, right?” she said, meeting the eyes of each of her girls. They all nodded.

“Yukari,” came a voice from behind her. Yukari sighed.

“What, Old Man?” she answered her boss.

“I need to talk to you in my office once you're done eating,” he said, a tray in his hands.

“About the flight schedule?” Yukari asked, giving him an innocent smile. Nasuda gave her a slightly sour look.

“Among other things,” he replied, moving toward a table where Kinoshita and Satsuki were already eating. Natsuko grinned at Yukari.

“You in trouble again, boss?” grinned the girl.

“Probably going to have to listen to another lecture about your behavior, Na-chan,” parried Yukari. “You really need to learn some control,” Yukari added.

“Just following your lead, boss,” Natsuko grinned. Two days before, she had gotten into a bit of a snit with a customer over the downlink. Clearly, Natsuko shared some of Yukari's worst traits, but Yukari always - without exception - backed her crews to the hilt and then some. Nasuda knew that Yukari was just as prone to get in someone's face as any of her girls. It was that aggressiveness that had brought her to his attention to begin with.

“I wonder what they teach you girls at Jindai High,” sniped Yukari. Natsuko glanced at Chinami, who giggled.

“Believe it or not, we were not even close to being considered wild by Jindai standards,” Chinami sided with her partner. “Sometime - if you get me drunk - I'll tell you about the Legend of Chidori and Sagara.”

“I'm not interested in school stories,” Yukari dismissed the offer. “And if I catch you drunk…”

“Hai, hai,” Chinami made placating gestures. “We know.”

“Ought to send you two to Daimon High to give a presentation,” muttered Yukari, recalling the violent high school she, Akane and Matsuri had visited that first - infamous - speaking tour.

“Daimon High? Been there,” Natsuko replied. “That place is a riot!” she grinned.

“What were you doing at Daimon?” wondered Akane, also thinking of the visit.

“The `extreme karate' club at Jindai went to Daimon to challenge their karate club, and some of us from the karate club went to watch,” related Natsuko. “It was a slaughter,” she recalled.

“Really? Guess they didn't fight that Ryoko Mitsurugi girl,” she murmured, recalling the powerful red head and how she had pretty much destroyed the other students in the roiling brawl that seemed to be the favorite pass-time of the weird school.

“No, I mean their Karate club annihilated those four clowns,” Natsuko clarified. “I was thinking about trying my hand when this bandana-wearing nut job ran into the dojo…next thing we knew, the entire area was a free-for-all fight.” Natsuko didn't seem bothered by that.

“My kendo club ran into their kendo club at the nationals,” Kotomi replied. “Our captain drew their vice-captain in the preliminaries.”

“Tall red-head?” guessed Akane, thinking of Ryoko. Kotomi shook her head.

“She was tall, but had short, black hair - her bangs covered her right eye. We all thought it would be a quick win, but there was something very weird about that girl. It was like no attack could reach her, and next thing anyone knew, our captain was out cold from a one-handed men to the head. Not even the referee saw what happened. Weird,” repeated Kotomi.

“So, you get schooled by them, too, Kotomi-chan?” grinned Natsuko.

“I won my match,” was all Kotomi said.

“A likely story,” snorted Natsuko.

“Did you fight the `weird' girl or the red-head?” wondered Yukari. Kotomi shook her head.

“No, I faced some guy who was an idiot. I got four hits on him before he could even react. The captain of the Daimon team seemed a little upset with him; and I would be, too, if he were on my team. Talk about a weakling. Two passes and he was gone.”

“So did your team win?” Yukari asked. Kotomi shook her head.

“Captain lost, I won, our vice captain lost. We were eliminated,” she shrugged. “If Tamaki-sempai hadn't graduated last year, we would have won,” added the girl.

“So, you miss kendo?” Yukari asked the junior mission commander. Kotomi considered that.

“Sometimes, I guess,” she replied after a moment. “But it's nothing compared to space,” she stated evenly. “Why do you ask?”

“Just thinking that it might be nice to have something to do if things fall apart here,” Yukari said quietly. “Where did we get you two from, again?” she asked, killing off the previous topic.

“What do you mean, where did you get us?” Kotomi wondered, not following her boss.

“Akane and I came from Nerisu Girls' High school, Natsuko and Chinami came from Jindai High, so where did we get you two from?” clarified Yukari.

“I'm from Muroe High,” Kotomi replied.

“Shiraokadai All-Girls' High School, in Yokohama,” Amari answered. Seeing Yukari and Akane blink, she giggled softly. “Yes, we were rivals,” giggled Amari. Nerisu and Shiraokadai were rival private schools in the same enclave of Greater Tokyo, so naturally, there was an instinctive rivalry between the two.

“If you were Shiraokadai, how did you hear about this place?” wondered Akane. Nerisu girls did not talk to those trashy Shiraokadai tramps; not if they didn't want to lose their social standing in the school. Amari smiled.

“You gave your talk to the school a cousin of mine goes to. He left the brochure at my home when he and his parents visited. I had just seen you two on the news, and when I found the pamphlet, it started me thinking. Before I knew it, I was standing at the front gate with a lot of others impulsive girls.”

“Well, I guess it's too late to kick you out now,” Yukari smiled at Amari. “But if anyone asks, you really wanted to go to Nerisu, but couldn't get in, got it?”

“Sure,” Amari smiled, “I failed the stuck-up bitch test,” agreed the girl sweetly. Yukari began to snicker, and soon, the entire group was laughing. Once they had gotten control of themselves again, Yukari found herself thinking of how strange it was that she was so close to these girls; closer than even her best friends at school. I haven't thought of Arisa or Chisa in months, mused the girl. She routinely got text message from them, and answered from time to time, but she was always so busy around the base that it was rare for her to answer.

Finished with her meal, she stood, picking up her tray. “Well, I've got to talk to Old Man Nasuda, so I will see you all later,” she excused herself. The rest of her flight girls quickly finished up and headed out, too - the SSA was a busy place, after all. As she was sliding her tray through the dish-room window, she felt someone touch her shoulder.

“Yukari-san? Can I talk with you a minute?”

“Mom!” called out Yukari, waving. Hiroko smiled, waving back as Yasukawa pulled her luggage from the trunk of the taxi. The guard emerged from the guard hut, Hiroko's ID badge in hand. Yukari had arranged for Hiroko's card to be kept active but in the base's security office so when her mom visited, they didn't have to re-do the card. Accepting the card, Hiroko swiftly signed the log book before clipping her badge to her thin blouse.

Yukari jogged up, throwing her arms around her mom and hugging her. A short distance behind Yukari came Matsuri. The girl was in her native outfit, and had been on her way to the village when she spotted Yukari hurrying toward the gate. Curious, she had followed her sister.

“Momma Hiroko!” chirped Matsuri, hugging Hiroko as well.

“Matsuri-chan,” smiled Hiroko. “You are well, I trust?” she asked.

“Of course!” grinned Matsuri.

“You heading for the village?” Yukari asked her sister. Matsuri nodded.

“Want to come with me?” invited Matsuri. “Our husbands would love to have you visit again, and…!” Yukari slapped her hand over Matsuri's mouth as she glanced around. The guard - very wisely - pretended not to have heard anything and certainly not to understand anything he hadn't heard. Hiroko gave Yukari a fond smile, caressing her daughter's cheek.

“You got married without telling me?” she teased her daughter.

“It isn't like that!” hissed Yukari. “We talked about this, remember?” she reminded her mom. Hiroko just hummed.

“Why don't you and Momma Hiroko both come with me?” suggested Matsuri, having pulled Yukari's hand off her mouth.

“I don't think that mom is interested in…” began Yukari, only to have her mother cut in smoothly.

“Actually, I do want to visit your village, Matsuri-chan,” she accepted for both of them. Yukari blinked.

“You mean you finally want to talk to dad?” wondered the girl, confused.

“I have no interest in speaking to Hiroshi,” Hiroko said calmly, “at least not in the way you mean,” clarified the mother. “I do, however, wish to see these young men you are so fond of,” purred Hiroko.

“It isn't that I'm fond of them…!” started Yukari, only to have Matsuri put her hand over her older sister's mouth, grinning.

“You shouldn't say things that might hurt our husbands' feelings,” chided Matsuri, amused. “They already think that you find them barely satisfactory,” reminded the younger sister. Yukari blushed, pulling Matsuri's hand off her mouth.

“I can't help what they think!” protested the young woman, still blushing. “And anyway, we have a launch this evening, and mom isn't dressed for hiking to the village…”

“Akane volunteered to be GCL for me tonight, Natsuko and Chinami are on standby, and we could always take a base vehicle,” Matsuri problem-solved. Yukari frowned.

“No, I don't want there to be a worn road for vehicles leading to the village,” she said softly. Pulling up her cell phone, she dialed without looking, stepping away from the two for a moment. The call was quick. Yukari worked her phone for a moment, then tucked it away. “Akane will call if she needs us, but I want to be back on base by breakfast tomorrow,” she said to Matsuri. Her sister smiled.

“'Kay!” chirped the native girl.

“Mom, you are next door to Matsuri and I. Did you bring some clothes you can hike through the rainforest with?” wondered the girl.

“Actually, I brought some hiking boots, cargo shorts and a tee shirt,” Hiroko answered, seeing Matsuri grab one of her suitcases, and Yukari the other. Following her two daughters, she found herself in the dorm in short order. While the three were climbing the stairs, Yukari's cell phone rang, the girl answering the call. Hearing who was on the phone, Matsuri grabbed the suitcase that Yukari had, moving on up the stairs as Yukari herself stopped on the second floor landing. Getting the hint, Hiroko followed her step-daughter up the stairs.

By the time that Yukari reappeared, Hiroko was almost dressed for the trip to the village. Seeing her mom pull on her shorts and tee shirt over her micro-bikini, Yukari wondered if she had been a bad influence on her mother, or if her mother had always been that daring. In short order, the three were heading for the wire once more. It was late afternoon, the shadows getting long.

Right as they reached the fence, Yukari heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw Mingxia running toward the group. The cousin of Han Li had been allowed to stay on base on a `probationary' basis. She did the daily exercises with the flight program, and was sometimes invited to sit in on meetings, simulation training and was given instruction in astronautics and capsule handling by whoever happened to feel like it at the moment. Between those times, she was `free labor' as Yukari called it. If any of the other departments or programs needed her, she was theirs. So far, she most often worked in the cafeteria under the direct supervision of the old woman who ran the food service program, or was found working under Kinoshita or Nasuda, doing administrative chores like filing paperwork, organizing hardcopy documents, cleaning work spaces and even - once - washing windows on the admin building. Yukari had caught them doing that, and privately told Nasuda and Kinoshita that while she didn't mind them working her, having her do windows on the outside of the fourth floor was forbidden due to risk to Mingxia.

“Yukari!” Mingxia said, stopping in front of the three, “are you going to the village?” she asked eagerly.

“Yes,” admitted Yukari, drawing breath to continue.

“Can I come with you? Please!” begged Mingxia. Yukari frowned.

“The village isn't really something that concerns you…” began the girl.

“Sure, you can come,” Matsuri said casually. Yukari sent her sister a look. Matsuri leaned closer to her big sister, smiling. “It's fine,” she murmured. “Can't you hear them?” she asked. Yukari declined comment.

“You done with your work for today?” she asked. Mingxia nodded eagerly. “We're hiking to the village,” warned Yukari. Mingxia nodded.

“I'll be fine!” she promised. Yukari sighed softly.

“Ok,” she agreed. “But remember that you are a guest at the village, so mind your manners and follow Matsuri's and my lead, understand?”

“Yes, Yukari-sempai!” chirped the girl. Yukari rolled her eyes at that.

“You have been around Natsuko and Chinami too long,” she complained. Eyeing the girl's outfit, she decided that it was satisfactory. Mingxia dressed like the flight program girls: a small bikini under shorts and a tight, short, thin-strapped tank top. Sandals covered her feet. Tossing her head, Yukari headed for the foot traffic gate, nodding to the guard, who nodded back as they passed outside the wire of the SSA.

“Yukari-san,” a deep voice called her name as she was about to head into the jungle. Blinking, she found Kurosu stepping through the gate.

“Kurosu-san,” she replied, frowning slightly. “Something wrong?” she wondered. Kurosu shook his head. Holding out a small bundle, he wiggled it slightly.

“Please take this with you,” he said quietly. Yukari looked at the bundle, seeing it was a web belt with a holster on it. “It's yours,” murmured Kurosu. “Cocked and lock, two spares in the carrier,” added the man.

“I don't think I need to…” began Yukari, only to stop. Looking up at Kurosu's sunglasses-covered eyes, she was silent for a moment before taking the belt. Swiftly swinging it around her thin waist, she locked the buckle and situated it. “Matsuri and I have our phones, and we're planning to be back before breakfast tomorrow,” she said softly.

“Understood,” nodded the big man, turning on his heel. “Enjoy your visit to the village,” rumbled the man, a faint smile on his lips. Yukari hurried after the others. Matsuri glanced at the belt around her sister's waist, but didn't comment. As always, her spear was in her hands. The four moved along the trial, single-file, talking softly. Matsuri lead, Mingxia came next by Yukari's order, followed by Hiroko, and finally Yukari, bringing up the rear.

By the time that they reached the village, it was sunset. The torches were lit, the villagers eating the evening meals and relaxing after a day of work. Matsuri called out greetings as she led the others out of the jungle. Mingxia was looking around, gawking like a tourist. Silently, Yukari used a fingertip to close the young Chinese-Australian's jaw. Hiroko was looking around the village, her expression interested and thoughtful at the same time. I wonder if she's thinking about designing a new village? Yukari mused.

“Daddy! We have a surprise for you!” Matsuri laughed, scampering up the bamboo ladder to the chief's long hut. Yukari looked at her mother, knowing what Matsuri was about to do.

“If you don't want to talk to him, I'll tell her to stop,” she said to her mother. Hiroko smiled easily, stroking Yukari's hair.

“I can handle it myself, but thanks for the concern,” she said to her daughter.

“Daddy! Hurry!” urged Matsuri's voice from inside the hut.

“Take it easy, Matsuri,” came the voice of the chief. “You don't need to drag me around!” he protested.

“Hurry, Daddy!” laughed Matsuri, emerging from the inside of the hut, their wild-haired father in her grasp. Steadying him, Matsuri waited as he looked at the group at the base of the ladder. Focusing on them, he smiled.

“Yukari! You came to visit again! Your husbands will be happy, so they shouldn't bother me for a while!” Yukari scowled at him.

“Like I care if you are being bothered about that!” she snorted. Hiroshi blinked. “And stay out of my private life!” muttered Yukari. Kami knows there are way too many people in it already…!

“Yukari-chan…!” he whined.

“Stop whining, dad,” growled Yukari, unimpressed. Her dad, she had learned, was an emotional chameleon.

“Oh! And who is this pretty girl?” he asked, forgetting his eldest daughter as he focused on Mingxia. “Come have a drink with me!” he invited. Yukari's lips peeled back from her teeth.

“Mingxia, this is the chief of the Tariho tribe,” she said, gently squeezing the girl's shoulder, “as you have heard, he is also Matsuri's and my father. But never forget that he's a lazy, pervy dead-beat. He's not too dangerous, but stay away from him all the same, okay?” she said, her eyes gleefully narrowed.

“Ok, Yukari,” nodded Mingxia, nervously licking her lips as she unconsciously eased back slightly from the man.

“Yukari-chan!” protested her father. “I'm not dangerous,” insisted the man. “And it's only good manners to offer a guest food and drink.”

“She'll get food and drink,” Yukari said firmly, “just not from you, dad!”

“Well, if she isn't thirsty, then I'll just go back to my wives…” began the man, scratching his beard. Yukari growled.

“Dad, are you blind, messed up on the local plants or just drunk?” snarled Yukari, her hand on her holstered gun.

“What?” wondered her father, sounding lost. Yukari thrust her finger toward her mother.

“I guess you don't recognize your first wife - my mother!” accused the girl, steamed. I didn't expect much from him, but this is insulting!

Hiroshi studied Hiroko in the light of the torches for a long moment. “You've cut your hair, Hiroko-chan!” he exclaimed, smiling. Yukari's face turned red, her hand pulling up the flap on her holstered .45. I'm not going to kill him, she explained to herself, I'm just going to shoot him in the leg...or maybe the shoulder; or would shooting him in the head work better? To her surprise, she felt a hand take her own, pulling it away from the still-holstered heavy-caliber handgun. Fingers interlaced with her own even as Yukari was pulled to her mother, Hiroko's other arm looping around her chest in a loose, but warm hug.

“Hiroshi-kun, I see you have been enjoying yourself,” Hiroko replied easily, as if nothing were wrong. “I cut my hair shortly after the honeymoon. Do you like it?” she asked, turning her head from side to side.

“It looks good,” nodded Hiroshi, “but I liked you with long hair, too, Hiroko-chan,” he added, taking a pull from his bottle. “Want a drink?” he offered the bottle to his first wife.

“Don't do it, mom!” warned Yukari, still scowling at her father. “That stuff will lay you up for a few days,” she explained, recalling how Cindy had reacted to the stuff. “That local brew or the strong stuff, dad?” she almost accused.

“It's plain sake,” he answered, sounding hurt. Yukari sniffed.

“Likely story,” she dismissed the answer.

“I understand that you have several wives now, Hiroshi,” Hiroko continued as if her daughter had not said a thing.

“Yes,” he grinned. “Matsuri is my daughter with Toto, my senior wife,” he added.

“She already knows that, dad,” muttered Yukari. Hiroko patted her daughter's head.

“Matsuri is an excellent daughter,” smiled Hiroko. Matsuri smiled back.

“Too bad Yukari-chan doesn't take after Matsuri more,” her father shared. Yukari jerked, fire in her eyes.

“You know, dad,” she gritted out through locked teeth, “I brought my gun this time…” I need to thank Kurosu for his foresight, maybe see about doing something special for him, she made a mental note. Hiroko wrapped her up a little tighter.

“Yu-chan is just fine the way she is,” Hiroko replied conversationally. “Considering that she hasn't had a male figure in her life, I think she has turned out to be an outstanding young woman.”

“You should have remarried as well,” Hiroshi nodded to himself sagely.

“You're a fine one to be talking,” muttered Yukari unhappily.

“I have been too busy to think about that until just recently,” Hiroko ignored her daughter's editorial comments. Yukari twitched in her mother's embrace.

“You…are thinking of getting re-married?” she asked her mom, craning her neck to look at her mom's face. “Is it…to Norman?” she asked, dreading the answer. Hiroko smiled at her daughter.

“I said I had been too busy to think about remarrying, Yu-chan,” pointed out her mother, “I didn't say I was getting remarried.” Yukari sighed in relief. Thank Kami! the girl thought fervently. From inside the hut, Yukari heard a woman calling out. Matsuri answered for her father, and a moment later, Yukari saw Toto stick her head out of the shell curtain door to the hut, looking at the three at the foot of the bamboo ladder. Yukari smiled at her, nodding. Toto smiled back, saying something in the local language. Got to remember to ask Matsuri to help me learn the language, another mental note was made.

“It sounds like you are busy, Hiroshi,” Hiroko said, “and we have things to do, so enjoy your evening,” she said politely. Hiroshi gave Hiroko a sort-of wave, Toto grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the hut, saying something to Matsuri that made her laugh. The tanned native girl jumped off the elevated porch, landing easily beside Yukari.

“What did your mom say, Matsuri?” wondered Yukari. Matsuri looked into her big sister's eyes for a moment before answering.

“She said momma Hiroko is very pretty, and she's glad that the senior wife is so calm,” Matsuri said, smiling.

“You mean unlike me?” asked Yukari, suspicious of the pause before the answer. Matsuri shrugged.

“She said something else to you just before she went back inside,” Hiroko noted. “I doubt it was about me, either.”

“No, that was for me and Yukari,” Matsuri confirmed.

“What did she say?” Yukari wondered.

“Don't worry about it right now,” Matsuri said, touching Yukari's cheeks with her hands. “It will take care of itself in time. Come on! Our husbands are waiting,” she grinned, leading Yukari toward the hut where her men lived. Hiroko followed with Mingxia as Yukari fell in beside her sister.

Reaching the hut, she found all five husbands waiting for them, eyeing Mingxia and Hiroko with interest. For reasons she herself couldn't exactly pinpoint, Yukari found herself scowling at the young men. “Are these your…boyfriends?” asked Mingxia, studying the tanned, lean, strong young men.

“No, they're our husbands!” Matsuri chirped. “The best fishermen in the village,” she bragged. “Of all the men in the village, these five are the most suitable husbands for myself and my sister,” Matsuri smiled.

“I don't recall marrying them,” Yukari murmured darkly, still scowling at the five. “I hope you boys aren't thinking you're going to get Mingxia,” she said, her tone clipped and dark. The five men blinked, going still.

“Calm down, Yukari,” Matsuri said quietly, her hand on Yukari's shoulder. Blinking, Yukari realized that she could hear a lot of bats around the village. “Night spirits are very sensitive to you, remember?” murmured Matsuri. “As angry as you are right now, you could drive them into a frenzy without meaning to,” added the girl.

“Sorry,” murmured Yukari, taking a deep, calming breath. “I'm still new to this,” she explained, forcing her irritation with her father aside. “Mingxia, these are Matsuri's husbands,” she said to the girl. “The flight program knows them pretty well,” she forced herself to keep from editing herself by sheer will, “um, they're ok, but you shouldn't feel any sort of obligation…”

“So, these are the guys you all sleep with when you slip out here,” smiled Mingxia. “They're pretty cute,” she added a moment later, having finished a visual assessment of the five. Yukari frowned softly. Am I the only one who thinks sleeping with guys should involve some thought? wondered the girl.

“They're good in bed, too,” cooed Matsuri. Calling out to the five, she spoke briefly in the native language, gesturing to Hiroko and Mingxia.

“You didn't just tell them that mom and Ming are here to…?” began Yukari.

“Of course not,” Yukari dismissed the suggestion. “I told them that this was your mother - first wife of the chief Hiroko - and a new little sister,” she explained. “Food's ready,” she added, hurrying up the bamboo steps. Yukari turned to her mother and Mingxia.

“The situation with these five is complicated,” she began, “but after we eat, well…”

“I want to get a look at these young men,” Hiroko said firmly, climbing the bamboo ladder. “I need to make sure that they will take care of you and Matsuri properly,” she added. Yukari gulped.

“I can handle myself, Yukari,” Mingxia assured her. “I have dated a few boys, so I know what I'm doing,” she explained.

“Bet you haven't dated five at once,” muttered Yukari. Seeing the look on Mingxia's face, she waved her head. “Whatever you are thinking of saying, don't, Ming!” she cut off the girl, giving her a light push toward the ladder. I'll just duck out with Ming and Mom after dinner but before Matsuri starts, decided the girl. Pausing, she looked up at the stars. As if hearing her thoughts, she heard a rumble, and a moment later, the village was lit by the light of a Solomon Space Association LS7B roaring into the heavens. Yukari intently studied it as best as she could. It was only seconds later that it was beyond visual range, the roar fading as the night sounds came out. With a final look at the stars and moon, Yukari scurried up the bamboo ladder to the hut for some food; and to keep an eye on Ming and her sister's husbands.

“Hold on, Yukari,” Satsuki said, stopping Yukari as she started to reach for the door to the medical wing.

“Something wrong?” Yukari asked, covering a yawn. She and her flight crew had been on a heavy rotation for the last month, flying almost every third day, working a contract with for the UN that had been brokered by NASA and the ESA. NASA was lifting satellite modules to orbit, Yukari and her crews were configuring the modules, and the ESA was then positioning the parts, ready for long-duration EVA construction. It was, she had been told, a two-phase, three-part automated probe that was bound for the moon.

The main unit would stay in orbit, as a relay and monitoring station as well as a practical test of some ideas that the Russian space program and the ESA had had about space habitat construction. The main unit would be pressurized before it was launched, with sensitive data units to report on the conditions at all times. It was the purpose of the test to see if pressurized, working-space modules could be sent from Earth orbit to the Moon; and perhaps later, artificial-gravity living spaces for a mission to Mars.

