Mars Daybreak Fan Fiction ❯ Haunting Past ❯ Chapter 1

Haunting Past

 

By: A-Z Mark II

 

Disclaimer: I think that Sony Computer Ent. and Bandai own Mars Daybreak - maybe.

 

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Chapter 1

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Deep under the seas of Mars, a SHIELD ship sliced cleanly through the water, the huge opening in the nose giving it the appearance of one of the ancient jets from back on Earth. Inside the older ship, the four crewmen - or, more accurately, two crewmen and two helpers - idly watched the trackless blue water slip past the monitoring system. With the amount of work that had been put into the ship's last refit, it was now nearly as modern and hot-rodded as the legendary Ship of Aurora, which had been the scourge of the city-ships until recently.

It wasn't that strange, really, since the master of the craft had been a crewman on the Ship of Aurora for nearly a year before giving up the life of piracy and fighting. Gram River was hardly known among the Mars Defense Force and Earth forces that had hunted the ship, but his Buckler - the robots that were used to work and fight under the seas of the red planet - was very well-known by both of his former adversaries. In odd moments, he marveled at the unlikely difference the mecha had made in his life; first appearing to facilitate his joining the pirates, then, later, vanishing into the glow of the organisms that had formed the God's Stone.

Of course, the fact that his unique Buckler had vanished was one of the things that had allowed him to leave the pirate life behind him. Sure, there were still wanted posters in most of the cities with his face on them, and the paltry one hundred credit reward, but those posters featured far bigger game than himself; after all, who would go after some nameless pirate worth a measly one hundred credits, when right above his picture were the pictures of his friends and former ship-mates from the Aurora. Hell, Captain Elizabeth herself was worth ten million credits.

Thinking that always made him smile, because - of all the forces arrayed against the ship - one soldier had sought him out with fanatical zeal and a singular focus that sometimes frightened him. Not that Vess's stubborn nature was a new thing to him, but he had to wonder sometimes what drove her to the depths of seeming madness that had finally, painfully, re-united the two friends. Glancing over, Gram saw that Vess was scanning the news feeds she had downloaded at the last city-ship that they had put into at. “What?” she asked him, not even looking at him.

“Nothing, Vess.” he chuckled. “Anything interesting?” he asked her. Vess shook her head.

“No, not really.” she said easily, terminating the scrolling news. “There was a small announcement in there about the tragic drowning of the daughter of the Lauren concern while vacationing on Mars.” she said quietly. Gram watched her carefully, trying to figure out what she was thinking or feeling about that.

“Are you ok with that solution?” he asked her quietly, glancing around to make sure that their two helpers, Bon and his little sister Shie, weren't on the bridge at the moment. They weren't, being still engrossed with the chores that they had been assigned. Gram felt a spike of amusement at that thought. He and Vess would have gladly let them relax and enjoy themselves, but Bon - product of the depressed economy of Mars and the environment around him - had hotly demanded that he and Shie be allowed to work on the ship for their part of the expenses. Surprising Gram, he had even paid him back twice the twenty-five credits he had `lent' the young man to buy some medicine for Shie when she had been sick, never planning to collect.

“I am, Gram.” Vess's answer interrupted his mental sidetrack, bringing him back on target. “I made my choice when I jumped ship with Enora that day. Mars is my home, and here is where I want to be.” she said quietly, sliding a glance toward him. “You better not be having any doubts about us, Gram.” she warned him, her tone mock ominous. Gram grinned at her.

“Of course not, Vess.” he assured her. “You and I are a matched pair.” he grinned at her. Smiling back, she stretched.

“Damn right we are!” she echoed. “So, where are we heading, `Captain'?” she poked at him playfully. Gram tapped some keys and the display switched from outside view to a navigation screen.

“We've made it nearly two thirds of the way around Mars now,” he mused, seeing some city-ships marked on the maps, “but here is the tricky part, since the last third is hardly settled at all.” he noted. “I think the best bet is to plan a dog-leg like this,” he said, his projected course showing up on the screen, connecting three of the small city-ships together. “If we do that, we can not only see most of the sights, but also keep a safety margin for fuel and supplies.” he explained. Vess studied the prospective course.