Once in orbit, the second unit would detach and descend to the surface of the moon. This section was designed to be left unpressurized during transit and deployment, but - when the moon mission actually commenced - could be pressurized and livable within a couple of hours. Attached to the second unit was a remote-control mini-rover. This mini-rover was designed and made to test the density of Helium3 deposits. It could range several hundred miles from the base unit on the surface, and mission control had redundant control signal links from the orbiting main unit. The third unit - the rover - was not much more than a mobile testing kit, though there were the parts and brackets to remove the instrument package and set up four to six pressure-suit-sized seats with a manual control interface.

Yukari and Akane had taken the two odd rotations, giving them more space shots on this job than the other two teams. This project had also seen the first time that all three teams were up at once. Matsuri had handled all three with apparent ease, though Yukari had still opposed the decision of Nasuda to send all three up. She had not balked, though, because she understood the necessity of sending all three up due to the schedule and the workload. She also didn't have a better plan to offer.

Now, the contract was done, her crews had been processed out of medical for some food and a visit to cove before bed, and Satsuki was holding her back. Akane had left five minutes before. Her brother was visiting once more, so Yukari had shifted the task schedule to give her partner more free time with her brother.

“It's about Matsuri,” Satsuki began. Yukari turned the lock on the door and strode toward Satsuki in nearly one motion.

“What about her?” demanded Yukari, nose to nose with the doctor. Is something wrong with her? Is she sick? Injured? worried the girl.

“She didn't come in for her physical last week,” Satsuki began.

“We've been a bit busy,” Yukari replied, fishing up her cell phone. “Tomorrow work for you?” she asked, preparing to text her sister.

“It's a bit more complicated than that,” Satsuki said. Yukari scowled at her.

“Stop talking like Old Man Nasuda and get to the point!” she snarled, her worry growing. Satsuki turned to the terminal, tapping keys. A moment later, the printer next to the terminal hummed to life, a couple of sheets spitting out of the laser printer. Taking them, Satsuki glanced at them, as if to confirm what was there, before handing them to Yukari.

Looking the sheets over, Yukari puzzled through the information. They were from Matsuri's medical file, her name and SSA ID number on the header. Below that was a block of vital statistics on her, as well as a block for allergic reaction lists. Yukari noticed that Matsuri's block - like hers - was empty; no allergies. What am I supposed to see here? wondered the girl, scanning the rest of the page. Medical jargon and shorthand filled box after box with cryptic headers and there were numerous cross-reference document IDs on the page. “What am I looking at?” she asked, moving to the second page.

“Second page, half-way down,” Satsuki said quietly, “those are the results of the routine blood work done on you all.”

Yukari swiftly found the right box, apprehensively wondering what Matsuri had caught. What she saw in the bottom box made her blink. “No way,” breathed Yukari. “This has to be wrong,” stated Yukari, fixing a glare on Satsuki. “There was a lab error,” she stated, pressing a button on her cell phone without looking. No sooner had the other party picked up than she barked out “Medical wing, room two, now!” and hung up.

“I suppose it could be an error,” allowed Satsuki, “but the odds are not high for that. I wanted to test specifically for that.”

“She'll be here shortly,” Yukari said, her expression tight. Minutes later, Matsuri knocked on the door. Yukari opened the door, nearly dragging her sister into the room before locking the door behind her.

“What's going on, sis?” wondered Matsuri, as sunny as always.

“You missed your physical,” Yukari said, “but that's not why I had you rush over here,” she added, her hands unconsciously crumpling the paper in her hands. “Matsuri, are you pregnant?”

“Yep!” chirped her sister. “I was going to tell you later this week. Isn't it great?” smiled Matsuri, grabber her sister into a hug. Yukari was stunned speechless, though she returned the hug automatically.

“How long have you known?” asked Satsuki, her tone curious.

“Since last month,” Matsuri replied. Yukari blinked, her mind grinding back into gear.

“Last month?” Yukari asked Matsuri, the native girl nodding. “Then, it was…” breathed the head of the flight program. Matsuri once more nodded happily.

“Yep!” she confirmed. Yukari really didn't know what to feel about having her suspicions confirmed.

“Well, no point in re-testing now,” Satsuki said, opening a folder on her terminal and typing. “Matsuri, I am going to be changing your diet,” she said, eyes on the monitor. “Also, you need to come see me every month, starting now. As your due date gets closer, we'll make the intervals between visits smaller,” directed Satsuki. “You also need to ease back on the exercise, too, though you should be fine for the next little while.”

“Why would I need to stop exercising?” wondered Matsuri.

“We'll talk about that on your next visit,” Satsuki said, eyeing Yukari. This could get interesting, Satsuki thought, seeing the look on the volatile young woman's face. “Do you happen to know which of your husbands the father is?”

Matsuri shrugged. “No idea,” she replied candidly. “Probably Tapiawa,” she guessed. It didn't matter to her at all which one it was - they were all her husbands, after all. “Yukari? Are you ok?” she asked, eyeing her sister with concern. Yukari blinked, sucking in a breath.

“Um, yeah,” Yukari said, “Matsuri, go ahead and eat with the girls,” she said. “I'll catch up with you all at the cove,” she added. Matsuri eyed her sister.

“You shouldn't skip supper,” admonished Matsuri.

“Go,” Yukari replied flatly, flipping her hand. After a final look, Matsuri exited the room. Leaning against the door, Yukari scrubbed her face with her hands for a moment.

“Yukari,” began Satsuki, only to stop as the young astronaut pinned her to her seat with a glare.

“You said we were all on birth control!” roared Yukari, fighting to keep from screaming loud enough for the entire base to hear. “How did this happen?!”

“You all are, and I don't know,” shrugged Satsuki. “It shouldn't be possible, but…”

“If you took her off birth control because she's ground…!” warned Yukari, her face dark with anger. “I need Matsuri, damn it! I can't afford to have her pregnant!” ranted the girl.

“Why are you yelling at me? Go yell at her - she's the one…” began Satsuki, only to flinch as Yukari's fist hammered against the door, an ominous thump! filling the room.

“You are the head of medical,” snarled Yukari. “You are the one who put us on birth control to begin with - without telling us, I might add! - and you are the one who said it was taken care of! This is not what I call `taken care of', Satsuki!” she screamed.

“What do you want me to do?” asked the doctor, watching the girl who had made all their dreams possible fight with herself. “You could always have Matsuri get an abortion…”

“No,” Yukari said quietly. Straightening, she closed her eyes for a moment. “Who else knows about this?” she asked, her tone quiet and thoughtful.

“You, me, Matsuri,” Satsuki replied. Yukari nodded to herself.

“Not one word to Nasuda or anyone else, got it? I'll tell them myself,” she promised. Once I have some sort of idea what to tell them, that is! “And keep your nurses out of her file, too. Last thing I need is this becoming base gossip,” the young woman sighed.

“Ok,” Satsuki agreed, mentally crossing her fingers. “So, what are you planning? About the rest of you girls and her husbands?” wondered Satsuki. Yukari gave her an annoyed look.

“What about them?” she asked. “You are sure we're on birth control, right?” she pressed. Satsuki nodded. “I'll just tell them to make absolutely sure to use condoms. Not much more I can do,” she shrugged.

“Did Matsuri use condoms?” wondered Satsuki, her curiosity piqued.

Yukari shook her head. “No,” she answered, “but they are her husbands, so I sort of think I get what she was thinking; and it doesn't feel as good with a condom, either,” she thought aloud. Realizing what she had said, she gulped. “Or, so I have heard,” she offered. Satsuki gave her a smug smile.

“I am your doctor, Yukari,” purred Satsuki, “no need to be shy.”

“That isn't helping,” Yukari said wryly. “Speaking of that, have any of the tests come back yet about that other issue?” she asked. Satsuki nodded.

“Nothing to worry about there,” she said. “Like Matsuri said, they're clean; and apparently very virile, too!” she added suggestively. Yukari blushed a little.

“I wouldn't know,” she muttered, turning to open the door. “Don't have anything to compare them to,” she whispered, exiting the room. She needed to think. After the door closed, Satsuki sighed, turning to look at the file on her terminal screen. Thoughtfully, she found her finger tapping the phone, just below a speed-dial number.

“Yukari?”

The head of the flight program blinked, finding that Akane was standing in front of her, a worried look on her face. “Oh, Akane-chan,” breathed Yukari, looking around. What time is it? she wondered, fishing up her cell phone and checking the display. She saw that she had missed two calls and a text message. “Um, sorry; kind of got lost in thought,” she offered her partner.

Akane knelt in front of Yukari, looking Yukari in the eyes. “What is wrong, Yukari?” she asked bluntly.

“Just got something on my mind, Akane-chan,” Yukari answered. “Sort of family business; kind of,” she muttered.

“You mean about Matsuri-sempai?” Akane asked. Yukari's eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?” she challenged the smaller girl.

“She's pregnant, isn't she?” Akane came right back at her. Guess I've been rubbing off on her, Yukari thought, unable to keep a small smile from flickering across her lips. And she used to be such a nice, meek girl…

“Where did you hear that from?” Yukari grunted.

“Matsuri,” Akane replied. Yukari grimaced. Forgot to tell her not to say anything, realized Yukari.

“Who else did she tell?” wondered the senior astronaut.

“Just me, as far as I know,” Akane replied, touching Yukari's hand. “I, um, told her not to tell anyone else until she had talked to you about it. Was that ok?” asked her partner. Yukari laughed softly.

“I could kiss you, Akane-chan,” Yukari breathed, lunging forward and hugging her partner tight to her. Akane really is the perfect partner for me, thought Yukari warmly, stroking Akane's back. Easing back from the hug, she was surprised to feel Akane cup her cheeks with her hands. Before she could even think about anything, she felt a pair of warm, soft lips on her own. She's…kissing me, Yukari discovered, stunned. Akane-chan is kissing me. For some reason, that fact mystified her.

Breaking the kiss, Akane was breathing fast. “I'm…ah…not very experienced, but I hope I wasn't too bad, Yukari,” she managed, blushing.

“Akane-chan,” breathed Yukari, unsure of what to say.

“If you d…didn't like it, I apologize!” Akane added, struggling to her feet. “I'll head back to the dorm,” she started to say. Yukari grabbed her wrist. Akane gulped, turning to look at Yukari. Seeing her partner's expression, she wondered how much trouble she was in. I knew she didn't mean it literally, but…! Akane admitted to herself.

“It was fine, Akane-chan,” Yukari said softly. “Unexpected, but fine.”

“So…?” Akane asked hesitantly. Yukari gave her a small smile.

“Well, I did offer,” Yukari replied. Pulling gently on the captive wrist, Yukari hugged Akane again. “Is this why you rarely visit the village and never by yourself?” wondered Yukari. Akane nervously licked her lips.

“I…don't mind Matsuri's husbands,” she said carefully. “But they make me nervous if you or one of the others isn't around. You don't need to worry about me molesting you in the shower or groping you in the ready room!” added the girl earnestly.

“Never thought you would,” Yukari laughed softly, once more rubbing Akane's back. The small bikini top left plenty of warm, soft skin for Yukari to rub, too. “And if you did, not like it would be the weirdest thing in my life,” she added dryly. Akane gasped softly at that remark.

“So…you…” she swallowed.

“I'm not worried - that's all,” Yukari said, releasing her partner. “I'll be along in a bit,” she changed the topic, “make sure that the girls have checked the revised schedule and tell Amari that I want her to give Mingxia a pop test on orbital deviation correction formula usage tomorrow after breakfast.”

“Hai!” Akane chirped, starting to turn toward the base's buildings.

“One more thing,” Yukari said, causing Akane to turn back toward her. Yukari surprised Akane by cupping her cheeks with her palms and kissing her. “Thanks for having my back, Akane-chan,” murmured Yukari when she released her partner from the brief kiss.

“So, that is your plan?” Nasuda asked. Yukari nodded firmly.

“It is,” confirmed the girl. “The situation is what it is, and this way, we can both continue without interruption, and keep our skills sharp. More to the point, it won't cost us a single yen more than what we already have in overhead - figure you should like that,” she finished drolly.

“This isn't like you, Yukari-chan,” Nasuda said, leaning back in his chair. The two of them were having a private conference in his office.

“What isn't like me?” asked Yukari.

“You have always fought tooth and nail against anything that you considered `reckless' or a threat to your crews, but now…” he made a gesture.

“Nothing has changed,” Yukari said firmly. “I have been thinking about this for a week now, and I am satisfied that it is the best move, and presents no greater risk to my crews than what they already face. We have some time before things get critical, and I will have her trained and up to speed by then.”

“Of that I am sure,” Nasuda chuckled dryly. Yukari had a well-earned reputation as the `Boot Instructor from Hell' around the base, and that reputation was spreading across the space-work world as well, thanks to tall (and not so tall) tales from the NASA personnel who had encountered her in her native environment. Talk from those trainees who had not made the program didn't deter the spread of such rumors any.

“Then stop back-seat driving,” replied Yukari sourly. “You do your job and let me do mine.”

“Ok, ok,” he made placating motions with his hands. Yukari-chan is getting damned territorial about her program, he thought, amused. “But part of my job is making sure we can deliver on our contracts. And because of that, I want to know what you have done about the situation.”

“Done about it?” Yukari asked. “I already told you what we are going to do about it.”

“I meant about this becoming a recurring problem,” Nasuda said, knowing full well that Yukari knew what he had meant the whole time and was just denying the hint. “Matsuri getting pregnant is one thing, but I don't need a series of astronauts getting knocked up,” he admonished her. “Certainly not my program head turning up pregnant, too.”

“Jerk,” muttered Yukari, blushing a little. “I already talked to Satsuki about that and made some changes to the precautions we take when…relaxing,” she managed, color flaring a bit more.

“Oh?” Nasuda just couldn't resist jerking her chain.

“Mind your own business!” snapped Yukari. “What we do off the clock is our business and we take all precautions possible, so…”

“Except the one precaution with the greatest chance of success,” Nasuda broke in blandly. “You could just not sleep with the boys.”

“I don't want to hear that from someone who spent his time fucking Chinese spies!” hissed Yukari, face scarlet. “And sure as hell not when you didn't even use a condom when you bent that bitch over this desk as her partner molested me in front of you!” snarled the young woman. Nasuda winced.

“Sorry, Yukari,” he said contritely, “I didn't mean it like that.” Yukari inhaled deeply, held it for a moment then exhaled forcefully.

“I know,” she said, rubbing her face for a moment before fishing up her water bottle and taking a long pull. “It's just…don't go there with me, ok?” I'm having a difficult enough time with this whole situation without you adding to it, Old Man, she left unsaid. Silence filled the office for several minutes. Finally, she spoke again. “Hey? Old Man? Did you ever think about getting married or having kids?”

“Honestly?” Nasuda asked her. Yukari nodded. “Not seriously,” he said.

“Never?” pressed Yukari, fixing a steady gaze on him.

“There was a time or two in my youth that I almost proposed to girls, and once I thought I had gotten a girl pregnant, but the way you mean it? No, never.” replied her boss. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” Yukari waved the question aside. Seeing his look, she giggled. “Don't worry,” she assured him, “I'm still too messed up to be thinking of those things either.”

“I don't think you are messed up, Yukari-chan,” Nasuda said quietly. “Someone once told me that some people are not meant to be married or be parents. At the time, I thought she meant it as a little spiteful barb, but now, I don't know that was how she meant it.”

“Ex-girlfriend?” guessed Yukari.

Nasuda nodded. “The one I thought I got pregnant,” he added. “Things were always kind of stormy between us, but I think of her from time to time even today.”

“Sort of like our relationship, huh?” smirked Yukari. Nasuda shrugged.

“You do remind me of her sometimes,” he said blandly. “But she was a bit curvier,” he added after a couple of heartbeats. Yukari scowled at him.

“Keep your creepy comments to yourself,” she huffed, unlocking the door and exiting the office.

Yukari finished brushing her hair and checked herself in the mirror one more time. Satisfied, she made her way out of the room she and Matsuri still shared - though for how much longer, she wasn't sure. Hard to believe that the SSA is five years old now, she thought, heading for the cafeteria and the party being held there to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the SSA. She had only been with the outfit for just over three and a half years.

Exiting the dorm, she saw that the sun was just setting. Already, she could see the party was in full swing, the nearly everyone in the cafeteria, which had been re-arranged to give them room. Looking toward the main gate, she spotted a familiar form in the guard shack. Changing direction, she headed toward the shack. Half-way to the guard shack, she found herself feeling hot. Tugging on her dress front, she reflected that it had been a long time since she wore so much clothing. Even a summer dress feels heavy and hot, she thought, opening the door to the guard shack and stepping inside the air conditioned space. “Ah! Better,” she sighed happily. “Pulling a shift yourself, Kurosu-san?” she asked the head of the security program.

“Yes, Yukari-san,” he replied. “I set up a rotating watch so all the guards can have a chance to go to the party,” explained the big, quiet man. Yukari saw him eyeing her dress.

“Oh, this,” she laughed. “Well, it is a party, right?” she said, shrugging. “The other girls dressed up, so…” she shrugged again. “Hey, Kurosu-san,” she said, glancing out the glass windows before lowering her voice, “you know about Matsuri, right?” she asked. He nodded. “As it gets nearer, could you tell me whenever she heads for the village? I'm worried about her hiking through the rainforest alone.” Kurosu gave her a look that was transparent that Yukari couldn't help but giggle. “I know, it's stupid to think like that about Matsuri of all people, but still…I worry about something happening, especially as she gets bigger. She's my sister, you know?”

“Understood,” he grunted. “Her visits to the village have been getting closer and closer together lately,” he shared. Yukari nodded.

“Tribal stuff with Toto and the village women,” explained Yukari. “She is getting her tattoos and preparing and stuff.”

“Tattoos?” Kurosu wondered. Yukari nodded.

“Some sort of Tariho rite. I have to go with her some times because I am her older sister and have to be there,” Yukari said. She didn't realize that her hand slipped down to lightly touch her lower belly. Kurosu noticed, though.

“You get any tattoos?” he asked her. Yukari blinked, puzzled until she realized that her hand was resting over her new tattoo. Seeing her look, Kurosu gave her a rare smile. “I won't tell anyone,” he promised her.

“It isn't like that, but thank you, Kurosu-san,” she said. “I got a spirit charm tattoo - just like Matsuri has,” she said. And Matsuri was right, too - it didn't really hurt at all.

“The other girls notice it yet?” he asked her. Yukari sighed.

“Yes, and now they all want one,” complained the girl.

“What's the problem with that?” Kurosu asked calmly. Yukari frowned.

“It's a tattoo,” she tried to fit her thoughts into a sentence, “they can't change their minds about it later, and…”

“What makes you think they will change their minds?” Kurosu asked her, curious. Yukari started to say something, stopped and thought it over.

“You're probably right,” she conceded several heartbeats later. “But I have to make sure they are really serious about getting one,” she murmured, nodding to herself. Her phone chirped. Yukari checked the display.

“You should probably get going,” Kurosu said, “you are being missed.”

“Yeah, apparently so,” Yukari agreed. “But I want to see you there at some point tonight, Kurosu-san,” added the girl. He just grunted. Yukari realized that she had a perfect chance to ask him something that had been on her mind a lot lately. “Kurosu-san, can I ask you something sort of personal?” she asked softly.

Kurosu didn't answer, but she could see that he was waiting for her to speak up. “I was wondering if you were ever married,” Yukari asked him.

“Yes,” he replied gruffly. “Back when I was new to the JSDF, I married my childhood sweetheart,” he said. Yukari blinked. “Having a hard time picturing me married, hmm, Yukari-san?” he grinned at her evilly.

“Well, yes,” admitted Yukari. He's so distant and strict and…Kurosu! the girl thought to herself, stunned. “Um, do you have any children?” she asked, a little nervously.

“No, thankfully,” he replied. Yukari found herself looking at his left hand. It was tanned, with no sign of a ring. Did she die? she wondered.

“And before you ask, no, she didn't die,” he said. Catching her look, he elaborated. “Things happened,” he said, “and we separated after two years. It was only a matter of about a year until we were divorced. After that, I focused on my career in the military.”

“I see,” murmured Yukari. “Do you ever think you might want to get married again? Or have a kid?” she asked.

“No,” he said quietly. Yukari sighed softly.

“Thank you for being so open,” Yukari said, bowing to him briefly before turning for the door. Before she could exit the shack, Kurosu spoke up.

“Yukari-san, things like choosing to get married or not, or to have kids or not should be something you decide for yourself and not a matter of polling.” Yukari blinked.

“I wasn't polling,” she replied, “just trying to figure things out.”

Kurosu grunted. Once Yukari had been gone for several minutes, Kurosu allowed himself to look toward the cafeteria. “If you ever figure things out, Yukari-chan, please clue me in, will you?” he murmured.

“Coming up on intercept point,” Akane said, watching her instrumentation.

“Got it,” Yukari confirmed, her attention on her own screens. “How's the closure angle looking?” she asked her specialist.

“It's not great, but we're ok,” Akane replied a moment later. “Shallow on Y and a little `vex on Z. Want to catch it next time around? We can wedge a little T in there and be fine next approach,” Akane suggested. Yukari considered that.

“We might as well grab it now,” she decided. “Our outstanding shift would put us a bit closer than I want to be to China if we T'd the orbit, so let's just latch and pull this time.”

“Hai,” confirmed Akane, grasping the controls for the robotic arm.

“Let me know if you need any adjustments,” Yukari said, her hands full with the OMS control set. “Killing delta V now,” she added, caressing the firing buttons. Short, fine bursts from the forward vents slowed their capsule. It was only seconds later that the relative velocity was nearly zero. “You have a good visual on it, Akane-chan?” she asked.

“Yes,” confirmed her partner. “It looks like it is a little larger than we thought,” added the girl.

“We have six minutes until we are in arm range at this closure, so pick your target,” noted Yukari. Akane hummed, intently studying the images from the arm-mounted HD camera.

“Mukai said he increased the strength of the arm, right?” Akane asked her mission commander.

“Yes, but this is still a risky job,” Yukari said. “Whatever this thing is, it better be worth it,” she grumbled. The anniversary party two nights before had been fun, if a little awkward for the flight program. Every last one of the girls was technically under age, but alcohol had been the main drink at the party. When Yukari had discovered this fact - too late to avoid the rum-enhanced fruit cocktail three-quarters empty in her hands - she had been prepared to order her girls off the drinks, but had allowed herself to be convinced by her crews that they would be responsible and careful. Grudgingly, Yukari had allowed them to make their choices, though she was watching them carefully. To her relief, the girls did what they had said they would, focusing mainly on water and soda, though she did notice that all of the girls except Matsuri at least sampled the fruit punch.

Yukari had grabbed her sister's arm when she headed for the fruit punch, firmly telling her that she wasn't getting any of that fruit punch. Instead, Yukari had made sure that Matsuri got some unleaded punch from the old woman who ran the food services department. Not a half hour later, she had nearly taken the head off a man in the accounting department when he offered Matsuri a cup of sake. From that point on, Yukari didn't leave her sister's side. Matsuri had seemed amused at the actions of her big sister, but hadn't complained.

The evening had been a bit surprising for her in other ways. Watching over her sister and keeping an eye on her girls, she had noticed that even when they were mingling with fellow SSA employees, her crews were a group unto themselves. The flight crews remained tight with each other the whole time. Crews tended to end up next to each other without any thought to the matter. All of them watched each other's backs, even if they did constantly tease each other. She herself wasn't really aware of the fact that Akane was hardly ever more than arm's reach away from her, or that the two of them tended to end up next to one or both of the other flight crews.

Noticing this, Yukari had realized that with the two-woman crew set, it left Matsuri without a partner. Watching her sister move through the group without any concern about who was in what program, she found herself wondering what she should do about the situation. She hadn't been kidding when she told Satsuki that she needed Matsuri. But at the same time, Matsuri was without a partner; and now she was pregnant, too. Akane had had to tell her that she was scowling before she realized that she was doing so. Natsuko and Kotomi had made fun of her `sour attitude', and the exchange ended with her holding another cup of loaded fruit punch, with all the girls insisting that she relax. She managed to make the cup of fruit punch last for nearly an hour.

Most surprising of all, however, had to be that Ibari had kept coming by her, asking if she wanted another drink, or if she wanted some more snacks, or if she would sing karaoke with him. Yukari brushed him off several times, as did Akane. It had mildly puzzled her what her two junior flight crews found so amusing about that. She wondered why he wasn't talking with Natsuko and Chinami - who had arrived with what seemed ages ago - instead. During a bathroom break, she had briefly spoken to Akane about it, but she had been just as puzzled. When Amari and Kotomi had entered the bathroom at the end of the exchange, the two junior-junior astronauts had burst into giggles, but refused to say what was so funny.

Mingxia had enjoyed the party as well, even if she had been `volunteered' to help out with the work. Yukari had checked on her several times, finding her to be talking with various SSA employees while also orbiting the flight crews. When Yukari needed to hit the bathroom, she asked Mingxia to keep an eye on Matsuri. The Chinese-Australian had done so without protest. Even with her days sometimes reaching eighteen hours, the cousin of Han Li seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. Yukari had shifted her more into flight than she had been before, with regular tests on astronautics, simulator drills and the restricted diet. Satsuki had been building up a flight-grade medical file on her, as well.

The next morning, the SSA had been contacted by NASA, requesting an emergency recovery attempt. Further information came available that debris from the Discovery was drifting toward Earth, and while not in any critical orbits, it did hinder the approach to the ISS. More to the point, though, was the fact that NASA had said that an experiment module seemed to have survived, since it was sending out a signal. They very much wanted the SSA to snag the module if possible and wrangle it to the ISS, where the Atlantis was docked. They had held the shuttle so that they could take the module back down to Earth if the SSA could capture it. The Discovery incident was still a very sore point with Yukari, and she made no secret of it. She had asked if NASA wouldn't rather send the shuttle to do the capture itself, since last time she tried to help them, she was treated very badly.

NASA had insisted that this was not the same situation as the Discovery mission had been, and that they would be very appreciative if she could grab the module. As she was wavering, they mentioned that the shuttle commander was Wayne. That made the difference, and the next morning, she and Akane punched in for a little salvage work. Now, the two were about to grab the module with their robotic arm.

“Papaya, we have radar plot on a closing target, over.” Matsuri's voice came over the radio.

“Solomon, copy that. Orbit data? Over,”

“Translating into higher plane, and transitioning to shift orbit, relative, over,” Matsuri came back a moment later. Yukari frowned, mentally picturing what she had been told.

“Source of plot? Over,” she radioed back.

“Unknown, Papaya,” Kinoshita cut in smoothly, “we only caught it thirty second ago as it translated. Christmas Tree is attempting a reverse-orbit trace, but it doesn't look like it will work, over.”

Yukari wiggled a hand, signaling Akane before eliminating the last of their R-delta V. “Might have company, Akane-chan,” she said. The two had their helmets on, but the visors open. Tapping an icon, she got on the radio with NASA. “Houston, Papaya here. Any idea on a closing radar target, over.”

“Papaya, Houston here. Negative on that track. It isn't ours, and we just spotted it two minutes ago, over.”

“Papaya, this is Atlantis,” Wayne's voice came over the radio, “how does it look? Can you grab it and scoot, or it is going to be a problem, over.”

“Looks ok, though I am not sure about the mass issue or the burn table to get it to you guys, Atlantis,” she radioed back. “But more than that, I don't like orbit intercepts; last time someone tried to kill me and Akane, over.”

“Papaya, if things get too hot, can you shove the module into the atmosphere, over,” Wayne radioed her. Yukari frowned.

“Well, it's pretty easy to throw something down a gravity well, Wayne, but that usually only makes things worse, doesn't it? Over,” she wondered.

“Papaya, radar target on intersecting orbit, over,” Kinoshita radioed.

“Another missile?” grunted Yukari. “Akane, seal your helmet - it could get messy,” she said, locking her own visor. “Where's the target, Solomon? Over,” she radioed.

“Papaya, it is five minutes away, closing on a descending intersect from eleven o'clock relative. Delta is one three nine five decimal seven klicks per second, relative. Can you evade, over?” Kinoshita supplied the information.

“Sure, Solomon, we'll just dive for the side of the road, over,” she replied sarcastically, busy with her pen and a worksheet. Behind her, Akane was doing the same. Dodge Orbit to the rescue, I guess, she thought fleetingly as she circled her sets and handed the paper to Akane. Akane handed her paper to Yukari, the two working each other's sets again. “Looks like we can squeak by, Solomon, over,” she shared.

“Papaya, burn a clear, over,” Wayne radioed.

“Way ahead of you, Wayne,” muttered Yukari, checking the sets she had entered into her flight computer system. “Papaya burning, over,” she said, touching the stick. The two felt a jolt as the OMS fired stronger than usual, their orbital path deviating from docking point. Three minutes later, Yukari rolled their capsule, taking the binoculars and scanning the darkness of space where the target was expected to appear. “Solomon, Houston, Atlantis, we are clear, attempting visual confirmation on radar track target, over,” she informed her base and their customers.

“Roger that,” Wayne said.

“Copy, Papaya,” Matsuri confirmed.

“Houston copies,” NASA completed the acknowledgements. Fifteen seconds later, Solomon was back on the horn.

“Papaya, target is decelerating, over,” Kinoshita shared.

“Solomon, I see OMS firing, but can't pick out the craft, over,” Yukari said, trying her best to identify the target. In the darkness, she could make out the unique pattern of the OMS burns, but couldn't distinguish the hull from the star fields.

“Papaya, our tracking stations indicate the radar target could be attempting a dock with the module, over,” NASA ground control radioed up. Yukari frowned.

“A dock?” she murmured. An instant later, she was securing the binoculars. “Akane, I'm bringing up around and over, re-approaching from negative five one, zero relative.”

“Roger,” Akane replied, sounding a bit nervous. Yukari quickly visualized the spatial relationships involved and entered the revised value string in her computer. Taking the stick, she fired the main engine in conjunction with the maneuvering vents. “Solomon, we are taking a closer look, over,” she radioed her ground control.

“Negative, Yukari,” Nasuda's voice came over the radio. “Risk is too great for the reward, understood?”

“I understand, Old Man, but this isn't about pay,” she said, muting the channels to NASA and the Atlantis. I have to know if this is what I think it is, she thought. “Do me a favor, and have Natsuko suit up, just in case, ok?”

“'Kay!” Matsuri answered for Nasuda. “Natsuko is heading for the ready room right now.”

“Thanks, Matsuri,” Yukari said. Which means that my girls were in ground control, listening, she realized. It made her feel a lot better to know that her crews were backing her up.

“I have the cameras running and the audio feed is active,” Akane said.

“Good,” Yukari murmured, concentrating on her maneuvering. The slowly tumbling mass of the module they were trying to recover appeared briefly before vanishing as Yukari skillfully wheeled their capsule. “Glasses,” Yukari said.

“On it,” Akane confirmed, using the binoculars to scan the area they could see through the ports. “Nothing yet,” murmured the girl. Yukari finished her burns, their capsule in stationary relative velocity to the module, above and behind the incoming radar target.

“Daybreak line approaching,” Yukari said, craning her neck as she scanned visually. “There! OMS flare!” Yukari spotted the flicker again.

“Got it!” confirmed Akane. “It's a capsule, all right,” she said a moment later, handing the glasses to her partner. With nearly two klicks between them, the binoculars couldn't give them all the details, but it gave them enough. Yukari thumbed the transmit button.

“Solomon, Houston, Atlantis,” she roll-called, “target is confirmed as a capsule. Approximate mass of a Carambola-class capsule, but with what appears to be a single hatch mid-cone. Best guess is the hull is painted black - probably why we couldn't spot it earlier. I see two manipulator arms extending, both anterior-based. Three joints per arm, with a double-hand configuration. OMS system looks to be the same three-axis layout as our Mangosteen-class capsules. I think…” Yukari paused, seeing the strange capsule slowly turn. “I think they have spotted us,” she said, her tone alert.

“Yukari, that's enough - get out of there,” ordered Nasuda.

“Papaya, you don't want to get into a fight in orbit,” Wayne agreed.

“Who's picking a fight?” Yukari radioed back. “I don't see any markings on the hull at all. Not even a capsule name. Both arms are definitely triple-joint articulation with a double-hand ends. They are firing their OMS,” she added, seeing the main engine of the black capsule burn momentarily.

“Enough messing around,” Kinoshita radioed, “get out of there right now, Yukari.”

“Solomon, is it at all possible to de-orbit the module?” NASA wanted to know.

“Houston, we have more urgent things on our minds right now,” Yukari radioed back.

“Yukari! They are burning again,” Akane said. Yukari looked at her instruments, then at the capsule, then checked her watch.

“Stow the arm and lock your straps, Akane,” Yukari said, swiftly entering values into her computer. “Time?” she asked.

“Maybe thirty seconds,” Akane said, still watching the capsule.

“Sorry, Akane,” Yukari said, seeing the new waypoint burns appear on her main display.

“For what, Yukari?” wondered her partner. Yukari grasped the stick firmly.

“For this,” she said, fingers stabbing firing studs. G-forces slammed down on the pair as the OMS roared at full power.

Yukari sighed, sitting on the sand of the cove, watching the stars. It had been a rough couple of weeks for her. The incident in orbit with the unfamiliar capsule had caused a lot of commotion; and not just in space circles. Though she herself had never said anything, various factions had drawn the obvious conclusion about where the second capsule had come from, and instead of standing behind their own accusations, they had hid behind Yukari, claiming that she had said what they were saying.

China, of course, totally and completely denied that any such incident had taken place. They had no capsule up that day, they had nothing to do with anything, it was a transparent lie by the SSA - and Yukari herself - to attempt to defend their `monopoly' on space services, the evil Japanese were once more attacking China, Yukari was liar, the SSA had attacked a Chinese capsule engaged in test-flight maneuvers…it didn't matter that many of the accusations made by the Chinese were contradictory, the world media loved it all equally.

Once more, groups of lunatics and busy-bodies and governments and agencies were taking legal action against the SSA. But this time, they were also focusing more on Yukari herself. I guess, as the figurehead of the SSA, I am an easy target, she thought. The actions of Natsuko, Chinami and Kotomi at the conference in Australia were revived, tales of alleged `human rights' violations by the SSA became a fad in the news, and a group of protestors had shown up at the gate again.

Yukari was in no kind of mood for their shit. Her mind was focused on what had happened and what was happening with Matsuri. Her younger sister was showing, and she didn't want any more trouble, so she kept Matsuri in the background as much as possible. Her sister often stayed at the village these days. Pregnant or not, Matsuri still favored the tie-on tube top and grass skirt she most often wore, and no one could keep up with her in the rainforest.

Cindy's `flunky' had paid them a visit the day after the incident, wanting a copy of all the information they had on the capsule. Yukari had told him to have Cindy come get them herself. She had over-ridden Nasuda, insisting that Cindy had to come get them herself or the records stayed right where they were: in the SSA's encrypted, stand-alone data archive. The man had left, obviously unhappy with Yukari, and two days later, Cindy had shown up, looking a little miffed herself. The head of the flight program had brushed it off, taking Cindy to the secure data storage center for two hours. She hadn't said what she talked about, but she did log all the data that Cindy had made copies of.

Another thing that Yukari had done was change the training of her other crews. There were now a lot more drills for emergency evasion, line-of-sight observation and point-maneuvering of the capsule in vacuum. Yukari had sat her teams down and gone over the entire thing in great detail before-hand, laying out her reasoning. After she had laid it out, the girls had agreed that they didn't see a better solution, so they had been working hard on honing and developing their skills.

Yukari had also apologized to Akane when she regained consciousness for burning hard enough to make her black out. Akane had assured her that it was ok, but Yukari had caught her partner talking to Satsuki about increased time in the centrifuge to help build up her G tolerance. Akane's request was summarily dismissed by Yukari, who had made it very clear that if she caught Satsuki endangering her partner in the centrifuge runs, she would stuff the doctor in the centrifuge and crank it up to 25Gs as an object lesson. As tightly wound as Yukari was, Satsuki didn't want to find out if she meant that literally or not.

Mukai had gotten side-swiped by Yukari as well. When the helicopter deposited the Papaya on the retrieval dolly, Mukai had complained about the damage Yukari's high-stress maneuvers had done to the capsule. Yukari - Akane's arm over shoulders - had cut loose on him, ordering him to keep his comments to himself and fix the capsule as fast as he could. The engineer had blinked, nodded, and hurried off. Until further notice, the Papaya was out of service. Fortunately, the Guava was fine, and there was the test-type Carambola-class orbiter and the prototype Durian rescue capsule. Mukai had also let slip that he had a prototype unit for the modular capsule almost finished, which made Yukari demand a simulator capsule for it before she would let it off the ground.

In addition to all this, there was school work. The online classes were taking more time and effort, and Yukari and a couple of her girls were in danger of falling off schedule. For the last week, Yukari's days had been twenty hours long. On the plus side, she would be receiving her first college degree later that month. It had taken some finagling but the girls had cobbled together a general-education type degree from the offerings from all the schools combined, with an AAS, BS and a Masters level degree.

“Yukari,” came a voice from behind her, the girl being called instantly identifying the speaker as her sister Matsuri.

“Hey, sis,” Yukari waved a hand. Matsuri sat down beside her, sighing happily. Dressed in one of Yukari's bikinis, the tanned native woman looked like she was wearing a latex swimsuit. “What's going on?” wondered Yukari, absently touching Matsuri's belly. Her sister giggled softly.

“I want you to come with me to the village,” Matsuri said. Yukari shook her head.

“Can't right now,” she said. “But you should ask Akane or Ming to go with you,” added Yukari.

“Sis, you haven't visited our husbands since the night I got pregnant,” Matsuri observed. “And even the frequency of your trips to the village itself has fallen sharply.”

“I've been busy, Matsuri,” Yukari said quietly.

“Our husbands are starting to think that you are angry with them,” Matsuri said.

“That's ridiculous,” denied Yukari. “And anyway, I don't recall marrying them,” she muttered. Matsuri looked at her big sister for a moment.

“You are angry with them,” sighed Matsuri. “I will talk to them, ok, Yukari?”

“Don't,” Yukari said firmly. “I told you, I am not angry with them; not really, anyway,” allowed the older of the two, “but damn it, why did they have to get you pregnant now of all times?!” hissed Yukari.

“Because I wanted them to,” shrugged Matsuri. Yukari blinked.

“What?”

“Because I wanted them to,” repeated Matsuri. “You don't think that I would have let them get me pregnant if I didn't want them to, do you?” laughed Matsuri.

Yukari frowned. “You wanted them to get you pregnant? Why?” wondered Yukari, completely lost.

“Because I am getting old and can't wait too much longer to have kids,” explained Matsuri, as if to a child.

“Old?”

Matsuri nodded. “Usually, I would have two, maybe three kids by my age. But, since you showed up, I had to wait to see if you wanted to have kids first or not. You didn't seem interested, so I figured that you didn't have a husband, so I waited. The spirits told me that you didn't have any husbands, so I had to wait to see if you approved of my own husbands or not.”

“Matsuri…,” breathed Yukari, wondering where to start on that.

“I had daddy ask the spirits, but they didn't talk to him. That night that I took you to eat the sweet orchids, they spoke to you, didn't they?” pressed Matsuri. Yukari shifted nervously. “When I was sure that you didn't want children with my husbands, it was my turn. Did I get it wrong?” wondered Matsuri. “If you hurry, it won't be too far out of order,” added her younger sister - almost eagerly. Silently, Yukari shook her head.

Minutes passed before either spoke again. “Yukari? Will you give them another chance?” Matsuri asked her big sister.

“To what? Get me pregnant?” wondered Yukari. They better not if they want to live, she thought sourly. Matsuri shook her head.

“To get you to love them again,” her little sister said, rising. As she did, she paused to hug Yukari, kissing her cheek. “I really want you to like our husbands again,” murmured the girl before moving off toward the jungle.

Yukari saved her document, then stretched her arms. Leaning back in her chair, she stretched her arms. A short break, and I will give this a final proof-read before I turn it over to the Old Man, she told herself, making a long arm and grabbing her bottle of water. Draining it, she tossed the empty bottle back toward the small desk, sighing happily. Her window was open, and the steady, cool breeze off the ocean was flowing through the room. Looking at her clock, she realized that it was getting pretty late. “Matsuri, do…” she started before recalling that her sister was staying in the village for a little while. The room felt a bit empty without her kid sister there.

Debating if it was worth the energy to take a quick cold shower to wake her up a bit or not, she was surprised to hear someone knock on her door. “Come,” she called, wondering who it was. Probably Akane or one of the girls, she decided, standing. Grimacing a little, she felt her body protest. Screw it, I'm gonna grab a warm shower, then rinse off in cold, Yukari vowed. Her room door opened as she was kicking off her panties and reaching for her bath basket.

“Yukari-san,” began a voice. Blinking, Yukari looked over to see Ibari-kun standing in her doorway. His lips were moving, but she wasn't hearing anything.

“Yes, Ibari-kun?” she prompted him, tucking her basket under her arm as she fumbled for a fresh towel. Need to remember to do laundry tomorrow, the girl made a mental note. She deftly settled the folded towel over her bath basket, turning to see the engineering intern just staring at her, still not speaking. “Come on, spit it out, Ibari-kun,” she ordered, waiting.

“I…um…you…ah…!” mumbled the young man. Hearing her phone ring, Yukari flicked a finger at him as she picked up her phone. Seeing the screen, she connected the call, turning away from Ibari-kun as she talked. Ibari-kun was staring at the naked astronaut, unable to speak; and certainly not able to look away.

“Well, well,” came an amused voice from behind him, making him jerk in surprise, “what do we have here?” Arms seized him, keeping him from running.

“Looks like Ibari-kun came to see our Boss,” another voice cut in smoothly, evil delight filling the voice.

“Natsuko…!” began the young man. One of the arms slid up to choke him.

“Natsuko-san,” warned the girl holding him. “I'm senior to you, you naught hentai monkey,” purred the girl.

“C…Chinami-chan, please!” he appealed to the partner of the girl half-choking him.

“Don't drag me into your pervy hobbies,” giggled Chinami. “Staring at our Boss like that…have you no shame?” purred the girl.

“I…I wasn't…!” protested the young man. “I came here…!”

“Ew!” squealed the two in unison.

“That's not something you should say to girls, you know,” noted Natsuko.

“And it isn't something you should brag about either,” chimed in Chinami.

“Women don't like men who go off too early,” whispered Natsuko in his ear before gently blowing on it. Ibari-kun writhed in her grasp.

“I wasn't…!” he tried again. To his shock, he felt a hand grasp his groin. He went scarlet as he realized that his blue jumpsuit was tented, his hormones having been in control ever since his rational mind went out to lunch at the sight of Yukari totally nude.

“You certainly seem to like what you see,” noted Chinami.

“What's the commotion?” Akane's voice cut in. “Ibari-kun? What are you doing here?” wondered the partner of the girl he had been staring at.

“Akane! Help me…!” begged the young man, turning to look at his hopeful salvation from the two evil sirens. Seeing her, he gulped. Akane was yawning behind a hand, a small pair of panties haphazardly sitting on her hips. Aside from that, she was naked.

“Ew! Hentai!” giggled the second flight team as the hapless young man stared helplessly at Akane.

“Did you need something, Ibari-kun?” Yukari's voice sliced through the others like a knife. “Either speak up or wait till later,” directed the head of the flight program. “I need a short shower and have to finish up something, so move,” added the senior astronaut to her teams.

Obediently, Natsuko dragged the hapless young man out of Yukari's doorway, the still-naked astronaut moving past them. Akane swiftly darted around the group, falling into step with Yukari. Natsuko and Chinami watched the two for a moment before exchanging looks. “Keep trying, Ibari-kun,” Natsuko sighed, fondly patting his head.

“Sooner or later she might notice,” agreed Chinami.

“But, I was…!” he protested yet again.

“Then again, maybe not,” Natsuko cut him off, speaking to Chinami as if he weren't there at all. “She doesn't seem to see him as a boy, does she?”

“Neither does Akane,” nodded Chinami. Ibari groaned softly, slumping a little.

“You think that it's because of her five boyfriends?” Natsuko asked, taking evil delight in the gasp that came from Ibari.

“Could be,” Chinami replied thoughtfully. “Those five sure know how to treat a girl,” she added slyly.

“If she doesn't see Ibari-kun as a boy, what do you suppose she sees him as?” Natsuko asked her partner casually. Chinami hummed, thoughtfully tapping her chin with her index finger.

“Furniture, I think,” decided the girl after a moment of contemplation.

“Object, definitely,” a new voice interrupted the playful banter. “And you two talk far too much,” added the voice.

“Kotomi-chan,” began Natsuko, only to stop, seeing the expression on the junior astronaut's face. Kotomi and Amari were standing behind the three. Both had towels around their bodies, and had their bath baskets in hand. Kotomi did not look amused.

“I don't care if you tease the wildlife, but you need to be careful how you chose to do it,” Kotomi said quietly, moving past the three.

“What do you mean, Kotomi-chan?” Chinami asked, curious.

“Some things are not discussed publically,” Amari replied for her partner.

“Natsuko, Chinami,” called Yukari's voice from the bathroom, “get in here! I need to talk to you all for a minute. And bring Ming with you!” she added.

“Hai,” Natsuko said, giving Ibari a somewhat gentle shove. Chinami hurried down to Ming's room, knocking on the door. Almost immediately, the Chinese girl emerged, the three hurrying into the bathroom. Watching the three, Ibari couldn't help but notice that none of the three were more than partially dressed. Left alone in the hallway, Ibari wondered what he should do. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders, turning to Yukari's room. She did say wait, he told himself, entering the room. Taking a seat in the chair at the desk, he waited, feeling like his heart might explode any minute.

Yukari's meeting took up more time than she thought, and she had ended up speaking with Ming in her room for almost a half hour after she had finished explaining the changes she wanted to make to her crews. As she was leaving the girl's room, Akane had asked to talk to her for a moment, and it was an hour later when she nearly stumbled out of Akane's room, half-asleep. Akane herself was tucked into her bed, Yukari having taken the time to be sure that her partner was comfortably settled for the night before exiting Akane's room.

Entering her own room, she groaned softly, seeing her laptop's screen saver. Damn it, she thought sourly. “Tomorrow for that,” she muttered, closing the machine down swiftly. Draping her towel over the back of her chair, she tiredly crawled into her bunk. “Move over some, Matsuri,” she muttered, managing to get settled comfortably after a bit of wiggling. She was asleep practically before the other person wrapped their arms around her naked body.

“Did you hear? Seems like Ibari-kun got himself a girlfriend!” gossiped a blue-jumpsuit-wearing technician.

“Really?! Where?” demanded his fellow technician.

“How dare he get a girlfriend when we haven't gotten girlfriends yet! Damn that Ibari-kun!” cursed a third, stirring his cup of instant noodles.

“I heard that he ended up in Morita-san's bed,” whispered the first.

“What?! Yukari-san and Ibari-kun? No way!” scoffed the third.

“My source is impeccable,” the first sniffed disdainfully.

“You mean he really scored with Morita-san? Really, really scored?” gaped the second. Yukari had a somewhat infamous reputation after all.

“You saw how he was at the party, right? And we all know how taken he is with Miura and Morita both, right?” lectured the first, pausing to slurp some noodles from his own cup. “It seems that his perseverance finally paid off.”

“I can't believe that he managed to get Morita, though,” the second shook his head. “Of the two of them, I had thought he might have a shot with Miura, but not Morita!”

“And what's wrong with Miura?!” the third challenged hotly. “Sure, she's not as aggressive as Morita-san, but she's smarter and quiet and a lot nicer!”

“Calm down, Go-kun,” the first soothed his friend's ruffled feathers. “No one said anything bad about Miura-san. We just thought that Miura would be more likely to respond to Ibari-kun's advances, that's all.”