“Not bad, I suppose.” she allowed. “I don't really see a way around it, since this ship doesn't have the range of the Ship of Aurora.”

“This hull design and the engines were optimized for speed, Vess.” defended Gram. “We're nearly twice as fast as the Aurora is, you know,” he noted. Vess smiled at him.

“Relax, Gram,” she giggled softly, “I wasn't making fun of your ship,” she paused, then corrected herself. “Of our ship, I should say.” Gram just shrugged.

“Hey, beggars can't be choosers, you know?” he retorted mildly. “This was the best equipment I could get, after all,” he reminded her. Vess licked her lips suggestively.

“You know your…equipment is just fine with me,” purred the blonde, trailing her fingertips over her cheek to her lips, then down her throat to caress her breast. Gram swallowed with some difficulty.

“You're pretty nicely outfitted yourself, Vess,” he replied, trying to get his suddenly-hard dick more comfortably situated. Before the girl could answer, the two were interrupted by another voice.

“Gram, are you groping Vess again?” came the voice of Shie from the hatch.

“Shie!” Bon chided his little sister. “What Gram and Vess do are none of your business!” Gram heard Shie huff. “Besides, he wasn't groping her; he was flirting with her,” clarified the younger man, a grin tugging at his lips.

“But, Bon, you said that Gram was groping Vess the other night!” pouted Shie. “Make up your mind, Bon!” she demanded. Bon slapped his hand over Shie's mouth, but it was too late. His face red, he peeked at Gram and Vess, both of whom had turned to stare at him.

“Um, sorry,” he apologized weakly, “but Shie wanted some water, and we happened past you two…”

Shie managed to pry her brother's hand off her mouth. “Bon said you were groping Vess, Gram.” she explained without embarrassment. “He stayed to watch while I got a glass of water, too,” recalled the girl. Bon debated strangling the girl, but knew he couldn't do it.

“Did he, now?” came Vess's ominously level voice. Bon began to edge toward the hatch.

“Hey, it wasn't like you two were trying to hide it, you know?” he argued his side. “Um, it looked like you two were having fun,” he added, lifting one foot over the low lip at the bottom of the hatch. “Besides, it's not like you should be ashamed of your body, Vess,” he said, distracted by moving his other foot to the other side of the hatchway. Realizing what he had just said and how the girl would take it, he sucked in a breath. “I gotta go…do something!” he blurted out, dashing off down the passageway.

“Great,” sighed Vess, looking over at Gram, “Bon turned into a peeping tom.” Gram shrugged.

“You know what it was like, growing up on Ardena, Vess,” he dismissed the topic. She sighed.

“Yes, I do,” she agreed, “it's just that I hoped that these two would turn out a bit better than that.” Behind the two comfortable chairs, Shie was listening to the two.

“Better than what, Vess?” she asked the older girl. Vess blinked, realizing that the young girl was still there, not having chased after Bon like she usually did.

“Nothing, Shie,” assured Vess, smiling at the girl encouragingly. “Just do me a favor, and next time something like that happens, ask me about it, rather than Bon. Ok?” she asked. Shie eagerly nodded.

“Sure, Vess!” she agreed instantly. Vestemona found her good cheer contagious.

“Tell you what, Shie,” said the girl, “why don't you go find that brother of yours and tell him that he needs to start preparing the vegetables for dinner tonight?”

“Ok, Vess!” chirped the girl, dashing down the passage toward the living quarters of the ship. On the bridge, Vess leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“This must be what being a parent is like,” she murmured. Looks like I am going to be having that talk with her sooner than I thought! Even so, she found that she didn't feel the slightest impulse to even tone down her relationship with Gram. I've come too far to care about little stuff like that now, she realized, happy with her current situation.

“Wonder what they are doing now?” came the thoughtful question from Gram. Vess turned her head to look at him.

“You mean the crew of the Aurora?” she clarified. Gram nodded.

“Yeah, but also your two friends from the Earth forces and Enora, too,” he clarified. Vess pursed her lips, bringing her display back up to her lap and re-starting the feed, swiftly sifting through it. As she did that, she shared what she knew of the situation of their friends.