“I don't know if I feel jealous of Ibari-kun or if I feel sorry for him, landing Morita,” observed the second of the trio, his tone contemplative. “Yes, Morita is the senior-most astronaut, but she's so…” he stopped, gulping.

“So what?” pressed the first, wondering why his other friend had stopped before completing his thought. “You didn't really think she was a lesbian, did you?” he wondered.

“Who's a lesbian?” came a cold, hard voice from above and behind the three. “And what is this about Ibari-kun being my boyfriend?” Yukari's distinct voice made the three cringe.

“Morita-san,” the first managed, “we were just talking…” he began. Behind the head of the flight program, the silent form of their immediate boss, Touma Onoda, was scowling at the three.

“It was just that we heard that you and he…the other night,” the third offered weakly.

“I'm all ears, boys,” Yukari purred, baring her teeth. “What did you hear and who did you hear it from?” she demanded.

“Everyone knows that Ibari spent the night in your room,” protested the middle of the three. “We…um…were glad to hear that you have a boyfriend now!” he tried. The two to either side of him groaned on hearing that. Yukari's face darkened.

“So of course we're dating, what else could possibly be going on? Of course!” she muttered angrily. “You guys are worse gossips than the old ladies in the building my mom lives in!” she screamed at them. “Mind your own damn business!”

“You three have work to be doing,” Touma said gruffly. “If you are going to sit around gossiping about our flight program personnel, I will have to find more work for you to do. You earn your paychecks here. Get back inside and I want to see that module finished when I check on it this afternoon. Clear?” he said, one large, callused hand landing on Yukari's shoulder.

“Hai!” all three exclaimed, scrambling madly toward the door into the VAB.

“Not so fast,” snapped Yukari. “Who told you Ibari slept with me?” The three exchanged looks.

“We won't say,” the first took a brave, brave stand.

“Yeah, even if you torture us, we will never betray our source!” the second fell into line behind the nominal leader.

“We gave our word!” the third took his place. Touma wondered if the three were suicidal or just trying to save face.

“Thanks, boys,” Yukari said, smiling a thin-lipped smile, “I know who your source is from your actions.” The three were not happy to hear that Yukari seemed to be absolutely confident that she knew their source. Touma grunted, shifting his eyes toward the door. His three caught the hint, but it was too late. “For the record,” Yukari said quietly, “Ibari-kun did sleep with me last night.”

“No way!” gasped the three in unison. Yukari fixed them with a dangerous look.

“Get your minds out of the gutter, hentais! I said slept. And that is what happened. I was exhausted, and for some reason, he was already asleep in my bed. I didn't even know he was there until Akane woke me up for morning exercise. That is all there is to it. He is not my boyfriend, and I didn't have sex with him. Next time, before you spread rumors, at least have the balls to ask me yourself!” she finished in tight-jawed snarl.

“Hai, Morita-sama!” the three chorused. Touma tossed his head curtly toward the door, his other hand landing on Yukari's other shoulder. The three bolted. In their haste, they bowled over the match that had just singed their asses: Jiro Ibari.

“Hey, guys, what's with the rush?” he called after them.

“Jiro,” Touma said quietly.

“Yes, sensei?” he asked stepping through the door and looking to the side. He froze, seeing his supervisor standing behind Yukari, his hands on her shoulders. “Yukari-chan!” he grinned.

“Shut up, Ibari,” hissed Yukari, fixing her furious gaze on him. Ibari's smile faltered. “Get over here,” she bit out. Ibari did as ordered. “Can you give us a minute, Onoda-san?” she asked the old man holder her shoulders.

“I'm not sure I can, Morita-san,” he replied. “We do need him more or less intact,” he obliquely said, gently squeezing her shoulders.

“I won't hurt him,” she replied. Physically, at least! she left unsaid.

“I don't want to run the risk of you hurting yourself, Yukari-san,” Touma replied quietly. For a fraction of a second, Yukari considered arguing.

“Fine,” she said, dismissing the argument. “Ibari, what the hell is wrong with you?!” she almost panted, straining to keep from screaming at him. “Do you know how many people have given me shit about last night? The rumors are all over the base! That stupid Tanuki woman called me to medical for an exam and asked me how you were in front of the duty nurses!” she finally couldn't control herself any longer, screaming at him. “Jerk! Asshole!” she accused. Touma squeezed her shoulders harder.

Ibari was staring, slack-jawed at her. “B…but I didn't…!” he protested. Yukari lunged at him, but Touma was much stronger than her, and held her firmly in place.

“Only three people knew, Ibari!” she yelled. “You. Me. Akane-chan. Akane never gossips. I sure as hell don't talk about my private life, and that leaves you!”

“I swear, I didn't say anything, Yukari!” he protested.

“Stop calling me by my first name,” spat Yukari.

“Yu…Morita-san, I swear I didn't say anything to anyone!” he repeated himself desperately. Yukari took a deep breath, held it, and then slowly exhaled it. Brushing off Touma's hands, she turned away from him.

“Only three, Ibari, and two of us know we didn't talk,” was all she said, her voice quiet. “Might as well live it up, I guess,” she added, not looking at him, “by this point, it's all over the base. Even your three little buddies tried to cover for you. What the hell - tell them anything you want,” she said, hopping over the railing and landing on the scraggly grass below the low landing. “But you stay away from me and my girls from here on, got it?” warned Yukari, walking away toward the simulator building.

“Morita! Wait! Let me explain!” Ibari called after her, lunging toward the railing like he was going to vault over it and give chase. Touma grabbed him by the scruff of his jumpsuit and jerked him back.

“Don't,” was all the old man said.

“I didn't tell anyone!” the young man exclaimed, frustrated. Touma studied him for a minute.

“Are you absolutely sure you didn't, Jiro?” he pressed, staring into the kid's eyes. “Not one word, not one look, not one smirk? To anyone?” he pressed.

“No!” exclaimed the young man. “How can she think I would…!”

“Because only three knew, and two of them are partners. Do the math,” the old man suggested. Jiro slowly collapsed to the landing, mutely shaking his head. Touma considered him for a moment. “Look, kid,” he said, squatting next to the young man, “she's angry about the rumors right now, but Yukari made a point of chewing you out in private, right? That means she will probably forgive you sooner or later; rather or not you did what she is certain you did or not,” he added.

Jiro perked up a little. “She will?” he asked, almost pathetically hopeful. Touma nodded.

“But you need to stay away from her and her teams for a while, kid - let her cool off some. Get a few jobs under the bridge before you test the waters. You go after her right now, and you'll get a nasty burn for the trouble.”

“I didn't do anything wrong,” the young man repeated himself. Touma patted his head before pulling him to his feet.

“I know, kid,” he said companionably, “but that doesn't always matter to women. Believe me, I know!” he chuckled. “Did I ever tell you about my second wife?” he asked, steering the young man back into the VAB. He judged it a good time to have a little man-to-man talk with Ibari - over a shot glass of the American whiskey he kept in his desk drawer. But still, how did that rumor get around so fast if none of the three said anything? he wondered to himself.

“Yukari,” blinked Nasuda, seeing the girl nearly kick his door open. She used her heel to kick it shut, throwing the lock as it rattled in the frame. “What's wrong?” he asked. Yukari marched over to one of the chairs in front of his deck, flopping into it. “I would have thought that you would be with your boyfriend…” began the man, hoping to lighten the mood. Yukari kicked the desk - hard.

“You shut up about that,” warned the girl, glaring at him. “What did you want? If it is to make smart-ass remarks, I'm out of here,” warned the young woman.

“I was just playing with you,” Nasuda said, straightening up the mess her kick had caused. Yukari's glare did not soften. “Ok, I got your email this morning. You want to move Ming into the program?” he asked her. She nodded silently. “In what capacity?” asked the Old Man.

“Dual support,” Yukari said quietly. “I have her over at Motoko's place, getting measured and fitted for a full suit right now. I am also going to be sending her up with Natsuko on the next routine job; to break her space cherry and start acclimating her to the kind of work we do up there. After a few runs as an assistant specialist, I am going to have her train under Matsuri for GCL. That way, she can be GCL once Matsuri…well, once we need a substitute one,” finished Yukari, her glare softening, then vanishing.

“I see,” mused Nasuda. “It is your call, as flight program head. Do what you think best,” he said. Yukari nodded.

“I will,” stated the girl. Nasuda wasn't sure how reassuring that was supposed to have been, but it made him sort of nervous.

“I have also been told that you have been talking about Matsuri living at the village once she…gets farther along and for a while after she gives birth. This true?” he asked.

“It is,” Yukari nodded. “But she's going to get regular check-ups from Satsuki and the baby's going to get medical care here, as well,” she stated.

“Why not have her stay on base, then?” asked Nasuda. Yukari pursed her lips.

“I can't risk that,” she said quietly. “Also, there are some tribal traditions and rites that need to be done. Her husbands are also going to need to get to know the kid, too, right?” she said, not looking very happy.

“It's not my business, Yukari,” Nasuda said slowly, “but did something happen between you and your…sister's husbands?” he asked. Yukari scowled at him.

“You're right - it isn't your business,” she replied, clipped and cold. “By the way, I will be taking the flight crews to the village as a group sometime in the next while. Do me a favor, and make sure the rest of this mad house minds their own business about that, ok?” she asked, though her tone suggested it was not a request but a warning.

“Can I ask why?” he wondered. Yukari gave him a thin smile.

“Yes, you can ask. But I won't tell you,” she replied sweetly. “Getting back to the issue, I think it best to have Matsuri live in her village for a while. There is a lot of controversy about what we do, and this place is a mad-house anyway. Having her try to care for her baby here is just stupid. And unless you added something since this morning, this base doesn't have day care; not that I think anyone but Matsuri will be able to keep up with her kid,” the girl smiled softly.

“You are actually looking forward to your niece or nephew, aren't you, Auntie Yukari?” chuckled Nasuda. Yukari kicked his desk again, though not as hard, before answering.

“Actually, I think I am.”

Ugh! I am never drinking whiskey again, thought Ibari, focusing on making his way to the medical ward. Just one small glass had seemed harmless after Yukari went off on his ass, and for a while, he thought it was no different than drinking sake. But before he knew it, he was feeling very strange, and Onoda-san was suggesting he go see Satsuki and get some rest. Whatever that stuff is, it hits hard! he thought, recalling that Onoda had knocked back three in the time it took him to empty his glass. The old man had declined to refill his when he did empty it, and for that, Ibari would be thankful the rest of his life.

“You,” a voice hissed in his ear, just before an arm wrapped around his throat and he was summarily jerked into a room in the service building that housed the medical wing. With the expansion done less than a year ago, the space that accounting, HR and promotions had occupied had been turned over to Satsuki - not that there was much new room. A couple of offices and spaces were still vacant, though Satsuki had tripled the size of the flight medicine wing and doubled the number of beds in the general dispensary. Ibari found himself surrounded by the entire flight program; minus Yukari and Matsuri, of course.

I should have thanked Onoda-san for his thoughtfulness before now, the young man thought, seeing the expressions on the girls' faces. His life, he was sure, was not going to be a long one. I don't want to die a virgin, he thought fleetingly. Of course, if they knew I was a virgin, I probably wouldn't be about to die.

“How could you?” snarled Akane, fists balled up. “After all that Yukari has done for you, how could you do that to her?!” hissed the partner for the girl in question. Ibari blinked, realizing that there were unshed tears in the corner of Akane's eyes.

“That was a real dick move, baka,” agreed Chinami. The former tennis club vice president had her arms crossed under her breasts, one foot tapping impatiently.

“Hentai jerk,” Amari accused.

“I would not have thought you the kind to treat a friend like that,” Kotomi said coldly.

“I ought to break your neck, you little shit,” snarled Natsuko. Oh, she's a black belt in karate, isn't she? he recalled, feeling her tighten her arms around his head and neck.

“To take advantage of an exhausted girl in her own room is low,” Ming sniffed. “No, it's worse than low - Yukari trusted you. And you took advantage of her for that trust!”

“I…” gurgled Ibari, unable to talk because Natsuko's choke hold was slowly strangling him. Hearing him try to speak, Natsuko tightened her grip even more.

“We don't want to hear it,” she hissed.

“You are the worst, Ibari!” Akane spoke up again. “Not only did you take advantage of Yukari, you bragged about it all over base!”

“Do you know the kind of things people have been saying to her all morning?” Chinami asked.

“Never mind that - have heard what they have been saying about her?” Amari cut in.

“Disgusting,” sneered Kotomi. “You are no better than a rapist, Ibari!”

“And I really dislike rapist!” growled Natsuko softly. Ibari tried to speak again, but couldn't manage more than some weak, strangling sounds.

“If we stuff the body under the pad, do you think the launch will vaporize it?” asked Ming.

“If it doesn't, whatever is left will be scattered all over the ocean,” Akane replied.

“What could we tell the rest of the base about his sudden disappearance, though?” worried Amari.

“We could say that he went for a walk in the southern jungle,” suggested Chinami. “Maybe that he tried to follow Matsuri or Yukari when they go there?”

“But then they would want to search for him, and his family would probably spend the rest of their lives looking for his remains,” Kotomi mused, thinking it over. “Of course, they would never find them, since anything left would be scattered over the ocean and eaten by thousands of sea creatures. Might be a problem,” she cautioned.

“Damn it, killing him is easy, but getting rid of him is proving to be as much a pain as letting him live,” complained Natsuko.

To the surprise of everyone in the room, the locked door clicked open, and Yukari entered. “Let him go, Natsuko,” she said softly, closing the door and locking it again. Murmuring a curse, Natsuko obeyed her boss, the young man collapsing, gasping for breath on the floor of the empty room.

“H…how did you find us, Yukari?” asked Akane, moving over to her partner's side.

“How do you think?” Yukari offered the group a small smile.

“He's the worst, Yukari!” Ming insisted. “He took advantage of you then bragged about it all over base! He deserves to be punished,” she insisted.

“Maybe he does,” sighed Yukari, squatting and checking on him. “But I don't feel up to dealing with a bunch of murders right now,” she said firmly. She helped him straighten up to sit on the floor. “Besides, whatever else happened, he didn't take advantage of me,” she said quietly.

“He didn't…?” breathed Akane, frowning. “Yukari, when I came to get you for morning exercise…” she began, slowly, firmly. Yukari offered her a weak smile.

“Oh, he was on top of me, no question about that,” she laughed weakly. “And yeah, I was naked and he was almost naked, but that doesn't mean he had sex with me,” she reminded the girls.

“His boxers were crooked and had a wet spot on them, though!” insisted Akane. Yukari frowned.

“You checked his underwear, Akane?” she asked, absently patting Ibari's back as he coughed softly.

“Of course I did! I thought he had raped you!” Akane answered indignantly. Yukari shrugged.

“Wet dream, I guess,” she replied nonchalantly. Taking his arm, she helped him stand.

“Yukari, you were out cold,” Akane said softly. “You wouldn't have known if he did something to you while you were asleep, you know? And…um…when you rolled him off you…there was a…spot on your…hips,” she shook her head. Yukari remembered that. It had been dried semen, too.

“Yeah, I know,” Yukari agreed. “You able to walk, Ibari?” she asked him. He nodded. “Go have Satsuki look you over. I'll call ahead, talk to her before you get there,” promised the girl, opening the door and almost shoving him through before closing the door.

Pulling up her cell phone, she hit a speed dial and a moment later, she was telling Satsuki to expect Ibari and to expect him to need some attention. Clearly, Satsuki started to make some remark because Yukari angrily cut her off. “If I had my way, he'd be gone!” she had snarled, closing the phone.

“I can hospitalize him for you,” offered Natsuko eagerly, absently making fists. “For a very long time,” she enticed her commander. Yukari waved it away.

“Listen,” she said quietly, “I don't want you all going after him. Not over this,” she directed. “I should have realized that it wasn't Matsuri, but I didn't, so part of the blame is mine.”

“Like hell!” denied Akane, before blushing. She rarely cursed or even used strong language. “You were exhausted, and he had no business in your room!”

“Yeah, it wasn't like you had any reason to think some creep would be waiting to jump you in your own room,” nodded Natsuko emphatically.

“And certainly, you would not have thought a fellow worker and a former friend like Ibari would do something so sick to you in your sleep,” Chinami agreed.

“None of this is your fault, Yukari,” Kotomi pronounced.

“If anything, we - your crews - should have found him and kicked him out before he could molest you,” Amari backed her partner.

“You girls aren't listening,” sighed Yukari. “But it doesn't matter. Stay away from him, got it? I have asked Mukai and Onoda to keep him away from us, and that should be enough.”

“But, what about those rumors?!” protested Akane.

“What would hospitalizing him or killing him do to fix that?” Yukari asked them calmly. “At best, it would turn into some sort of horrible manga or anime-like side show. And I don't want that. Besides, a serious injury or death is not going to help us any on the world stage,” she reminded them. The girl blinked, suddenly recalling that there were other issues in play.

“But, the rumors are going to hurt your reputation,” protested Chinami. Yukari shrugged.

“Actually,” she said, “even if they do get off the base, there isn't really anything for them to work with. At worst, they can only say that I had a one-night stand with a boy from a different section of the company. Juicy, but ultimately pointless. If, however, that same boy ends up hospitalized or dead, it becomes a lover's tangle or some cheap bodice-ripper romance hentai story. No, let the others say what they want. Hell, let Ibari say what he wants about last night. Better to just pretend it was nothing more than teenage hormones and let it go,” she mused, almost to herself. Seeing the looks on her girls' faces, she smiled thinly. “And consider this: would you rather have the world press talking about Yukari and her technician fling or about the astronauts and their five shared native lovers?”

The other girls exchanged looks, blinking at the thought. “Um, well…” began Natsuko, looking at Chinami.

“When you put it like that…” Kotomi said.

“I see your point,” Chinami finished. Yukari touched Akane's cheek.

“I could…” began Akane. Yukari shook her head, touching Akane's lips and silencing her.

“No, not a chance, Akane-chan,” she denied the request before she could even say it. “No matter what happens about this, you girls are not to jump into this, got it? I don't care what they say about me, or how they make me look, but you all must be sure to only look like angels to them. I don't care how evil you oni really are, no one outside must ever think you aren't nice, sweet, wholesome girls.”

Natsuko grinned. “That's kind of a tall order, boss, after Australia,” she giggled softly. Yukari shrugged.

“Try hard, dear,” she said patting Natsuko's cheek like a mother would. Her phone chirped. Yukari glanced at the screen, then sighed. “Gotta go talk to Satsuki about the bruises on Ibari's throat,” she said, Natsuko looking a little embarrassed. “Get back to work, but remember: stay away from him,” she reminded them, opening the door. To her mild surprise, Kurosu was leaning against the door. “Go on,” she ordered firmly, her flight teams filing out of the room and out of the building.

“You know, right?” Kurosu said. Yukari sighed.

“Let's go,” she said quietly, moving toward the room Satsuki had said she was in. “And Kurosu? You keep quiet and let me explain,” she warned him. Silently, he nodded.

Outside, the group of girls was slowly walking toward the simulation building. “Ah!” gasped Akane, instantly drawing all the girls' attention.

“What is it, Akane?” wondered Natsuko.

“Yukari started to say something about the…stuff on her hips, but never did,” Akane shared her realization. The other girls blinked.

“You're right,” murmured Kotomi.

“She ducked the entire issue, too!” Chinami almost pouted.

“Only for now,” Natsuko suggested, looking at each of the girls. After a moment, the smiling group of girls resumed their hike to the simulator building.

“This is it,” Han Li said, opening a door in the small area over Chang's Chinese Restaurant. “I apologize for it being so small and sparse,” added the slim Chinese girl.

“It's fine,” Yukari assured her, waving a hand. “I'm the one imposing on you, after all. Please excuse my intrusion, Han Li.”

“Are you sure that you would not prefer the spare room?” Chang asked from behind the two. “It is vacant, and more spacious than Han Li's room,” he reminded her.

“It is also the first place they will look, too,” Yukari offered the older man a thin smile.

“Are you in some sort of trouble?” Han Li asked, frowning slightly. Yukari shook her head, setting her overnight bag on the foot of Han Li's single bed.

“Not exactly,” she replied, “but I need to be away from the base for a couple of days. I am grateful for your offer, Han Li. And Chang, I know that the SSA is a important customer for your restaurant, but when they come asking, please tell them you don't know where I am. I promise you, you won't lose any business for doing so,” she asked. She recalled all too clearly the first time she had sought refuge at Chang's. She had just run into Yasukawa and been chased to town by the gunship the base had. Yasukawa had asked Chang to hide them, but the man had turned them in to Kurosu. Of course, she wasn't mad about it now; it had been her ticket to space, after all.

“I…,” began Chang, only to have Han Li glare at him.

“Uncle and I will not tell them anything, Yukari,” she promised. Chang sighed. Yukari gave the older girl a smile.

“Thanks, Han Li,” she said. Han Li studied Yukari for a long moment.

“I am surprised you did not go to the Tariho village,” she said quietly. Yukari shook her head.

“I...they would immediately think I was there, since…well, anyway, I don't feel like going to the village right now. Besides, the food here is better,” she smiled again. Han Li noticed that the smile didn't quite reach Yukari's eyes. Nodding to herself, she flipped her hand at her Uncle. “Please, make yourself at home,” she said, gesturing to the room. “I will bring you up some food in a bit,” the waitress said, closing the door behind herself. Feeling tired, Yukari lay down on Han Li's bed for a short nap, even though it was barely afternoon.

When Yukari awoke, needing to pee, she found that it was dark outside. Only half awake, she carefully untangled herself from the embrace of the other person in bed and carefully made her way to the bathroom. Finished, she returned to the room, slipping into bed again, already nearly asleep once more. Snuggling up to the warm, soft form, she yawned. “Night, Matsuri,” she slurred. Matsuri's skin feels so soft and smooth, was the girls last thought before darkness took her.

The smell of food awoke her later. Blinking, she realized that the sun was up by a couple of hours, and she was alone in the narrow bed. Sitting up, she realized that she was only wearing panties. Spotting her clothes laid out neatly, she decided that Han Li must have undressed her and tucked her in. Surprised that I was so out of it that I didn't wake up, she thought. Standing, she stretched, feeling pretty good. I should run, but there isn't a track here, and one day won't kill me, decided the girl. Kicking off her panties, she pulled her bag up off the floor, setting it on the bed and unzipping it in preparation to grab some fresh panties, towel and travel bath basket.

A soft knock on the door preceded Han Li slipping into the room by a half-second. “Morning, Han Li,” smiled Yukari. Han Li swiftly touched her lips before peeling off her red silk dress. Yukari frowned. Before she could ask, she heard boots on the stairs leading up from the restaurant. Han Li grabbed a towel, holding it over her front as she motioned to Yukari to step behind and to the side of her. Yukari did so, realizing what was happening.

“I told you, she is not here,” Chang's voice came from the hallway.

“Of course not,” Nasuda's voice replied, just short of the door to Han Li's room. Yukari heard the door to the spare room open. “Yukari, wh…huh?”

“See? I told you, I have not seen her,” Chang almost crowed.

“Of course you haven't,” Kurosu's voice replied from just outside Han Li's room.

“That's Han Li's…!” Chang yelled. The door opened.

“Yukari,” was as far as Kurosu got before Han Li nearly deafened all four of them with a piercing scream of indignation. Yukari shook her head, Han Li already swinging her towel at the head of security like a whip, screaming at him in Chinese as she did so. “Sorry, Han Li,” Kurosu managed, fending off the blows as best he could as he fought to close the door. Once the door was closed, Han Li exhaled, giving Yukari a smile. Yukari smiled back, bowing her head briefly.

Outside the door, Chang wrangled the two men down to the restaurant, complaining that they had embarrassed his niece and how much it had insulted him to have them not believe him after so long of being such good business partners. As their voices faded, Nasuda was agreeing to buy meals for the department heads to apologize for their embarrassing Han Li and not taking his word for Yukari not being there. Looking at the panty-clad Han Li, Yukari found herself thinking that Han Li had nothing to be embarrassed about.

Heaving a soft sigh of relief, Yukari sat down on Han Li's bed, the older Chinese girl joining her. “Maybe I should get off the island for a couple of days,” she murmured. Her phone - set to vibrate and with the GPS function locked out - vibrated on the tiny bedside table. Picking it up, she smirked. “Knew you'd try that trick, Old Man,” she muttered. Seeing the number of missed calls, text messages and voice mails, she shook her head. Swiftly composing a brief - terse, even - text message, she sent it to a group in her contacts list, then cleared all the messages, voicemail and calls from her phone's memory unread.

“You were right,” Han Li said to her, squeezing Yukari's shoulder. “They came here right after visiting the Tariho village. What did you do, Yukari?” she wondered. Yukari shook her head.

“It isn't me, but that doesn't matter. Guess I better get off the island; if I know that Old Man, he'll come back at odd hours to try to catch me,” she sighed again. Han Li pursed her lips for a moment.

“You mean it? You want to leave the island for a couple of days?” she asked. Yukari nodded.

“Yeah, but not more than forty eight hours,” she clarified. Han Li nodded.

“Perfect,” she smiled, standing. “Let's get you a shower, then we're off to Guadalcanal,” said the older woman happily. Yukari considered what she knew of Kurosu and Nasuda.

“I better skip the shower,” she said unhappily, “those two are very likely to check up here again before they go back to the base,” she warned. Han Li sniffed disdainfully.

“They won't if they know what is good for them,” the older girl said, tugging on Yukari's arm. Before she knew what was going on, she was standing under the showerhead in the small bathroom next to Han Li's room, Han Li - naked and with towel in hand - standing between her and the door. The door didn't have a lock, but Han Li promised her that if they dared to open the door, she would kick their asses before they could spot Yukari.

Yukari called it right. Half-way through washing her hair, she heard boots on the steps again. Han Li twirled her towel into a rat-tail and drew back her arm, a nasty smile on her lips. The door to the spare room opened for a moment then closed. Han Li's room door opened for nearly a minute before closing. Han Li sucked in a breath as the boots stopped in front of the bathroom door. “Han Li?” Kurosu called.

“You again?!” shrieked Han Li indignantly, “go away, maa lat zai!” she demanded, even as she ducked her head under the spray.

“Is Yukari in there, Han Li?” asked Kurosu.

“No, she is not here!” insisted Han Li, pulling back, water dripping from her soaked hair to cover her shoulders and back. Hugging the towel to her chest, she opened the door just enough for Kurosu to get a small view of the small bathroom, and the still running shower. “You leave now or I will report you to the police!” demanded the girl. Kurosu held up his hands.

“Just doing my job, Han Li,” he said, starting back down the hall. “But when you do see her, tell her not to wait too long before getting back to work,” he said quietly. Han Li closed the door, turning back to Yukari.

“I think we're safe now,” she said, frowning at her wet hair. Yukari quickly finished up, accepting a towel from Han Li.

“He knows I'm here, but I doubt he'll say anything,” Yukari said. In short order the two were back in Han Li's room. Draping her towel over her shoulders, Yukari took a brush from Han Li before picking up the hair dryer. “I'll take care of your hair for you,” she offered. Han Li nodded her thanks, Yukari beginning to brush and dry the Chinese girl's hip-length hair.

“How much do they want to find you?” asked Han Li. Yukari shrugged.

“Not bad enough to make a big fuss, but they probably want to know where I am pretty badly,” she decided, smirking a little. Han Li nodded.

“Then we will go grocery shopping on Guadalcanal for two days,” she stated firmly. “I was going to go next week anyway, but I will go now,” she assured Yukari when the girl opened her mouth to protest. “Uncle can handle the cooking and serving for a day or two, and if he needs to, he can call Ming to help out.” Yukari didn't say anything, but she wondered if Ming would come help out in the restaurant if asked, given what she was doing at the moment. Shrugging minimally, she dismissed it. “The problem is to get to the ferry,” mused Han Li. A moment later, she smiled.

When Yukari pulled her overnight bag up from where they had hidden it under the bed, she frowned. It seems a little heavy, she thought. Digging into it, she found a suspiciously-familiar bundle tucked in the bottom. Discreetly unwrapping the package enough to verify it was what she thought it was, she sighed softly. Kurosu knows I'm here, she thought, securing the wrapping again. For some reason, though, she felt better knowing that he knew she was there and that he had left a care package in her bag. Pulling out a pair of thin, small panties, she wiggled into them, seeing Han Li digging in a tiny closet.

The Chinese's long hair was carefully braided and coiled into a bun at the back of her head. Yukari found herself slightly jealous of Han Li's greater height and bust-line, as well as her narrow waist. Pulling out a carefully-folded bundle, Han Li turned to study Yukari for a moment before nodding. Setting the small bundle on the freshly-made bed, she pulled open her dresser drawer and quickly added a few small things to the bundle before stepping into a pair of black silk thong panties. “What's all this?” wondered Yukari, having been picking her top and skirt.

“Your clothes,” smiled Han Li, swiftly re-folding the top Yukari had picked and tucking it back into her bag. Looking at the girl for a moment, the older woman quickly dug through Yukari's bag, giving a happy sigh as she pulled out a different pair of panties. “Wear these instead,” she directed, zipping up Yukari's bag and setting it aside before beginning to spread out the bundle.

Seeing the pair of panties Han Li had selected, Yukari glanced at the softly-humming woman. “You know, this pair isn't much bigger than these are,” she noted, even as she dutifully slid off the panties and put on the ones Han Li had picked out.

“It isn't the size, but the lines,” explained the Chinese girl, handing Yukari some silk thigh-high hose. “These next,” she directed. Before Yukari realized it, she was dressed in a cool sky-blue silk dress like Han Li favored, Han Li in an emerald green one. She had been made up and perfumed by the Chinese girl, who had repeated the steps on herself before grabbing a small bag and putting a couple of clean outfits in it. Gripping the handle of her small bag, she smiled at Yukari. “That is a good look for you,” she said, leading the girl down the stairs. Chang - working the stove for a few customers - blinked at Yukari in Han Li's old dress.

“Yukari, you are gorgeous!” he praised her, making her blush a little.

“Not as good as Han Li,” denied the Japanese girl. Han Li tugged on Yukari's arm, reaching for a door to the side of the steps.

“Uncle, we are going shopping for supplies on Guadalcanal,” she informed her Uncle. “We will be back in two days. If you need help, call Ming at the base. And remember not to tell them anything,” she reminded him.

“I remember,” he sighed.

“Chang?” Yukari said softly. “Thanks,” she murmured before Han Li led her out the small door that opened to the small back yard of the building. Going through the small pass-gate, Han Li led her along behind the row of buildings for a half-block before cutting over and moving directly onto the pier. Ahead of them, the daily ferry was just getting ready to depart. Hurrying, the two made it just in time, the boat pushing off for the four-hour trip to Guadalcanal. During the trip, many of the men kept staring at the two, and several women asked if they were related. From her body language and tone of voice, Han Li was enjoying herself greatly.

It was, Han Li explained, leading Yukari through food supplier stalls and shops in Honiara late that afternoon, that she had not had any sisters to play with as she grew up, so she enjoyed playing dress-up when she could. Yukari had assured her that it was fine with her; that silk dress had been comfortable, flattering and cool. Han Li smiled and told her she could have it, since she herself had outgrown it. The two were dressed more casually now, with Yukari in close-fitting shorts and a tank-top, and Han Li in a skirt and tee shirt, her hair up in a pony tail. Both girls had their small packs over their shoulders.

Yukari found that she was in a large Chinese district in Honiara, and while it didn't really bother her, the knowledge that her pack was close to hand made her feel a lot better. So far, everyone was friendly, and many seemed to know Han Li. As the sun set, Han Li told her that they would get a room for the night and then get some supper. Nodding, Yukari had followed Han Li toward a small hotel she said she usually stayed at. Reaching the hotel, she found it was a modest establishment, with a low wall enclosing a small patio where people were having some dinner.

At the desk, Han Li greeted the clerk, accepting a key from him after signing in the registry. Waving to him, she led Yukari up to the top floor, opening a corner room. The room had a single bed, and a window on each face. “This room gets a nice, cool, clean breeze off the ocean at night,” explained Han Li, setting her pack down. “It is the best room in all of Honiara,” she sighed happily. “So, what do you feel like for supper, Yukari?” asked the older woman. Yukari smiled.

“I'm pretty hungry, so almost anything you suggest is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with my mass,” she answered easily.

“Cabbage rolls with peppers, chicken lo mien and wheat noodles served with green tea?” Han Li asked. Yukari grinned.

“Sounds great,” she grinned, following her friend out of the room. The small restaurant she was led to reminded her of Chang's on her own island. Not big, not very modern, but comfortable and cozy. When Han Li waved to the man behind the counter and greeted the two waitresses, Yukari begin to suspect that Han Li was a regular there, too. The food was exactly as Han Li had said; and it was delicious. It was much later when the two headed back to the hotel, full and content.

Reaching the hotel, the two climbed the stairs to the top floor. As they were nearing their room, Yukari pulled out her phone and checked it. Seeing another list of missed calls and text messages and voicemails, she slowed a little, swiftly sorting through them. Two quick text messages and she hurried to catch up to Han Li, who was nearly at their door, the key in her hand. Beyond Han Li, a door opened, and a man stepped out, suit jacket in hand, tie loosened and shirt not entirely buttoned. Yukari frowned, wondering why he seemed so familiar.

A moment later, though, Yukari froze, staring. A woman had stepped out of the room, still settling a short, revealing dress. She was smiling at the man, who had turned to fondle her ass as he kissed her neck. The woman's eyes turned toward Yukari. Spotting Yukari staring at her, the woman twitched. Feeling this, the man pulled back, starting to turn toward the young astronaut. Giggling, the woman grabbed his head, pulling him to her for a searing-hot kiss as she turned slightly to lean against the door frame. The man leaned against her, a hand sliding up her thigh and under her skirt. Leaning her head to the side, the woman locked gazes with Yukari for a second.

Blinking free of her stunned paralysis, Yukari nearly sprinted to Han Li, who had unlocked the door to their room. Slapping a hand over her mouth, Yukari pushed Han Li into their room, fumbling to close the door for a second before she threw the bolt. “What…?” began Han Li, having caught her balance. Yukari signaled for silence, hurrying to her bag and digging in it, carelessly throwing clothes aside as she freed the bundle. Jerking the wrapping off, she saw Han Li still standing near the door, staring at her. Lunging over, she grabbed the older woman's wrist, pulling her to the far side of the bed and urging her to get down. Han Li did as directed, giving her a puzzled, worried look. As quietly as she could, Yukari cycled the slide on her .45 before crouching behind the bed, getting a sight picture on the door to the room.

“What is going on?” whispered Han Li.

“Quiet,” murmured Yukari, “I'll explain later - promise,” she murmured, a two-handed grip on her gun, trigger finger resting lightly on the trigger guard, ready to curl in and touch off a round. I remember that guy now! He was one of those movie guys that were nosing around the base a while back, Yukari thought, swallowing nervously. Cindy thought they were Chinese Intelligence, but if they are… she blinked, hearing a soft knock on the door. She realized that her finger had indexed on the trigger, and moved it back to the guard. The soft knock came again.

“Yukari,” a voice whispered.

“Never heard of her,” Yukari said quietly, in English, as she moved toward the door. Cautiously, she looked out the peep hole. Sucking in a breath, she used her off hand to open the lock. Instantly, the door opened and the woman pushed in, closing and locking the door behind her. Seeing Yukari holding her 1911, the woman held out her hands.

“Easy, Yukari,” she murmured. Yukari moved back, giving herself some room.

“What are you doing with that guy?” Yukari asked, moving slowly toward the far side of the bed. “Didn't you say he was Chinese Intelligence? So why are you going to a hotel with him?” she asked, suspicious.

“It's how the game is sometimes played, Yukari,” the woman said, running a hand through her hair. Yukari spotted a hickey on her neck, and what might have been either a hickey or a bite mark on her thigh, just below the hem of her short dress. “I didn't expect to see you here,” added the woman, glancing back toward the door. “Mind putting the safety on?” she asked.

“Not until I get some answers, Cindy,” Yukari said, watching the woman.

Cindy assessed the girl for a moment then nodded. “Ok, fine,” she said. “But put the safety on and I have a couple of questions for you, as well,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. After a long moment, Yukari clicked the thumb safety on, lowering the gun. “What are you doing here, anyway?” wondered Cindy.

“Taking a short break, I guess you could say,” Yukari answered, a small smile on her lips.

“Can't wait to hear about that,” smiled Cindy in return, “but first, are you here alone?” she asked. Yukari shook her head, turning to look where Han Li was hidden behind the bed.

“No, I'm here with a friend,” she said, Han Li poking her head up from behind the bed. Cindy blinked.

“Han Li?” she breathed. Looking back and forth between Yukari and Han Li, she opened her mouth to say something, but Yukari already knew what she was going to say.

“Not like that,” she said drolly. “Kami, what is it with everyone thinking I'm a lesbian?” she muttered under her breath in Japanese. It's not like I haven't spent my share of nights with Matsuri's husbands, and you'd think that with the scene between me and Ibari, that stupid rumor would die down, but I guess they just think that means I'm bi, the girl thought, a bit angrily. Oh, who the hell cares?! she forced the thoughts aside. “You had something you wanted to tell me?” she reminded the American naval officer.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Cindy said, still watching Han Li out of the corner of her eye. Yukari was beginning to get a little irritable.

“Look, Cindy,” she said, “Han Li isn't the one who has been shacking up with the enemy. If you don't trust her, that's fine. But I do,” she stated.

“Fair enough,” Cindy nodded slightly. “You obviously recognized him as the guy who claimed he was a movie producer from Hong Kong, so I won't remind you of his visit. He is actually a colonel in their intelligence section. More so than that, though, is that he is a member of a small group inside the intelligence apparatus of the Peoples' Republic of China - a particularly aggressive and hawkish one.”

“I thought his accent was off,” Han Li said thoughtfully. Seeing Yukari's look, she elaborated. “When he and the other one were here before, I thought his accent sounded just slightly off. I lived most of my life on Hong Kong Island, but I couldn't quite place the accent. It bothered me a little, but I figured that with the change in government, the accents would probably shift some and didn't think much about it until later.”

“Whenever you have these thoughts, share them with me, ok?” Yukari said quietly, moving closer to the two and sitting on the foot of the bed. Cindy had one side, she had the foot, and Han Li took the other side of the bed, Yukari still holding the heavy-caliber handgun absently. “So, what's this colonel up to?” she asked Cindy, getting back to the point.

“I'm working on finding that out,” Cindy said.

“Bedroom talk?” asked Han Li, a small trace of cattiness in her voice. Cindy ignored the undertone.

“Like I said, sometimes that's how the game is played. You remember their visit to the base, right, Yukari-chan?” grinned Cindy. Yukari scowled. “Anyway, it has taken me several weeks and a lot of…visits, but he is beginning to be less careful about what he says. I have him pretty sure that I am an ambitious and somewhat greedy socialite looking to become powerful and wealthy. That is something he can use, so he is less suspicious about my own motives for hanging around him.”

Cindy paused, once more glancing at Han Li. “Tell me, Han Li, have you ever heard of Iron House?” she asked the girl. Han Li frowned.

“No, I can't say that I have,” she replied.

“Most Chinese intelligence activity comes under the supervision and control of the Second Department of the General Staff,” Cindy said. “This new faction is attached to Second Department on paper, but I can't find any proof that Second Department has any control over them. What I am seeing so far indicates that Iron House is tasked out of the Chairman's office or out of the ultra-right faction of the PLA headquarters.”

“And this is important because…?” Yukari asked leadingly.

“Because,” sighed Cindy, fixing Yukari with a steady gaze, “the members of Iron House are hunters,” she said quietly. Yukari studied the older American for a long moment.

“Hunting me?” asked the Japanese girl.

“Probably,” Cindy said. “Remember that big fuss in the international news after the Discovery incident? That was their doing, though they used `channels' and orchestrated it through the Second Department.”

“The two women who came to the base that time,” murmured Yukari. Cindy nodded.

“The older one was in charge. Near as we can tell, she is a major in Iron House. The younger one is her cousin, a lieutenant with a nasty reputation already. They report to him, he reports to the head of Iron House,” Cindy laid it out for her young friend. “We're still trying to get a handle on what they are up to, and some sort of realistic idea of their reach, power and resources - both inside and outside China. You should be careful about going anywhere alone, Yukari,” urged Cindy.

“You think they would kidnap me?” Yukari was sure Cindy was exaggerating.

“They have grabbed three people in the last year that we know of. One was a scientist specializing in synthetic polymers and inorganic chemistry, another was a highly-regarded physics professor and the third was an eccentric inventor. Sound sort of familiar?”

“But why kidnapping? Couldn't they just pay them?” Yukari resisted the idea.

“You could never pay me enough to work for them,” Han Li said quietly. “Same for Uncle and Ming,” she added. “Could anyone pay you enough to betray Akane, Yukari?” she asked.

“Of course not!” denied the girl instantly. “I would never hurt Akane-chan or my friends,” she added tightly. Han Li nodded.

“That is why they kidnapped them. Some people cannot be bought, and when that happens, they show their true colors,” she explained.

“So, what brings you out here anyway?” Cindy asked her.

“Little friction at base at the moment,” Yukari said. Cindy waited. “Something happened, some rumors spread, my girls got a little rough with Ibari, and I decided to take a couple of days off,” she explained.

“Sounds like you have been busy,” Cindy replied blandly. “This serious?” she asked.

“Probably not,” Yukari said, absently stroking the gun in her hands, “but it is hard to tell sometimes.”

“Wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your sister being pregnant, would it?” Cindy asked archly. Yukari turned a dark look on her.

“Mind your own business,” warned the girl.

“Matsuri is pregnant?!” gasped Han Li. Yukari nodded. “Why didn't Ming tell me?” complained Han Li, clearly excited.

“Because I told her not to,” replied Yukari evenly. “This…it's family business,” she finished a little weakly.

“Still blaming her husbands?” Cindy asked casually. Yukari's eyes narrowed.

“You want to talk about my private life, I'll talk about yours,” Yukari murmured. We have a security leak at the base, I see, she thought sourly.

“Matsuri is married?” Han Li asked, sounding miffed about not being told.

“Five husbands,” shrugged Yukari.

“Who are also Yukari's husbands,” Cindy interjected.

“I'm not in the mood, Cindy,” Yukari warned her quietly, her thumb toying with the thumb safety of the semi-auto in her hands. “And I never married them,” she added, her lips twisting as she said it.

“Haven't been in the mood since you found out, from what I hear,” Cindy went on. Yukari frowned at Cindy.

“Get out,” she said quietly, standing and moving toward the bathroom. When she came out a few minutes later, Cindy was gone. Han Li, however, was waiting patiently, sitting on the foot of the bed, which she had turned down. A silk sleeping shirt covered the lithe frame of the Chinese woman, a wide, eager smile on her face. Yukari wanted to groan. She just had to say that where Han Li could hear, the girl thought unhappily, catching the thin, cool silk shirt that Han Li tossed her before stripping and getting ready for bed.

“So,” Han Li said, practically before Yukari had settled down next to her, the lights out and a steady, cool-ish breeze flowing through the room, “when were you going to tell me about your husbands?”

“You gossip too much,” sighed Yukari. Han Li was undeterred.

“So Uncle says,” she admitted cheerfully. “Are they handsome? Good in bed? Tell me everything!”

“Welcome back,” Kurosu grunted, opening the door of the SSA light armored vehicle for Yukari. Yukari nodded to him, slipping into the vehicle. She and Han Li had completed their shopping trip and come back to the island. Waiting at the dock was Kurosu, the company car waiting just past the entrance to Chang's. Yukari had felt both good and bad seeing him waiting there. She had `volunteered' his help to Han Li, and the three of them had quickly packed the not-insignificant pile of stock items to the restaurant.

The trip to Honiara had been very enlightening on several levels for the girl. Ever since the talk with Cindy, she had been pre-occupied with some uncomfortable ideas. Han Li had both helped and hindered her with this, being extremely keen on getting every last single detail of her love life out of her and at the same time, constantly reminding her of the larger threats to her, her company and crews. Even so, she had found it nice to wake up cuddled up to the older woman.

But, now she was back, and was actually a little impatient to get back upstairs - where at least the threats were obvious and apparent. Han Li had insisted on Kurosu and Yukari staying for a quick lunch, and had even given Yukari some light meals for her crews and her bosses. Kurosu slid behind the wheel, cranking up the vehicle and starting the drive back to base. “How was your trip?” he asked her.

“It was…educational,” Yukari said. “Thanks for that care package, by the way,” she added, recalling a mental note.

“You are valuable to us,” he said. Yukari sighed softly.

“And to a lot of other people as well, it seems,” she muttered. “Kurosu? Do you know anything about Chinese intelligence?” she asked him.

“Some,” he replied. “Not as much as Morgan-san, though,” he qualified. “Why ask?”

Yukari was silent for a long moment. “Pull over,” she said, clearly having made a decision. Kurosu glanced at her for a moment before doing as she asked. Leaving the vehicle - and the A/C - running, he waited. Yukari re-capped the entire incident in Honiara, including what Cindy had told her. Kurosu listened silently.

“Got a lot on your mind,” he replied blandly after she had finished. Yukari frowned at him.

“Kurosu,” she almost-complained.

“Yukari-san,” the head of security said quietly, “my job is to protect you. I will do that job to the best of my abilities; so will the men under my command. Why don't you try focusing your attention on flying the capsules and working in space, and let us worry about keeping you and your girls safe?” he suggested. Yukari blinked, still frowning slightly.

“I don't want to be a prisoner on base,” she said softly. Kurosu grunted.

“Do you feel like a prisoner now?” he asked her. Unwillingly, Yukari smiled family.

“Honestly? I sometimes feel…restricted,” she admitted. He shrugged. Yukari's smile faded. “I felt a lot worse in that hallway last night, though,” confided the young woman. “Thanks for giving me my gun before I left - it made me feel a lot better.”

“I told you,” he replied indifferently, “protecting you is my job.”

Yukari took a deep breath, stretching her shoulders before exhaling softly. “Probably be easier on you if I would stop doing things like that, right?” she asked softly, looking out the smallish window of the vehicle.

“If the job were easy, it'd be boring,” came the sour reply from the man, shifting the LAV into gear and pulling back onto the road. Yukari murmured under her breath. “What?” he asked, not having caught what she said.

“I said I'm glad you're protecting us,” Yukari repeated herself. “Because I was thinking about the problem I had last night, and I don't know if I would have been able to pull the trigger,” confided Yukari. Kurosu glanced at her from behind his sunglasses. “If Akane-chan or any of the others had been, I know I could have, and maybe I could because Han Li was there, but if it's just me, I don't know if I could pull the trigger. Is that…strange?” she asked.

“No, not really,” Kurosu said. “Most soldiers can't pull the trigger until the enemy starts shooting; at least the first few times. Those that do are dangerous,” he warned. “You were taught to shoot as part of a contingency plan for a missed landing, not as training for killing enemies. Personally, I am glad you are hesitant to shoot.”

“You…are?” she wondered. Kurosu nodded. “Why?” she asked.

“Because you would probably miss,” he replied evenly. Yukari blinked, frowning. After a moment, however, she caught the faint smile on Kurosu's lips. Rolling her eyes, she settled back in her seat.

“Jerk,” she muttered fondly. “But I wish you had been there the other night, too.”

“You weren't in too much danger,” Kurosu said. Yukari glanced at him.

“How do you figure that? There was a Chinese agent in the room next door!” she protested.

“You were never outside our protection,” explained Kurosu without answering anything.

“What does that mean?” wondered Yukari, confused. Kurosu didn't say anything more about it, though. As they neared the gate, Yukari saw that her entire flight program was waiting for her. So was Matsuri. Seeing her sister, Yukari smiled.

“Miss me?” she asked the girls, smiling as the LAV stopped inside the gate.