“Last I heard from Enora, she was back on Earth, having been grounded by her grandfather for a while. She said she would try to come back to Mars when she could, but I get the feeling that it will be a while,” she said. Her last contact with the granddaughter of the President of Earth had been the day that she had finally been reunited with Gram after the young man had crushed the public execution of the crew of the Ship of Aurora with the help of her quasi-mentor, the dread pirate Kuberness. Six months with just me and those two, reflected the girl. Strange, but I never worried about him, since he promised me that he would come back to me. “As for Rosetta, she is now an officer in the Earth forces, stationed in Australia. I heard from her that Rich is currently in the command track, bound for a post in the high command. As for the crew of the Aurora, I haven't heard or seen them since we passed each other on the way out of Ardena's territory.”

“I know that they are somewhere, pirating and doing crazy things,” chuckled Gram. Vess shrugged.

“I image so,” she murmured. She didn't know the crew personally, since she had never actually made it aboard the ship. Still, from the way that Gram talked about them and the actions she had seen from them, she suspected that she would get along fine with them; once they got used to each other, anyway. “Hey, here's a news blip about some pirates,” she noted, Gram easily slipping off his chair and stepping over to her chair, leaning over her shoulder to read the screen.

“'Pirate vessel sacks Taklen city-ship, escapes pursuit.'” he read. “Certainly sounds like Captain Elizabeth's M.O.,” he noted. Something occurred to him. “Wait a minute, Vess,” he said, reaching past her shoulder to tap in some commands, creating a second screen next to the first. “Taklen is where we are bound now,” he frowned.

“How did they beat us here?” wondered Vess. “And more to the point, why Taklen? It's a fly spec in the blue reaches of Mars; nothing here worth the Aurora's time or effort,” she mused.

“You know, you're right,” agreed Gram. “And besides, they never took anything from civilians,” he recalled. The two looked at each other, frowning.

“Gram, what do you suppose is going on here?” wondered Vess.

“I don't know, Vess,” he replied, “but I intend…” his reply was cut short by the ship's alarm sounding.

“Unknown vessel closing in fast from port. Oder-print unknown. Ship has launched Round Buckler unit.” said the AI. Since it was a virtual clone of MAKI, the AI on the Ship of Aurora, there was precious little chance that it was wrong. Jerking herself up out of her chair, Vess glanced at the readout on the main display.

“NAMI, begin logging the units,” directed Gram. “Cross-reference it with all ships in your data base.”

“Already done. Partial match to several ships in library, however, there is no direct match.” replied the AI. Vess frowned.

“I'm going to the Flick,” she said intently, “just in case.” Her heavily-customized Buckler - a `gift' from Kuberness - was their sole remaining combat Buckler, since Gram's own Vector of Hope had been destroyed in battle.

“Be careful, Vess,” said Gram. Pausing, she kissed him.

“Of course, Gram,” smiled the girl before dashing off. Gram stepped forward to the main control of the ship, which - like the pirate vessel he had crewed on before salvaging this ship as his own - was a simple wheel, settling himself in place before telling his AI that he would be taking the controls. I wonder if this is what Elizabeth felt like all that time? he wondered. I wouldn't mind having Ester backing me up like Captain Elizabeth had, though with Vess being the only one checked out on the Flick, she isn't available, and Bon and Shie are not capable of handling this job yet, he frowned slightly. From below and behind him, he felt and heard a dull whoosh! as Vess launched in her Round Buckler. “Gram, I'm out and moving to intercept the unknown bogey,” came the voice of his girlfriend.

“I got you, Vess,” he replied immediately. “Remember that we have limited ammo to rearm, so let's see if we can avoid a fight with these jokers,” he suggested. Vess snorted.

“Fine by me, but if they don't listen to reason, then I'm going to send them to the bottom!” she retorted. Gram chuckled. Sometimes, I think Vess should have been a pirate, rather than me, he thought. He was by far the more laid-back of the pair, while Vess was at times nearly psychotic in her drive to finish what she started. Plenty of evidence of that in her pursuit of me, though the young man fondly.