Yukari waved to the desk attendant as she walked into the VAB, heading for the assembly lab. In her hands was a clipboard with half a legal pad worth of notes on it. Final checklists had been completed in the simulator building for the new modular capsule, and the head of flight was having a final meeting with Mukai before the first actual launch of the prototype modular orbiter. The astronaut moved through the building, finding Mukai in the actual assembly area, working on their Durian orbiter.

Changing into a clean suit in the clean room, she locked through to the lab area, approaching the head of engineering where he was working with Touma on the rescue capsule. “Mukai,” she greeted him. He glanced at her.

“Hey, Yukari,” he replied. “Just a minute,” he added, turning his attention back to whatever was giving them problems. Yukari eyed the mass of mechanical and electrical systems half-disassembled and wired up to various testing equipment.

“Touma,” Yukari greeted the head of the assembly team. The old man nodded to her, both hands full of wires and cables and leads. Silently, Yukari watched the team work, absently noting the similarities between her team's teamwork and their team's teamwork.

“Ok, what did you need, Yukari-san?” Mukai asked, Yukari blinking away the mental wool-gathering.

“Got the final notes here and just wanted to go over them with you,” she said. Mukai nodded, leading Yukari toward the corner where the modular capsule was half-assembled. Yukari glanced at her clipboard, mentally reviewing the short-hand notes in preparation for detailed questions and answers from Mukai. Looking up, she found herself looking at Ibari.

The young engineer was staring at her, an odd look in his eye. “Um…” he stumbled around verbally, trying to find something to say to her.

“Ibari,” she replied coolly. After a moment, Ibari's shoulders slumped slightly, and he moved toward the Durian capsule, his feet almost dragging.

“Yukari-san,” Mukai said, his tone uneasy.

“I don't want to hear it,” warned the girl. Mukai sighed.

“I'll pull him off the project,” he said. Yukari shook her head.

“Don't,” she disagreed. “It isn't his skills I have a problem with.” Just his mouth! she thought, still angry. But even though she was still angry about the rumors that endlessly swirled around her about `The Incident', she found that she had too much on her plate to be as angry as she had been at first. Guess that means I will eventually forgive him, a part of her thought, sounding not a little like Matsuri. A small scowl flickered across her lips.

Forcing that issue aside, she began to review the notes with Mukai, often resulting in long conversations about minute things she and her crews had learned about the prototype in the simulator runs. Yukari had washed all her crews - plus Matsuri and Ming - through the simulator of the new capsule several times. We might not get everything, but we'll have found most of them! she thought proudly. Some things just couldn't be found in simulator work or on a CAD run.

Unnoticed, Ibari was watching her nearly the entire time. Touma noticed, however. When Yukari finished up and left, the gruff old man patted Ibari's shoulder. “She's still cooling off, kid, but I'd say things are looking ok,” he pronounced. Ibari gave the man a nearly-pathetically hopeful look.

“Really, Touma-san?!”

“Really,” confirmed Touma. “But she's not ready to talk yet, so I'd keep your distance before she flares up again,” cautioned the man. Ibari nodded to himself. “Now, if you're done with the soap opera routine, mind getting back to work?” growled the man, giving the young man a nearly-rough push.

“Hai!”

“No,” Yukari said softly, but firmly, scrubbing her hair.

“But, why not?” asked Natsuko, frowning. “It's been forever since you've gone there. They've been asking about you, you know,” grinned the girl.

“I'll bet they have,” muttered Yukari, ducking her head under the shower head. “Be sure to take appropriate precautions, girls,” she said when she pulled her head back out from under the spray of water, wiping her face with a hand. Glancing at her crews, she found herself eyeing the spirit charm tattoos all of her crews now wore. They still religiously carried their spirit charms every flight, and the small charms still rode their cell phone straps, but the girls seemed a lot happier with spirit charms tattooed onto them.

“Matsuri asked me to remind you that you promised you would come see her soon,” Akane reminded her partner. Yukari paused, reviewing things mentally. After a moment, she sighed.

“Fine, I'll go for supper and talk to Matsuri, at least,” she relented. The other girls grinned at each other. Why do I get the feeling that I've been played? wondered Yukari fleetingly. Matsuri was now living at the village full-time, since she was into her eighth month. She would periodically show up on base, usually to visit Satsuki and the flight girls.

Once they were done in the shower, the girls had slipped into their normal casual clothes, grabbed their stuff and headed for the gate. Waving to the guard, the others moved toward the thin trail that led to the Tariho village, Yukari ducking into Kurosu's office and grabbing her belt before jogging to catch up to the others. Moving single-file down the trail, Yukari found herself thinking that her girls were comfortable in the rain forest now.

Before long, the girls emerged from the edge of the jungle, the Tariho village before them. Waving to several of the villagers as they made their way toward the hut where Matsuri lived with her husbands, the flight girls seemed as comfortable in the village as on the base. Yukari heard her dad call to her, and against her better judgment, she crossed to him to see what he wanted. Probably tobacco and sake, she bet herself.

“Ah! You finally came!” grinned her father. Yukari rolled her eyes.

“What do you want?” she asked him, her tone irritated.

“Your husbands have making a fuss about you avoiding them,” began her father. Yukari glared at him.

“They aren't my husbands!” snarled the girl, eyes flashing. “And what I do is my business, not theirs! Or yours either, Hiroshi!” she bit out. “I didn't come here to see you or them; I came to see Matsuri, so don't read anything else into this.”

“Do you hate them that much?” asked her father, his tone oddly quiet and serious.

“I don't hate them,” Yukari replied automatically. I just hate that they took Matsuri away from me when I needed her most, she left unsaid. Unbidden, she found herself staring at the hut where her sister and her husbands lived. At the foot of the ladder, her flight crews were already gathered around Matsuri, heads close together and obviously talking while up on the narrow porch, three of the five husbands watched, wide, eager smiles on their faces. Yukari bared her teeth.

“I should go back to base,” she muttered. One of the husbands spotted her, waving eagerly to her to come over. Yukari just barely kept herself from giving him a hand-and-arm gesture in return, settling for snorting and turning away from him. That was not an improvement, as she found herself locking gazes with her father. “What?” she managed tightly, crossing her arms under her breasts.

“Matsuri is worried about you,” he said, still in that uncharacteristic tone.

“She's been worried about me for a while,” dismissed Yukari. “She should be worrying about herself,” she added, concern for her kid sister leaking through. “It's getting close to her due date.”

“Jealous?” asked her father, his tone more like his usual idiot-drunk self. “If you didn't avoid your husbands, you could have gone first,” he reminded her. Yukari sneered at him.

“They aren't my husbands, I don't want kids this young, and I am not giving up space for a bunch of horny guys!” pronounced the girl. From behind her, she heard Matsuri calling her. “Been great talking with you, dad,” she added sarcastically, turning away from him.

“You, too, Yukari,” he called back, her tone rolling off him like water off a duck's back. “Oh, and tell Nasuda that I am almost out of tobacco and sake!” he added.

“Drink vinegar,” grunted Yukari, not acknowledging his words at all. Ahead of her, most of her flight crews were in the hut, and she could hear that dinner was in progress. Reaching her sister, she absently caressed Matsuri's face before delicately touching her swollen belly. “Everything ok, Matsuri?” she asked quietly.

“Yep!” chirped her sister. “Walk with me a minute,” added Matsuri, tossing her head toward the edge of the shallow bay, where the Tariho canoes were beached and the fishing nets and gear stored for the night.

“You shouldn't be wandering around in your condition,” began Yukari, only to have Matsuri laugh.

“Tariho women are tough, Yukari,” she reminded her sister, catching her hand in her own and pulling Yukari along. “We'll be back in a little while, Akane-chan,” she said to girl who had been standing next to Matsuri.

“I'll keep an eye on them,” promised Akane. Once the sisters were out of sight, Akane climbed the bamboo ladder and entered the hut, finding that the rest of flight was looking at her expectantly. “Well, keep your fingers cross,” Akane shrugged, settling down and accepting a rough plate loaded with fish, fruit and bread-like balls from one of the husbands. Akane nodded her thanks. She most often stayed with him when she visited. Tapiawa said something to his fellow husbands, and the men exchanged looks for a moment before returning their attention to the girls at the table.

“Congratulations, Yukari!” called out one of the office women, smiling at Yukari. Yukari gave her a polite smile in return.

“Thanks,” she said, “but Matsuri's the one you should be congratulating,” she pointed out. She gave birth, not me! The SSA was having a party again, to celebrate the delivery of Matsuri's first child. It was a healthy baby boy, and his arrival officially made Yukari an aunt. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that. The night after Matsuri had given birth, the Tariho village had had a party, and she and her teams had been there. Now, three days later, the SSA was having a party.

“Ah, is aunty Yukari feeling left out?” cooed the woman, who was likely twenty years Yukari's senior. Yukari felt her eyebrow twitch slightly. Biting back a scathing comment about clocks and old Christmas cake, she shook her head.

“Not at all, but I will be glad to have Matsuri back,” she replied before moving away. “Excuse me,” she said over her shoulder. Staying on the move was a good defense against the other departments, and she made a point of checking on every flight team member before slipping away through the kitchen and out of the cafeteria. “Ah!” she exhaled happily, sitting on the edge of the small loading dock where the serving staff unloaded food supplies. Absently, she sipped her fruit punch, staring at the stars.

A sound distracted her, her head turning to see a figure trying to sneak away from her. “Who's there?!” she demanded, almost jumping to her feet. Getting a better look at the person, she relaxed a little. “What are you doing back here, Ibari?” she asked.

“I wasn't trying to follow you or anything,” he said quickly. “When I saw you were ok, I started to leave, and…”

“Yeah, I get it,” Yukari said, eyes back on the stars.

“Yukari,” his voice intruded again, “I…want to ask you to hear my side of things,” he managed, his voice breaking a little.

“We already talked about this,” warned Yukari, not looking away from the stars.

“Actually, you did all the talking,” he said, his tone a little confrontational. Yukari frowned, reviewing the confrontation with the young man the morning after they had awoken in bed together. “I just want you to hear my side; that's all,” he added.

“Fine,” she said, sipping her fruit punch again. “Tell me your side of the story.”

“I never said anything to anyone,” stated the young man. “I swear to you on anything you want that I never said a single thing to anyone about…that,” he finished.

Yukari sighed softly. Above her, super-thin, lacy high-altitude cirrocumulus drifted across the bright, clear stars. “Ok,” she said quietly, “you didn't say anything. So, you got an answer for how it blew up all over base practically before we even got out bed?” she asked him, refusing to look at him.

“No,” he admitted, absently scuffing a foot. “But I don't really care how it happened so long as you know it wasn't me!” he declared. Yukari found her cup of fruit juice was empty. She set it aside, her mind busy. “I…I've always admired you and Akane,” Ibari continued, the young man leaning against the wall. “Ever since that first day here, I've been taken with you two. While you were in America - before I returned to school - I asked Akane on a date,” he admitted.

Yukari blinked. “You did?” she wondered. Strange, Akane-chan never said anything about that, thought the young woman. Ibari nodded in the semi-light.

“She didn't even realize I was asking her out,” he admitted. Against her will, Yukari snickered softly. “Story of my life,” he added wryly, hearing her snicker. “I didn't go to your room intending to sleep with you,” he started, then stopped, a soft hiss escaping. “Um, that isn't how I meant to say that,” he hurried to correct himself, almost wincing.

“So you got rejected by default when you asked Akane, so you went after me?” Yukari asked, oddly amused by the notion. “Least you are practical about it,” she added a moment later, thinking of another situation entirely.

“What do you mean by that?” wondered Ibari, mystified by her reply.

“You struck out with Akane, so you went after me,” Yukari explained calmly. “Most guys would either be pining after Akane-chan or have moved on entirely after what happened. But not you,” she shook her head.

Ibari didn't know what to say in response to that. “So,” continued Yukari, “you going to go after my other girls or are you moving on to other women?” she asked, her tone somewhat teasing, but also somewhat curious.

“I…don't really want to date any of the others,” Ibari replied slowly. “Besides, after they almost killed me…” he shrugged.

Yukari hummed, but said nothing. “Can I ask you something, Yukari?” Ibari asked bravely.

“I suppose,” she allowed. The clouds had disintegrated, the stars bright and clear overhead once more. The moon was a razor-thin sickle on the far side of the horizon from her.

“Why did they do that to me?”

“Do what?” Yukari wondered. “Oh, you mean drag you into a room and nearly crush your throat?” she realized what he was asking. “They thought you took advantage of me, and they acted,” she shrugged casually. “They were also looking after their own rears, as well,” she added thoughtfully.

“How do you figure that?” wondered the young man. He could still feel Natsuko's forearm across his windpipe, slowly crushing it as the other girls stared at him coldly.

“You honestly don't know?” asked Yukari, finally looking at him. “You really don't notice? Kami, you're thick!” she shook her head.

“What am I supposed to notice?” Ibari asked, confused.

“Have you been listening to the gossip and byplay on base since then?” she asked him, turning to face him squarely.

“Well, yeah, I guess,” he managed. Yukari hummed.

“My girls are protecting me and protecting their own reputations. I have to listen to the men make clumsy jokes at my expense, and put up with the women making snarky and catty remarks about me because of that, while you get high-fives, back-slaps and free drinks from the guys, and women smile at you. Why is that, do you think?” she asked him.

“I haven't noticed…” began Ibari.

“We have already established that you're thick,” Yukari cut him off. “Answer the question.”

“I don't know,” he said a moment later.

“Because a guy is a stud for having a one-night-stand, while the girl's a slut, that's why,” Yukari said flatly. “I have busted my ass to be treated as an equal in space - all of us in flight have! - but one rumor, and we're back to being treated like air-headed sluts on a cheerleading tour! This rumor is threatening to undo more than three years of work, Ibari! How do you think we feel about that?!” she nearly yelled at him. “Yeah, they wanted to kill you for what they thought you did to me, but they weren't happy about being relegated to slutty girls who just happen to fly rockets.”

“So why did you stop them, then?” wondered Ibari.

“Because even if you had of taken advantage of me, and had bragged to the base, I won't have my girls turning into murders; not over me,” Yukari said quietly.

“You took the rap for my injuries, too,” he thought aloud.

“How did you hear about that?” Yukari asked suspiciously.

“I wasn't actually unconscious when you and Kurosu talked to Satsuki,” admitted the young man. “So, why did you do it?”

“Because I am the head of flight, and if the situation had been reversed, I would have done the same thing myself,” Yukari answered with brutal honesty. “But,” she added, standing, “if I had thought you raped Akane, I would have killed you,” she warned him softly before opening the door to return to the party. “Nice talking to you, Ibari,” she said, the door closing behind her.

“Consulting?” wondered Yukari, blinking at her boss. Nasuda nodded.

“Yes,” he confirmed calmly.

“Consulting on what, exactly?” wondered the head of the flight program, glancing at her partner. Akane was sitting beside her, looking as confused as she was. “I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't be consulting with a company about how to put us out of business, and since our niche is shrinking already…” hinted Yukari.

“With the market shrinking, diversifying is the only means of maintaining profitability,” countered Nasuda, shaking out a cigarette. “And the interested party asked for the two of you specifically, I might add,” he baited, rummaging in his pockets for a lighter. His normal LS-7 `rocket lighter' had suffered an accident two days before, and he had yet to get it working again. So, he had bummed a cheap plastic lighter off one of the other smokers on staff to get him through the crisis.

“Who is this `interested party'?” pressed Yukari. “And I know you aren't going to light that while we're here,” warned the girl; just as he found the lighter and prepared to strike it. Nasuda gave her a sour look as he let his hands fall.

“Infinite Horizons, Limited, actually,” answered the man, nudging a folder toward her. Leaning forward, Yukari snagged it and settled back, Akane leaning in close to her partner so they could both read the folder contents.

“Weren't they looking to be competitors to us?” Akane asked, one hand absently resting on Yukari's bare shoulder, the smaller woman nearly hugging her boss. The habits of zero G had ingrained themselves deeply, Nasuda thought to himself, hiding a smile.

“They have adjusted their business plan and earnings format since then,” Nasuda replied dryly. Yukari glanced at her boss over the top of the folder.

“Do I detect admiration in your voice, Old Man?” she asked. Nasuda shrugged.

“I won't deny that I find a company that can adjust fluidly to changes worthy of some respect,” he hedged and double-talked. Business man through and through, thought Yukari, eyes back on the documents in the folder.

“I don't know about this,” Akane began slowly, almost hesitantly. “There's so much to be done here, and…” she stopped abruptly. “Are they serious?” she breathed, seeing the third page of the document.

“Yes,” Nasuda confirmed, fighting a smile. “That is how the consulting game works, you know,” he added. Yukari let the folder drop a hand-span.

“And how much of that are you planning to pocket, Old Man?” she demanded suspiciously.

“Well, you two are employees of the Solomon Space Association, and your skills were gained through on-the-job training…” began the boss, smiling.

“Just answer the question,” Yukari cut in, sighing. “You can sell that crap to someone else.”

“The SSA would be taking approximately thirty percent,” Nasuda answered, knowing the signs that Yukari was not in the mood for verbal foreplay.

“Approximately? How approximate is approximately?” Yukari replied, knowing how he worked.

“Pretty close to exact,” admitted Nasuda. “The rest of that would be paid to the two of you.”

Yukari looked at the figure on the third page then glanced at Akane. “Even if they don't like what we have to tell them?” she asked.

Nasuda shrugged. “All you are being paid to do is give your honest opinion on whatever they have in mind, but they would - of course - like to hear good news. If at all possible, the consultants try to find a way to help, but it isn't always possible; and they understand that. So, just tell them the truth, and you should be fine.”

Yukari glanced at Akane. After a moment, she handed the folder back to Nasuda. “We're in,” she said softly. Nasuda pulled out another set of papers.

“Excellent,” he smiled. “Just sign here and there, and initial here, here and there, and we can get this going,” he directed. Silently shaking her head, Yukari and Akane did as he directed, scanning each section before they signed and initialed. Once they were done, he signed a few places, stamped each page and turned to his fax machine. While the documents were being faxed, he swiftly prepared a FedEx document envelope, attached the label and tucked the papers inside before sealing the envelope. “I'll have your tickets ready for you as soon as I confirm they have paid us the advance,” he said, tucking the sealed envelope into his `out' box.

And so, thirty one hours later, Yukari and Akane found themselves looking out of the airport terminal at Sweden. Not that they could see much of it at the moment - a lazy snowstorm was limiting visibility. The two had just cleared customs and had stopped to get their first look at the place where the headquarters of Infinite Horizons, Limited was located.

“It's snowing,” Akane murmured. Yukari nodded. “I haven't seen snow in…years,” breathed Akane. Yukari nodded. “I feel a little cold,” Akane sighed.

“Yeah, me, too,” admitted Yukari. The tropics have thinned our blood, she thought to herself, pulling her coat a little tighter around her. Late January in Sweden was nothing like late January at the equator. “Remind me to buy a scarf; and a thicker coat,” murmured Yukari, nudging Akane. Together, the two moved toward the main entrance of the airport. Yukari pulled up her small organizer, unzipping it and checking her notes. “We're supposed to have someone waiting for us,” she shared with her partner.

“Any idea how we are supposed to identify them?” Akane asked. Yukari shrugged, tucking the planner back into her shoulder bag as she made sure her suitcase was rolling smoothly.

“I figure that they will be looking for us,” Yukari replied. Looking around at the crowd around the two, her lips quirked into a small smile. “We sort of stick out here,” she said, amusement in her voice. Akane realized what her partner was talking about. The majority of the women around them were at least head and shoulders taller than them, with the larger share of them being blondes of some stripe with pale skin. Yukari and Akane were tanned like copper coins by the relentless equatorial sun, and even both of them together would barely make the mass of most of the women around them. Spotting one ice blonde, Yukari felt a sting of jealousy. Her tits alone probably weigh as much as a mission payload! And she's so tall, too! She couldn't even fit in a capsule, Yukari thought. The blonde was over two meters tall, with a classic hour-glass figure.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Akane touching her arm. Glancing at her partner, she saw Akane pointing to the side. Just off the concourse, Yukari spotted the blonde woman she had met more than two years ago, standing patiently and holding a placard with her name and Akane's written in Japanese. “Morita, Miura,” a voice came from the other side. Turning her head, she found herself looking up at the large black man who had accompanied the woman when she had visited the SSA years before. “Thank you for coming. We have been expecting you. If you would follow me, please,” he said, his voice low and smooth, his English unaccented.

Yukari and Akane nodded, following the man as he made his way to the woman. “Yukari, Akane, I am Freja,” she greeted them, smiling. “We have a car waiting. Please, let us take your bags,” she offered, extending her hand. Yukari hesitated for a moment before handing her suitcase to the woman. The man took Akane's, the two leading the astronauts toward a smaller side exit. In short order, the two were fastening seatbelts in a large SUV that had been parked in a short-term parking spot, engine idling, heater on.

“So, where are your offices located, exactly?” Yukari asked. The man was behind the wheel, fearlessly weaving through the heavy traffic.

“Well, our business office is located in Stockholm, but we're going to be visiting our research and development office, which is located just outside Uppsala. I hope it is ok with you that I arranged for a comfortable hotel room for you while you are here,” she added, the SUV diving into traffic and settling into pace with the rest of the vehicles.

“Yeah, that's fine,” Yukari replied. “Um, do your R&D people speak English?” she asked. “Akane and I only speak English and Japanese,” she explained.

“Most of them do,” Freja answered. “But that isn't a problem, since I will be your liaison for your stay,” she assured them. “Jean will also be at your disposal,” she added, briefly indicating the black man behind the wheel. At our disposal? What does that mean? Yukari wondered, eyeing the large man.

“Uh, thank you,” she managed.

“In case you were wondering,” the man said, sounding vaguely amused, “I drive; mostly,” he grinned at the blonde. “Freja does most of the rest, but she lost her license, so I got tapped to be the driver.”

“Shut it, Jean,” murmured the woman. Yukari found herself smiling slightly. What is it with people and cars? she wondered, recalling the way that the NASA men had driven, and how Yasukawa drove. She had never even thought of getting a license. Don't really see any need for it, either, mused the girl. “We have reserved the room next to yours, so you will always be able to find us,” she went on in a louder voice.

“Um, is there a place where we can exercise?” Akane asked. Yukari had been wondering that as well.

“We have taken care of that,” Freja assured her. “The hotel where we will be staying has a small but efficient exercise room, and if you prefer, we can jog outside.” Yukari and Akane looked at the snow.

“I think running inside will be fine,” Yukari replied. “We're a little too used to tropical weather,” she added blandly. “If you don't mind my asking,” she turned the conversation in a new direction, “just what is it you want to consult with us about?”

“Let's wait to talk about that until later this evening, shall we?” Freja slipped out from under the question. For the rest of the ride, the conversation was light and pointless.

After checking into the hotel, the two had been driven to the R&D facility, which turned out to be a somewhat rustic-looking Nordic farm that had been converted into a very strange sort of think tank facility. Freja had introduced the two to about a dozen men and women, all of whom wore the crest of Infinite Horizons, Ltd on their lab coats, jackets, shirts or blouses. The inside of the house had been divided up into smaller areas, and it was to one of these smaller areas that the two were led.

“Before we begin, I would like you and Akane to sign these,” Freja said, producing two sheets of paper and handing them to the girls. Reading them, Yukari frowned.

“Nondisclosure agreements?” she asked. Freja nodded.

“We would like to discuss an idea with you, and see what you think, but at the same time, we cannot let this idea be taken from us - even by those we are consulting with,” she replied carefully. Yukari stared at her for a moment.

“If you don't trust us, don't hire us,” she said firmly.

“There isn't anyone else who really has any practical sort of knowledge of the type we need,” Freja replied. “And you have already made the long trip up here,” added the woman. Yukari recalled what Nasuda had said. Glancing at Akane, she and her partner signed the document. Freja collected the two sheets, tucking them into a file and handing it to one of the people at the R&D facility.

“Please,” one of the lab-coat-wearing employees said, gesturing toward another area. The two did as requested, pausing while one of the workers there swiped a card through a reader, unlocking the door. Entering the new workspace, Yukari spotted a white board crammed with notes and math formulas, a projector connected to a laptop, several stacks of sheets, a mountain of printouts, and a chair in a corner covered in coats, scarves and other sundry personal belongings. Glancing to the other side of the room, she spotted a trashcan nearly overflowing with empty cans, cups, plates and bowls. Lot of heavy time in here, she thought, recognizing the signs from the SSA.

“So, what can the SSA do for you?” Yukari asked what she guessed was the head of the team. He was busily erasing part of the board as another of his team got to work on the laptop, the projector warming up.

“We want you to help us work out some math issues and help us develop a protocol,” he replied.

“Math we can probably do, if it is orbital stuff,” Yukari replied, Freja offering her and Akane comfortable chairs, “but we're not really development planning experts. What sort of protocol are you trying to develop?”

“Orbital intercept, control and stabilization of masses,” another of the team supplied. Yukari frowned.

“What sort of masses? What are you trying to do?” she asked bluntly.

“We're looking at capturing and refining asteroids and comets.”

“Ah!” sighed Yukari happily. “Warm again.”

Akane giggled softly. “Yes, it feels almost like home here,” she agreed. Freja shook her head. The three women were in the sauna. The first meeting had run nearly five hours, the think team explaining their idea and what they had come up with so far for making it work. Akane and Yukari had gotten drawn into the idea, and before long, they had been working on equations and procedural sequences alongside the team.

Jet lag had caught up with them, though, and Freja had gotten them back to the hotel, where she had suggested the sauna. The two girls were glad they had accepted. Lounging on the simple wooden seats, Akane and Yukari were feeling comfortable in the sweatbox. Beside them, Freja was wondering if the sauna could get hot enough to really do its job on them, seeing as how they were used to hot, humid climates. Eyeing the two naked girls, she sighed softly. “What?” Yukari asked her, glancing at the milk-skinned blonde.

“You two have incredible tans,” Freja said. “And so few tan lines, too!”

“Well, we work in the tropics,” Akane replied, sounding a little embarrassed.

“Boys must be all over you two,” Freja said idly. Yukari frowned slightly at that.

“Most of them would be all over you, being a natural blonde and all,” she replied. Freja blinked.

“Really?” she asked. Yukari nodded. “So, you don't have boyfriends?” she asked. Akane glanced at Yukari, her eyes expressing her worry that her partner would get angry about the direction the conversation was going. Yukari gave her a small smile.

“We aren't hurting for male attention, if that is what you are saying,” Yukari replied. “But being astronauts takes a lot of time and attention,” added the girl.

“I see,” Freja replied.

“Um, what about you, Freja-san?” Akane asked the blonde. “Do you have a boyfriend?” she asked. “I think it would be easy for you to find one,” she added, unconsciously touching her own modest breasts as her eyes fell to the full chest of the Scandinavian woman. Those are huge! Akane thought absently.

“Like you, I am very busy with my career,” demurred Freja.

“But, you…!” began Akane, only to pause. “I mean, you and Jean-san are sharing a room. I thought…” Freja studied the two for a moment.

“We are,” she agreed calmly. “But that isn't the same thing as dating someone,” pointed out the blonde. “You could call it `co-workers with benefits', I suppose,” allowed the older woman. Yukari considered that. “I'm sorry if that is something you two would rather not talk about,” apologized Freja.

“We aren't kids, you know,” Yukari said dryly. “So, this thing with Jean,” she continued calmly, “it steady or just whenever you two end up on assignment together?”

“Well, it is a little of both,” Freja candidly answered the younger woman. “When we are on assignment together, of course, but we also sometimes meet up when we aren't assigned together. Does that make sense to you two?” she asked, curious.

“More than you would think,” Yukari replied, laughing softly. Mom was right, a part of her thought.

“So, there are men in your lives, too, then?” prodded Freja. Akane started to say something, but stopped, looking to her partner.

“You could say that,” Yukari replied nonchalantly. Hiding her mouth, Yukari yawned. “I'm about to fall asleep,” she said, discreetly switching topics. “What time are we supposed to head back over to the think tank?”

A half-hour later, the two were in bed. The room had a single large bed, which had made Yukari a little curious about what Infinite Horizons thought her relationship was with her partner, but neither of them really minded. “Yukari?” Akane whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I didn't mean to say anything about our private lives…” began the smaller girl. Yukari patted Akane's waist.

“It's fine,” she said. “Just don't volunteer anything. Besides,” she added, snorting softly, “something tells me that they have been researching us for quite a while.” The two drifted off to sleep minutes later, unconsciously cuddling together.

“Kotomi-chan, Amari-chan,” called a voice from behind the two as they were about to enter the dressing room to put on their spacesuits for their up-coming mission. Turning, the two saw Kinoshita approaching them. The two paused, both unconsciously checking their watches. Kinoshita saw that, a small smile flickering across his lips. Yukari certainly left her mark on all her girls, he thought briefly.

“What is it, Kinoshita-san?” asked Amari as the man stopped before the two.

“I just wanted you two to know that a launch was detected in China twenty minutes ago,” he said quietly, glancing up and down the hallway. “The possibility exists you could find yourself in a…situation,” he said delicately.

Amari and Kotomi exchanged looks. “Thank you for warning us,” Kotomi said, her hand gently squeezing Amari's shoulder, “but we'll make Yukari-sempai proud if that does happen,” she added. Kinoshita studied the junior-most flight crew. No longer amateurs, both were most assuredly hardened professionals now, dozens of shots under their belts.

“Listen,” Kinoshita said, moving a step closer to the two, his voice barely a whisper, “I want you to keep this fact in mind: if any of you girls are hurt, it is Yukari who will be hurt most. Act accordingly, hmm?” hinted the man.

“We don't plan on dying up there,” Kotomi said in reply. “Let them die for their cause.”

Kinoshita watched the door close behind the two, the lock clicking. After a moment, he turned and hurried toward the LCF, where Mingxia would be waiting, Matsuri or one or both or all three of the astronauts there to `supervise' the girl's first `solo' GCL job. Recalling the hot debate between the girls about who should fly the mission and who should be back-up, he found himself chuckling softly. Like having four Yukaris in a room arguing about who was doing the job and which job needed the most experienced crew, he thought, shaking his head. One thing Yukari's crews weren't was meek. Even Akane-chan has developed quite the Yukari temper. Entering the ground control room, he spotted Natsuko and Chinami bracketing Mingxia, both of them obviously pressuring her with unending reminders and threats. Mingxia, he was glad to see, was shrugging it all off, focusing on her station duties.

“No Matsuri?” he asked, settling his headset. Natsuko glanced over at him.

“She'll be here,” the girl said. “Something about some family business or something,” Natsuko waved the rest away, shifting her attention back to Mingxia.

“Kotomi and Amari are suiting up, so we will go ahead and start pre-launch, Mingxia,” directed Kinoshita.

“Roger,” Mingxia said, beginning her set of checklist items, Natsuko and Chinami practically breathing down her neck.

“Ok, you two,” Kinoshita said softly, tapping both girls' shoulders, “give her a little breathing room,” murmured the man. Natsuko turned to stare at him for a moment, Kinoshita wondering if he was about to get a reminder that none of the flight crews considered anyone but Yukari to be their boss and therefore didn't (usually) listen to anything the others had to say unless Yukari told them to. But, Natsuko didn't say anything, she and her partner moving back exactly one pace, in perfect synchronization, without even a look at each other.

Twenty two minutes later, Kotomi and Amari were strapped in, and eight minutes after that, their LS-7B roared off Pad Two, carrying them toward a MEO minus one intercept of a new-gen space observation satellite that had lost an OMS nozzle for unknown reasons. Pad Three held a second LS-7B tipped with the Durian orbiter, just in case. As the capsule climbed toward the rendezvous point, Kinoshita glanced at Mingxia. Noticing a small bead of sweat, he fought the urge to remark on how nothing ever rattled Matsuri; not even when it looked like Yukari would die in orbit.

“You are a bad man, Kinoshita,” whispered a voice in his free ear, making him flinch. The scent of tropical fruit and salt air - along with the voice itself - told him Matsuri had arrived. Turning, he spotted the younger sister of Yukari whispering to Natsuko and Chinami. A moment later, the three shared a naughty giggle before Matsuri moved over to check on Mingxia.

Yukari moaned, shifting her naked body as hands moved down her short ribs toward her lower back. “Ah!” she gasped, feeling the hands prod the muscles at the small of her back.

“Good, right?” Freja nearly leered at the girl. Beside Yukari, Akane was in the same situation, moaning, gasping or sighing as the hands working on her found some spot on her also-naked body. “Those chairs always give me a back ache,” sighed the older blonde, face-down on the massage table on the other sided of Yukari from Akane. “The masseuses here are the best,” she sighed, her own masseuse working her upper shoulder area.

“I've never had a professional massage before,” Yukari noted, liking how relaxed she felt. After a ten hour day consulting on the idea the think tank had come up with, the two SSA astronauts were feeling stiff and Freja had recommended that they avail themselves of the services of the spa that was part of the hotel they were staying at. Yukari was glad she had agreed. From the sounds of it, Akane is glad, too, thought the mission commander.

Her cell phone chirped. Making a lazy reach, she snagged it, her fingers absently touching the black face of the spirit charm as she flipped it open. “Moshi, moshi,” she said, having glanced at the screen and recognized the number of the phone that sat on her boss's desk. “What's the emergency?” she asked.

“No emergency,” Nasuda said. “I just thought that you would like to know that Mingxia passed her eval, and that Kotomi and Amari are back safe. The bird is going to need a new OMS vent, though. Looks like something clipped it,” he shared.

“Micro-meteor? Debris?” wondered Yukari.

“Kotomi said it looked like a car had side-swiped the bird. The vent problem was found when the auto-stabilization routine tried to re-align the bird's main lens.”

Yukari was quiet for a moment. “Don't suppose she found anything interesting on the impact area,” she murmured thoughtfully.

“Not really,” Nasuda replied. “As requested, however, she brought back a few bits of debris that she found near the damaged section. Oh, and our friend visited again just a few hours ago,” he added.

“Friend? You mean that friend?” Yukari asked, having to think for an instant which friend her boss might be referring to.

“Indeed. They were most interested in our souvenirs.”

“Have we been contracted to do the repairs?” Yukari asked, her mind busy.

“No word yet, but…” she could practically see his shrug.

“Akane and I are flying that mission,” stated Yukari.

“But, what about your consulting work?” Nasuda asked.

“My call, Old Man,” warned Yukari. “If I have to, I will hand this job off to Natsuko and Chinami,” she thought aloud. “Or, maybe better, Amari and Kotomi. Either way, I don't want any of my crews near that bird until I get a look at it,” she directed. “In fact,” she murmured, parking the call from her boss long enough to swiftly format a text message and send it to her crews.

Feeling the masseuse silently prod her, she obediently rolled over onto her back, a folded white towel being placed over her hips as the woman got to work on her abdomen. “Anything else I should know?” she asked her boss.

“Not right now,” Nasuda denied. “How are things over there?” he asked.

“Interesting,” she replied, before moaning softly as the masseuse found a spot on her upper right side that needed some work. “Um, I'll have to call you back later, Old Man,” she nearly panted, biting her lip as she closed her phone and let it drop back to the robe she had worn before climbing onto the massage table.

On the other end of the phone, Nasuda frowned as he hung up the phone. That sigh sure sounded like… he thought. Try as he might, he couldn't quite displace the thought that Yukari might have been busy when he called. “Their loss, I guess,” he murmured, thinking briefly of Matsuri's husbands. Yukari's father had actually tried to talk to him about Yukari on behalf of the five, but Nasuda - no fool - had militantly refused to get any more involved in the girl's love life. Now, if things would only calm down between flight and Ibari-kun, he thought, beginning to work on the stack of paperwork in his IN box.

“Welcome back, Yukari, Akane!” chirped Matsuri, grabbing her sister in a warm hug. Yukari hugged her kid sister back. After a long moment, Matsuri released Yukari, grabbing Akane and hugging her as well.

“How was Sweden?” asked a grinning Natsuko. She was clearly in ring-leader mode, at the head of a small line made up of the rest of flight.

“Cold,” Yukari replied dryly, turning to dig in her suitcase for a moment before pulling out a couple of carefully-sealed white cartons and a couple of small gift bags. “But, I know you are only interested in these,” Yukari added blandly, shaking the items slightly as she gave her crews a knowing smirk.

“Oh! You bought us souvenirs!” squealed the girls. “You shouldn't have!”

“If that's how…” began Yukari, only to be mobbed. Mere fractions of a second later, she was empty handed, her girls tearing into the packages. “Hey!” protested Yukari, but not very loudly.

“Swedish chocolate!” sighed Chinami dreamily.

“Yeah, gold would have been cheaper,” snickered Yukari. “Just remember,” admonished the leader once all her girls had taken at least one bite of the expensive treat, “you have to run back off those calories, so you might want to go easy on the sweets.”

Her entire team gave her dark looks, but she noticed that they limited themselves to one or two pieces before closing the boxes again. Chocolate had not been all she and Akane had bought, but it was the centerpiece of their gifts. Within an hour, Yukari found herself in medical with Matsuri.

“You are putting Matsuri back on flight status?” Yukari asked Satsuki, glancing at her sister.

“Yes,” confirmed the doctor. “Is there some problem with her being back on duty as a reserve pilot?”

“No, but she's got other things she needs to be focusing on,” Yukari hinted. Like her son, she left unsaid. “Besides, she only gave birth a little while ago,” added Yukari, eyeing her sister more closely. Dressed in her normal tight short-shorts and small tube top, Matsuri looked exactly as she had before she got pregnant. Not even a single stretch mark, Yukari thought, not sure herself if she was actually jealous or not. Matsuri's belly was as flat and tight as ever, too.

“Something wrong?” Matsuri asked curiously, seeing Yukari staring fixedly at her belly.

“No, nothing!” Yukari insisted. “You recovered from pregnancy really quickly,” she offered. And really well, too! Matsuri beamed at her.

“Tariho women are like that,” she grandly replied. “And I have these,” added Matsuri eagerly; proudly. Tugging off her tube top, she showed Yukari the first set of tattoos that had been inked on her not even a week before. Yukari had seen the tattoos that the older women of the Tariho wore so proudly, and looking at Matsuri's, she thought she might be able to tell how many kids each woman had now. “You can tell how many kids and what sex they are by the markings,” lectured her sister proudly. “Because I have one so far, and he's a boy, I get this pattern. If I had of had a girl, it would have been shaped like this,” she said, tracing a different line. “Each kid adds another section, moving outward from the first set.”

Thinking of some of the tattoo-heavy women in the village, she frowned slightly. “So, you mean some of the women…?”

“Yep!” confirmed Matsuri, her finger absently tracing her tattoo, “I want to have enough to at least finish the upper part,” she said dreamily. “Momma Toto said that grandmother had eleven kids, and great grandmother had fourteen. It was a problem, actually, because they were worried they would run out of places to tattoo her!” bragged the girl.

“So you have to get a tattoo for each kid?” wondered Yukari. That is a pretty nice tattoo, but I don't think I want one like that, she thought.

“Yes,” confirmed Matsuri. “If you don't get the tattoo, the spirits won't know your child is yours and might kidnap them, or harm them. It is especially important for you, though,” warned her sister, hands on Yukari's shoulders. Yukari blinked.

“Me?!” she sputtered. “I'm not having any kids!” she denied. Not yet, anyway; maybe not at all, she left unsaid. Matsuri was giving her a strangely sad look.

“I hope you change your mind,” she said quietly, hugging her older sister for a moment. “But the reason it is especially important for you is that those with night spirit affinity are at greater risk for something bad to happen if they don't get the tattoos, because night spirits are very clannish, and are unfriendly to those who they perceive to be outside their clan but are linked to a person they consider theirs.”

“Um, I'll keep that in mind,” Yukari offered weakly. “But I am not letting your husbands get me pregnant!” she scowled darkly. To her surprise, Matsuri smiled at her warmly.

“But you will start seeing them again, right?”

Yukari blinked. I didn't say that! …did I?

“Are you ok?”

Yukari blinked, turning to look at Hazuzi. “Yeah, why?” wondered the girl.

“You just seem really spaced out,” shrugged their publicist/press agent/spin doctor. “You know, this sort of thing is why I'm here, you know?” hinted Hazuzi. Yukari gave her a glance.

“You saying you don't want me looking over your shoulder?” asked Yukari, her tone half amused, half playful. “Or is it that you don't want me talking to the press after what happened last time?” Yukari giggled softly.

“I will admit that it would have made my job a bit easier if you had simply declined any comment when they asked, but…” Hazuzi shrugged.

“It's just how I am,” shrugged Yukari in turn. Hazuzi gave a soft snort.

“I know that far too well,” she reminded the head of flight. “I went through flight program selection, remember?” Yukari's smile faded a little.

“I remember,” she said, picking up her glass of water and draining half of it. Hazuzi's lips tightened.

“You shouldn't feel guilty for how that ended,” said the girl, reviewing her notes. “It wasn't like you had any more control over that than I did. It's just how life works sometimes. Besides, I did make it into the SSA in the end,” pointed out the girl. Yukari nodded, but declined comment. If only she were this reserved with the press, Hazuzi thought, amused.

A month before, Yukari had been ambushed outside her mom's apartment in Tokyo by some paparazzi sleaze-ball type `reporters'. They had been after a bit of salacious gossip about the `scandal' that had been simmering behind the scenes at the SSA. Yukari had not been in the mood, and had gone off on them in the usual Yukari manner. If not for her mother and an understanding detective in the Metro police, she might have ended up with assault charges from the incident. As it was, the two reporters had been arrested for harassment, though it was understood that they would be out within hours of the cuffs being put on them and that no formal charges would be filed. It had given Yukari all the time she needed to meet up with Akane, Natsuko and Amari, the four of them moving right to the airport for their flight back to the SSA. Their jet had taken off about the time the reporters were exiting the police station.

“You girls are getting to be famous for your attitudes,” Hazuzi noted after several minutes of silence between them. Yukari gave her a thin smile.

“One of the perks of being a private company,” she dismissed the suggestive tone in her former trainee's voice. “As long as everyone thinks that the others are just following my lead, it's fine,” she stated.

“That's the most common view of things,” Hazuzi said, setting aside her notes and opening her laptop. The two were a third of the way home from a summit of the space agencies that Canada had hosted. Yukari had added herself to the trip at the last minute, leaving Akane and Matsuri in charge of the programs at the base. Hazuzi had wondered why Yukari was more or less horning in on what was mostly a talk session of the administrative heads of the agencies in preparation for the merging of all national programs into a single unified agency.

She had gotten her answer when Yukari had met up with two men from NASA, a man from the ESA and Maggie Hiraoka - there as a `special guest' by reason of her passionate lobby-through-TV work in favor of space development - before moving off as a group, surrounding and isolating a representative from JAXA and a pair of Russian representatives. Hazuzi had thought that the small group of people acted not unlike Yakuza acted when extorting businesses. For most of the conference, the only time that Hazuzi had seen Yukari was at night in the hotel, or occasionally in passing at the convention center or during the rare instances when she found herself sitting next to Yukari on a board or panel.

“But you know, this thing with your…personal life,” she carefully edited herself, “is beginning to be a problem. Maybe we should think about ways to remove it from the stage?” Hazuzi suggested.

“My love life,” Yukari delicately made her point, “is my business. Besides, as long as they are looking at me, they aren't looking at my teams,” the woman explained quietly. They were in business class, most of their fellow business fliers sleeping or engrossed in work, but even so, both women spoke quietly; and in Japanese. “All they care about is stuff to harp on, anyway, so there isn't much I can do to push it aside,” she noted.

“Well, there are a few things that could pull it out of play,” Hazuzi disagreed. “For instance, if you were to make it formal?”

“No.” It was a flat statement. Hazuzi studied her former instructor's body language and expression. Let's not bring that up again, noted the girl.

“I don't mean marrying him; though that would be the most permanent solution,” she pushed onward. “Even just telling the trolls that you and he are an item would dampen the attention.”

“That isn't going to happen,” Yukari said, her voice still firm and flat. Hazuzi waved her hand at the attendant as she made a pass, signaling her request. Nodding, the woman disappeared, returning shortly with a glass with some semi-clear drink in it. Once the attendant was gone, Hazuzi sipped the drink before continuing.

“I don't know what exactly occurred in your room that night, but you seem strangely contradictory in how you react to this all. Want to tell me what really happened between you and Ibari-kun?” asked Hazuzi.

“No, as a matter of fact, I don't,” declined Yukari. “And don't have too many of those, either,” she added, tossing her head at the drink in Hazuzi's hand. “Last thing I need is for you to start stripping again,” muttered the astronaut.

“I didn't strip, and you know it,” scoffed Hazuzi. The final day of the conference, Hazuzi and Yukari had attended a dinner event with some people from the other agencies, and while Yukari had firmly declined every drink offered to her save water and a single glass of Coke, Hazuzi had been less reserved. Over the course of the meal, Hazuzi had finished a can of beer, tried a half-glass of some wine that was supposed to be world-class, and been talked into taking a shot of good old American whiskey - in particular a shot of Jack Daniels.

Yukari had stepped in fairly hard at that point, collecting a not-quite-drunk Hazuzi and making their excuses before heading for the hotel. Both girls were legal, but Yukari didn't feel up to playing nurse-maid to a drunk co-worker if she could avoid it. Even so, Hazuzi had been buzzed, and during the ride to the room and as they were getting ready for bed, she had been very outgoing, warm and affectionate to Yukari.

“One more shot of that stuff and you'd have been dancing on the table stark naked,” Yukari countered. “Maybe I should have let you do just that; could have helped pull the hyenas off me,” she suggested.

“I doubt that,” Hazuzi replied calmly. “I'm just a public mouthpiece for the SSA - you are their poster child. Besides,” smiled the woman, “Natsuko, Chinami and Kotomi beat you to it with the circus they ran in Australia a few years back.”

“They did the right thing,” grunted Yukari. “And you can quote me on that, Hazuzi,” she added. Hazuzi sipped her drink.

“I'm not the enemy, Yukari. You know that, right?”

“I know that,” nodded Yukari. Sometimes, though, it's hard to tell who is a friend and who is an enemy, she left unsaid. “But my personal life is private, you know?” No matter how messed up it is, it is my private life!

“Oh, I know,” agreed Hazuzi, “but you are a celebrity now, and that means you have a lot less privacy than you used to.”

“Tell me about it,” Yukari sourly agreed. “But, as long as they are focused on me, they are not putting any pressure on my crews. I can handle a few scumbags making clumsy insinuations about my private life as long as they stay away from my girls.”

“I see,” murmured Hazuzi. “You think that by being a target, you shield the other crews, so you aren't in a hurry to secure your flanks, as it were, because that might shift the focus of the tabloids to your crews?”

“Call it what you want,” Yukari negligently agreed.

“So you are that mad at Ibari?”

Yukari frowned. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“You are using Ibari as a sacrificial goat, you know,” Hazuzi pointed out.

“Yeah, he's really hurting,” snorted Yukari. “Everyone is calling him `Wild Man' because they think he scored with me! You'd think he was some sort of celebrity or something.”

“Maybe I wasn't taking about his social standing,” suggested the other SSA employee. “You kind of did a number on his feelings, you know.”

Yukari glanced at Hazuzi. “You his spokesperson, too?” grunted the head of the flight program.

“No, just an observer,” denied Hazuzi.

“Then keep your observations to yourself,” muttered Yukari. Her conscious pricked her a little, though. Why the hell is everyone aside from Flight trying to manage my love life?! she thought angrily. Moments later, the plane shivered a little. Didn't realize I was that worked up, Yukari thought, forcing herself to calm down. Having the plane crash because the spirits are acting up would be all I need!

For the rest of the trip back, Hazuzi's words wiggled in the back of her mind.

One hundred paying launches, thought Yukari, yawning behind her hand as she made her way back to the dorm. Has it been that long already? Seems like only yesterday that I came here looking for dad, she mused, swiping her card and entering the dorm. Behind her, the cafeteria was still packed with SSA employees celebrating their milestone.

Yukari had slipped away early, feeling a little tired and restless. Guess I will work on some homework or something, she decided, reaching her floor. Exiting the stairwell, she decided to take a shower first. Ducking into her room, she swiftly stripped, snagging her bath basket as she headed to the pilot's shower area. Starting the shower, she relaxed under the warm spray, letting her mind wander.

Sometime later - she couldn't be sure how long, exactly - she heard voices in the hallway. Sounds like Akane, thought Yukari. Guess the party is breaking up, she mused, finishing up and loosely wrapping a towel around herself. Walking to her room, she didn't see any sign of her partner. Dropping off her bath basket, she dried her hair with her towel as she stepped down to Akane's room. “Akane-chan?” she called softly, swiping her card and opening the door. “The party…?” she stopped, blinking at what she saw.

“Y…Yukari!”

The damp towel slid from Yukari's hands, unnoticed, landing on the floor. Yukari surveyed the scene before her. After a moment, the head of the flight program used her heel to close the door. “One of you better have a good explanation,” warned the girl, “and it isn't Akane-chan.”

“This isn't what it looks like.”

Yukari frowned. “I hope not; for your sake!” she replied. “Where are the others, Akane-chan?” asked Yukari, moving over to the bed and sitting down beside her partner.

“Probably still at the party,” replied the shorter girl, sounding a little nervous. Yukari smiled at her, touching her cheek.

“What happened, Akane-chan?” she asked quietly, staring at the other person.

“Well, um…” Akane groped for the right words. After a moment, Yukari seemed to reach some sort of conclusion.

“He come on to you or the other way around?” asked Yukari.

“Neither, really,” Akane replied. “It just sort of happened. We both ended up standing next to each other, and I was about to call it a night and come check on you, so…”

“So you both came here,” nodded Yukari. “Well, I'm fine, so…” she began, standing.

“Yukari, wait!” protested the young man.

“So I am going to call it a night, and you can tell me about it tomorrow morning,” said the head of flight, moving toward the door.

“You…aren't going to…?” breathed Akane. Yukari glanced at her partner.

“No, actually,” she confirmed. Pausing, she looked at the two for a moment. “I am not your mother, Akane, and I have no interest in trying to run your life. You have proven to me time and again that you can make your own choices - and make good ones! I trust you. But, you know where to find me, if you need me,” she added, reaching for the door knob. The two glanced at each other when they heard a snicker escape the senior-most astronaut's lips. “Besides, it serves them right,” she murmured.

“Serves who right?” wondered the young man.

“Matsuri's husbands,” Akane answered, wondering where her partner's mind was right then. The young man turned to stare at Akane.

“Matsuri is married?” he blinked.

“Have fun, Akane-chan,” Yukari said, opening the door and stepping through. As the door closed, Akane heard the sound of Mingxia's voice in the hallway.

“Um, does she know she's walking around naked?” asked the young man, blinking at the closed door. Akane shrugged.

“Probably never even occurred to her,” she replied. “We're all kind of use to this being our private area, so we're sort of causal,” shrugged Akane. Suddenly, Akane shot to her feet. “Go talk to her!” demanded the girl.

“N…now?” stammered the young man.

“Now! This instant!” Akane demanded, grabbing his wrist and pulling him toward her door.

“But, she's…!”

“If you don't talk to her right now, she won't listen,” warned Akane, opening her door and pulling him through. He glanced around wildly, but the hallway was empty. Nearly dragging him to the door of Yukari's room, Akane swiped her card and opened the door. “Yukari? He wants to say something to you,” Akane said before nearly shoving him into the room and pulling the door closed behind her. Leaning her back against the door, she waited, hoping.

Inside the room, the young man's back was against the door as well, his arms half-raised. Yukari stared at him for a moment, standing by the small desk, one hand still resting on her laptop, which she had apparently just shut down for the night. “Well?” prompted the young woman. “You just leaving Akane to come try your luck with me?” an edge developed in her voice as she said this.

“No!” he protested.

“Then why aren't you in her room getting what you obviously want so much?”

“Because that isn't why I came here,” he said quietly.

“Oh? Don't want Akane-chan?” accused Yukari, scowling at him.

“It isn't like that! Quit putting words in my mouth, damn it!” he snapped at her.

“If you want her, get the hell out of my room and make her happy, because if you don't, I doubt you will ever get the chance again,” hissed Yukari, he eyes narrowed to slits. Steeling his nerves, the young man spoke.

“Not until you listen to me, Yukari,” he said, straightening, arms by his sides, hands fisted, as he stepped toward her. Yukari fell back a half step, her hands coming up, fists also clenched. The young man stopped, recalling the story he had heard many times about Yukari's first visit to the VAB and her attack on the door to the assembly area and the security personnel who had been asked to restrain her before she contaminated the assembly area clean room. Natsuko was a karate user, but maybe Yukari isn't telling us everything, he considered.

“I never said anything to anyone about us sleeping together,” he said tightly. “But you seem convinced that I did. Did I offend you, Yukari? Did I do something to make you hate me? Is that why you won't listen to me, or believe me when I say I didn't say anything? Well?”

Yukari studied him for a moment, gradually relaxing. “No, not exactly,” she said quietly.

“Not exactly?” wondered Ibari. “What does that mean?” he wondered.

“If you are looking for an apology, you're going to come up empty,” Yukari said firmly. “But, I might have over-reacted. And my flight teams probably went too far when they jumped you in the medical wing.”

Ibari waited. And waited. “That's it?” he wondered, stunned. Yukari's eyes narrowed.

“What did you think would happen, Ibari?” she asked harshly. “Did you expect me to cry and ask for your forgiveness? Maybe suddenly admit I had fallen in love with you because you took things like a man? Not going to happen,” she pronounced.

“Do you? Love me, I mean?” he asked suddenly.

“No,” Yukari replied immediately, no thought necessary, “but I don't hate you, either,” she added in a quieter tone. “Akane is probably in the same spot, since…well,” she waved it away. “And you? Are you pining away for me or Akane? Maybe both?” she smirked.

“Well, I don't think I even know any more,” he said slowly. Unwillingly, Yukari began to laugh softly.

“Great,” she giggled, shaking her head. “We're pathetic, you know that, Ibari-kun?” she sighed, almost flopping back onto her bed. “Be glad you're not a department head,” she murmured softly, “things are simpler for you.”

Ibari slowly moved over to her, hesitating before sitting carefully on the side of her bed. Yukari still hadn't found anything to put on - though he noticed a thin, short top and a pair of panties set on top of her dresser. Is that what she normally sleeps in? he wondered. “What do you mean, `simpler'?” he asked her. Yukari folded her arms under her pillow, staring at the bunk above her.

“When you are a department head,” she said slowly, “you have to think of more than yourself. And you have to be the head - which sometimes mean living with a mistake.”

“Is that why you took the blame for what Natsuko and the others did? Because you are head of flight?” he wondered. Yukari's eyes slid to meet his.

“Yes,” she said. “And just so you know, Touma and Mukai did what they could to take the blame in your place, too,” she added quietly. Ibari sighed softly. Both were silent for several minutes.

“Where does this leave us, Yukari?” Ibari asked her at last, still staring at her.

“What do you mean?” wondered Yukari, her mind elsewhere.

“Am I still on your shit list or can we be friends again?” he asked her bluntly.

“Guess you aren't on my shit list anymore,” Yukari said after several heartbeats. “But do you understand what caused this mess?” she asked him, sitting up in her bunk.

“I think so,” he said carefully. Yukari frowned.

“Either you do or you don't,” she said. Swiftly reviewing everything, Ibari sucked in a breath.

“Yes, I understand,” he said. I hope so, anyway! Yukari stared at him for a long moment.

“You want to stay here tonight?” she asked him quietly. Ibari blinked.

“Y…you mean…?!”

“I mean,” Yukari said firmly, putting her hands on his cheeks, “if you want to sleep with me tonight, I don't mind. But don't forget what I said. And you should know that this doesn't mean we're dating or anything like that.” She felt him nod jerkily. “One more thing,” she said, leaning closer to him, holding his gaze. “If Akane is expecting you in her room, you better get your ass back there right now.” When he didn't move, she waited one more moment. “Last chance,” she murmured before locking her lips to his, pulling him down on top of her in her bunk.

Yukari stretched, sucking in a lungful of slightly-damp pre-dawn air. Looking toward the shallow bay, she smiled. This should be a good day, thought the girl, easily swinging down off the porch of the hut to land silently on the packed dirt walkway that connected all the huts in the Tariho village. Checking her phone, she nodded, seeing that there were no messages on it. Smiling, she began to stretch for the run back to the base.

From inside the hut, she heard a soft whine begin. Sounds like my nephew is awake, she thought. Before the son of Matsuri could get to full howl, Yukari's ears heard the faint sounds of movement, and a moment later, the child was silent again. Think I better get going before… she started to think.

“You're up early, sis,” Matsuri said, easily hopping off the raised porch and landing next to Yukari. Her kid sister was naked, her son held easily to her breast for his first meal of the day. Tapiawa had been sleeping with Matsuri and his son, while Yukari had ended up with the youngest of the five husbands of her sister. Still can't remember his name, she thought fleetingly. Not that she had made any real effort to learn their names.

“Got some things to do at the base,” Yukari said softly, finishing up her stretching. “You can come with me if you want, but…” Yukari shrugged.

“I'll stay here,” Matsuri said calmly. “There are some things I need to do with mom today, and daddy wants to talk to me about something or other,” related the tanned native.

Yukari frowned. “If he tries to talk to you about me, tell him he better talk to me directly instead of sneaking around behind my back,” she directed. Matsuri smiled.

“He already knows I won't talk about you with him,” she said. “Mom, however…” she shrugged. Yukari half-shrugged. She wasn't concerned about what Matsuri might say to her mother about her. It isn't like Toto is interested in getting into my private life, after all, she thought.

“I hear you have taken Ibari as a lover,” Matsuri said, catching Yukari off guard.

“W…what?!” she sputtered. “Who told you that?” Matsuri gave her a soft smile.

“The spirits,” she assured her sister. “Our tribe sisters don't talk about you to anyone but each other.”

“Oh,” managed Yukari. She had been worried that one of her girls had talked, but she had forgotten to account for the strange abilities her sister had - even though she had the same kind of abilities. “Is that a problem?” she asked, a faint edge in her voice. “I've started visiting the village again, so your husbands shouldn't be complaining,” began the girl, both defensively and aggressively.

“They aren't,” Matsuri cut off her older sister.

“So why are you asking?” Yukari wondered, warily. “Are you upset?” she wondered. Matsuri shook her head.

“No,” she said. Silently, the two walked toward the trail head. As they walked, Matsuri easily tended to her son. “You seem to have found your balance again,” noted the girl. “I'm glad you did,” she added. Yukari considered that for a moment. “Is he the one you picked to father your children?” wondered Matsuri.

Yukari sighed, shaking her head. “I told you before, Matsuri, I'm not ready for children yet - maybe never!” Matsuri hummed, but didn't say anything.

“Kaupata asked me the other day if you were still angry with them, you know,” Matsuri shared. Yukari scowled.

“Even though I started visiting them again, they're still harping on and on about that?” she muttered sourly. “Um, which one is he again?” she asked her sister a moment later.

“Doesn't matter,” shrugged Matsuri, giving her sister a half-smile. “You are obviously not going to let any of them father children with you…”

“Damn right I'm not,” growled Yukari softly.

“…for now,” Matsuri continued serenely, giggling softly at Yukari's twitch. “So telling you would only make him a target for night spirits you stir up in your anger.”

That last remark sort of pricked Yukari's conscious a little. “I'm not targeting them deliberately,” she assured her sister. “Um, they haven't been hurt because of that, have they?” she asked. Matsuri shook her head.

“Not yet, no,” she confirmed. “But there have been a few close calls over the last few months. That is why I am glad you have regained your balance.”

“Well, that's good, at least,” Yukari sighed.

“Are you ever going to forgive them, Yukari?” asked Matsuri, her tone serious. Yukari studied her sister in the darkness right before the sun rose. Touching her sister's cheek with her palm, Yukari exhaled softly.

“You really want me to, don't you, Matsuri-chan?” she asked. Matsuri nodded.

“Well, I can't say `no' to you,” smiled Yukari weakly. Matsuri pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you sister,” she whispered against Yukari's cheek. Yukari hugged her back gently. After a moment, the two separated.

“I have to get going,” Yukari said, turning toward the trail head.

“Yukari,” Matsuri said, catching her hand, “bring Ibari with you some time, ok?”

“I don't know,” Yukari began slowly, “I don't want to mix the two parts of my life together, you know? Besides…” Yukari hesitated.

“Besides what?” wondered Matsuri. Behind the two, the village was beginning to wake.

“I'd just rather not,” Yukari said awkwardly. “It could cause problems, you know?” she gave Matsuri's hand a squeeze before taking off down the trail. “I'll see you soon, Matsuri!” she called back, though not loudly as she hurried down the trail.

“What kind of problems would it cause?” asked Matsuri of her son, making her way back toward the hut of her husbands to dress and begin the day. “Our tribe sisters wouldn't care, and Ibari should meet his fellow husbands and wife…” Still talking to her son, the young mother and reserve astronaut began her day in her village.

Yukari loped easily along the trail, having memorized it long before. Even in near-total darkness, she could run it easily and safely. She reached the gates of the SSA earlier than she had thought she would. Waving to the guard, she made her way to the dorm, pausing to drink some water from the fountain in the lobby of the dorm. Making her way up to the flight program's floor, she emerged into the hallway just in time to see Natsuko and Chinami exit their room, Chinami holding her sports bra in one hand, Natsuko stepping into her bikini bottoms as they closed their door silently.

“Morning,” smiled Yukari. The two flinched.

“Boss, don't do that!” protested Natsuko.

“Got a guilty conscious?” teased Yukari.

“Weren't you spending the night in the village?” asked Chinami.

“I did, but I'm back now. Matsuri says `hi' by the way,” she relayed. “You two should visit soon,” she decided, nodding to herself a little.

“We had planned to go last night,” began Natsuko.

“So you should have come along,” Yukari cut her off. “Not like there aren't enough of them for us, or anything,” she added dryly.

“How many did you take last night?” Chinami purred suggestively. Yukari sniffed dismissively.

“You know I don't bother counting,” she replied loftily as Kotomi and Amari exited their room.

“Counting what, boss?” asked Kotomi, adjusting her top.

“Boss wore out her husbands last night,” Natsuko smoothly cut in. Yukari gave Natsuko a light smack on the head.

“They are not my husbands,” she reminded them yet again, “they're Matsuri's husbands.”

“Either way, she wore them all out,” insisted Natsuko, ducking away from another head-slap.

“Matsuri wouldn't agree,” Yukari said dryly, Mingxia stepping into the hallway, hand band hooked over her pinky, both hands gathering her hair behind her, bikini already on.

“Ok, so Boss and Matsuri both wore the men out,” grinned Chinami. Yukari rolled her eyes.

“Can't help it that men tire easily,” she shrugged, moving to Akane's door. Usually Akane-chan is first out, she thought, swiping her card and opening the door. “Akane-chan? Everything ok?” she asked, throwing the switch to turn on the set of smaller lights in the room.

“Yukari?” mumbled Akane, sitting up in her bed. “Is something wrong? You were going to spend the night in the village, weren't you?” she asked.

“I did and…” Yukari stopped, seeing another person sit up in bed beside Akane. Her partner focused on the clock opposite her bed.

“Ah!” she gasped, throwing back the covers and jumping out of bed. “Sorry! I didn't realize I was late,” she said, hurriedly grabbing her clothes.

“What's the…oh!” came the voice of Natsuko. Yukari glanced over her shoulder, seeing the entire flight team looking over her shoulder. Akane was crimson from her scalp to her belly. Even so, she didn't stop dressing, and she didn't say anything.

The other person in her bed, however, was not as calm. “Y…Yukari,” he stammered. “Um, this isn't what it looks like!” he began.

“Oh, shut up,” sighed Yukari. “I don't care what this is,” she went on. Turning, she met the gaze of each of her crewmembers. “And neither do they,” she warned. “Akane has her exercises to do, and you have work, so get out of her bed and get out of our wing before someone notices you aren't in your room.”

“H…hai!” he exclaimed, hurrying out of her bed.

“Just grab your clothes and get out of here,” directed Yukari, sounding a little amused. “We're already running behind,” she said to her partner.

“Sorry!” Akane apologized.

“And Ibari?” Yukari's voice froze him in place. “You and I will talk later today,” she warned him. Gulping, the naked young man hurried past the girls, who wolf-whistled, slapped his bare ass and even pinched him as he nearly-frantically struggled through the press of girls at Akane's door.

“Yukari, he didn't…” began Akane. Yukari smiled at her partner.

“I know,” she said, “I'm not going to talk to him about this,” she explained. “Matsuri asked me something this morning, and I thought I would speak to him about it,” she said. “Now come on; we have exercises to do,” directed the head of flight. It was odd, Yukari reflected ten minutes later, puffing as she ran through the sand of the cove at the head of her teams, even though she had spent the night in the village, and run back to the base, she was feeling positively energetic for some strange reason. Today is going to be a good day, she thought, smiling.

“He's coming here? Why?” wondered Yukari, chasing the last bit of beef with her chopsticks.

“He graduated high school, and mom and dad wanted to visit, so…” Akane shrugged. “Is it ok?” she asked her partner.

“Fine with me, but this isn't exactly a tourist attraction, you know?” she reminded her partner.

“And we're kind of busy with these build missions, too,” Natsuko reminded her sempai. Akane glanced at her.

“I know that,” she confirmed, “but we're not so busy that we can't rotate the missions,” she reminded her junior astronaut. Natsuko waved her chopsticks silently. “Besides, he really wants to see everyone,” Akane added, her mind clearly elsewhere.

“You mean he wants to ogle us as we run and get us to sign more stuff for him to sell,” snickered Yukari playfully. She had learned a few months before that the shirt that she, Matsuri and Akane had autographed years before during their first tour had been sold by the younger brother of her partner for a nearly mind-boggling amount. “Guess I'll call Han Li and have her set up a room for them,” she mused.

“Um, actually,” Akane said, “I thought that I would just have him stay in my room - if that's ok with you all - because mom and dad are going to be taking a kind of second honeymoon, and will be visiting Guadalcanal and Australia before going back, while Hideto will stay here,” explained the girl.

“Can't have him underfoot, eh?” grinned Chinami. Yukari swept the table with her eyes before looking at Akane.

“Doesn't seem to be any problem with him crashing in your room,” she said, none of her crews showing any concern about Akane's kid brother being in their wing, “but isn't that going to put a crimp in your love life?” leered Yukari, leaning over to whisper in Akane's ear. Akane blushed, though not as much as might once have.

“It…it's only for a couple of weeks,” she insisted.

“And you can slip out to the village if you need to,” Chinami hinted.

“Or stay in his room for the night if it comes to that,” Amari contributed.

“If you need some privacy, you could ask Yukari to take him for a night,” Mingxia purred.

“T…That's ok!” squeaked Akane hastily. Yukari frowned.

“Something wrong with him staying in my room overnight, Akane-chan?” she asked evenly.

“No, not at all! I just wouldn't want him to bother you,” she insisted.

“More like you worry she might do something to him, you mean,” Kotomi interjected quietly, her gaze amused.

“Boss is certainly aggressive,” Natsuko agreed blandly.

“You girls have something to say?” Yukari asked ominously.

“No, not a thing, boss!” they all replied in perfect unison. Yukari sighed, shaking her head as she stood.

“This is your fault, Natsuko,” she informed the girl before heading for the tray return station. “You have corrupted your fellow astronauts.”

“I have corrupted them?” asked Natsuko innocently.

“Yes, you have corrupted me,” Kotomi nodded, finished as well.

“I used to be a nice girl before you became my sempai,” Amari agreed.

“Before you were partnered up with me, I was a model student who never broke even one rule,” Chinami nodded.

“Until I was assigned to you and Chinami, I thought astronauts were so focused and professional,” Mingxia smiled.

“Hey! Silence in the flunky gallery!” ordered Natsuko grandly.

“I don't know how you turned out like you are,” Akane shook her head, standing as well.

“Sure, pick on the bad apple,” snorted Natsuko, rising as well. “But if you all are the way you are because I was your sempai, then how do you think I got the way I am?” she suggested. “My sempais were Boss, Akane and Matsuri.”

“Don't try to blame us for your bent, twisted personality,” Yukari denied easily, having waited for her teams just outside the cafeteria doors. “After all, you were the one that led Chinami and Kotomi astray in Australia.”

“Oh! My evil past haunts me still!” bemoaned Natsuko theatrically. Yukari threw an arm around Natsuko's neck.

“Hold that thought while I find a violin to play,” laughed Yukari.

“You are just jealous you weren't there to lead the charge,” sniffed Natsuko. Laughing, the flight program began yet another day in the glorious adventure that was space work.

END

Notes:

Yes, that is the end of the fic. No, you didn't miss anything. Well, any more than you usually do, anyway. The character development that I had envisioned is complete now, hence the end of the fic. The fic ends like this because that is how real life works: there are no `cut points' in life - it just keeps going and going and going.

This idea occurred to me while watching Moonlight Mile. How did I get from Moonlight Mile to this? Not directly, I assure you. However, I had already watched Rocket Girls, Mighty Space Miners and PlanetES before I found and watched Moonlight Mile. What is the thread that ties them all together?

Watch them in this order: Rocket Girls, Moonlight Mile S1 & S2, PlanetES and finally Mighty Space Miners. There is a technological and chronological correlation between all three series. You start with Rocket Girls, where in you see the development of private space enterprise dovetailing with agency projects. Also, technology development cross-ties the private and agency programs. As RG closes, the time is roughly 2012-2015. Allow time for the technology to adjust, and you find yourself in 2020 when the real space part starts, though the pre-section would logically occur concurrently with the later stages of the SSA's rise to prominence.

Moonlight Mile presents a picture of a contest for both control of space-based resources and for military supremacy of space between the U.S. and China, with Helium3 and dominance of energy resources the prize. Time scale puts the end of Moonlight Mile at roughly 2070, with a functional moon base (and several outposts), a few Lagrange-point stations and a few MEO stations (like the ones Toybox is based out of), which is where PlanetES picks up.

PlanetES deals mostly with the issue of space debris. This is ALREADY a known problem. Factor in nearly a century of space work - and warfare - and you would be about right for the situation that PlanetES describes. Not to mention that the privatization of the space business from the ISA to INTO - with all the greed, graft and corruption government always entails. There is also the on-going issue of terrorism, corporate in-fighting and political power games that hamper every attempt to accomplish anything.

And that brings us to Mighty Space Miners and (roughly) the year 2070. Ask yourself this question: where is the raw materials for all that space development coming from? Not from Earth, that is for certain! Copper, iron, aluminum, gold, silver, titanium - all of them are necessary for developing space. You figure that there is about a 35% loss of material per cycle (where the debris comes from along with burn-loss and orbit-deviation losses), and you are talking tens of thousands of tons used in roughly a century. Where would we get that much material?

From asteroids, comets and meteoroids, of course. Capturing, refining and using them is possible; just not with the current technology. Give us a century - with a war in orbit and a new power source to work with - and we would reasonably have the technology and skill to capture and use these masses. And of course, private business would be most likely to do such a thing. In Mighty Space Miners, you find a company that has done just that. So, logically, chronologically and technologically, the four fit together to form a larger arc. And they all even have a better-than-average grip on reality (though they remain anime). One could even add Starship Operators to the end of the list, as that is what would most likely happen around the year 2440 or so.

My main interest in doing this story was to explore and expand on the (admittedly limited) universe that Rocket Girls is set in. There is a lot of potential there, and when I saw Moonlight Mile, it hit me that Rocket Girls fit right in with the other anime series. Originally, this was meant to be a short little post-series bit. Guess I still can't write a short fic for love or money. But, hey! I managed to write my first non-lemon… ^_^