His thoughts were interrupted by NAMI's voice. “Second RB unit launched from bogey zero one. Also detecting torpedo doors opening. Suggest evasion.”

“Vess, second Buckler out and torpedoes are about to be launched,” he said tightly.

“So much for negotiating,” barked the girl, her own Buckler going into attack posture. “I've got the two RBs, you worry about the torpedoes,” she said. Gram glanced at the display that NAMI brought up.

“Roger, Vess,” he said, grabbing the microphone for the ship-wide squawk box. “Bon, Shie, strap yourselves in! Things are about to get a little rough!” he warned his two passengers.

“What's going on, Gram?” came Bon's voice from behind him. Jerking his head around, Gram saw Bon standing just inside the hatchway to the bridge, one hand holding Shie's hand.

“Looks like we're under attack from someone, Bon,” answered Gram. “Strap Shie into Vess's chair, and then strap yourself into my chair. Hurry up!” he barked. Bon swiftly did as he was instructed. Shie looked back and fourth between Bon and Gram.

“Are we going to be ok?” she asked, worried. Gram gave her a reassuring smile.

“Of course we are, Shie,” he said soothingly. “Vess is out there in Flick, and I'm going to steer the ship, so we'll be fine!” Shie relaxed some at that.

“That's good!” she sighed. Just then, Vess reported contact.

“Gram, these things are not Mars Bucklers, but Earth-force style remote Bucklers!” she blurted, even as she crushed one flat. “In fact, if I didn't know better, I would say that they are H-type frames that have been modified,” she mused. “Gram! Torpedo spread fired! Evade!” she yelled tensely. Gram was already spinning the wheel as NAMI reported in.

“Twelve torpedoes locked on to us. Type of torpedo unknown, though there is a eighty seven percent chance that they are mark five Tau-class Earth Forces acoustic homing torpedoes,” the AI supplied. Gram frowned.

“Those are mighty strange things to run into out here in the frontier,” he muttered to himself. “NAMI, I need emergency power. We're going to porpoise the ship. When we come down, cut the engines and fire six pairs of decoys, three pairs each side.”

“Understood, Gram,” the AI confirmed. Instantly, Gram felt the ship leap forward as he pulled back on the wheel, the ship rising at a fifty five degree angle.

“Be right back, Vess!” he yelled, bracing himself as the ship hit full throttle. It's amazing how many things you can learn from a maniac like Captain Elizabeth, he reflected, recalling the escape from the ice channel. Fortunately, there was nothing but open water above him, and not ice, since this ship was not a ram ship like the Aurora.

“Surface in six seconds,” came the calm, steady voice of the AI. “Torpedoes closing to within four hundred meters,” she added.

“Here we go!” yelled Gram, smiling as the sleek form of his ship punched through the surface, the engines still roaring, water sliding off her hull. As the ship reached the azimuth of its climb, the engines went silent, and NAMI reported the acoustic decoys were ready. With a rattling impact, the ship dove back into the water, the torpedoes still in the air behind it, though their superior speed and slighter mass had resulted in them cresting too high, causing them to splash back into the water ahead of the ship. NAMI fired the decoys as the ship swiftly, but more importantly, silently, sank back down toward the Bucklers.

“Torpedoes have shifted lock to decoys,” noted NAMI. Seconds passed before the three of them heard muted booms! through the hull of their ship. “Torpedoes have detonated,” updated NAMI. It could have been Gram's imagination, but he was sure that the AI sounded smug about that fact.

“How is Vess doing?” he asked the AI.

“Vestemona's Buckler has destroyed both enemy RB units and is currently attacking the bogey,” came the answer. Gram nodded.

“Engines to full, prep the front tubes with mark three Betas and get a lock on that ship,” he directed. Keying the mic, he called out to Vess. “Vess, how are you doing?” he asked her.

“I'm doing fine, Gram, but something is wrong with this ship,” she gritted out.

“Worry about that later, Vess. I'm fixing to blast it with torpedoes,” he warned her. Vess grunted.

“Can we afford to waste torpedoes like that?” she wondered aloud. Gram's lips tightened.

“Torpedoes can be replaces, Vess,” he said quietly. “You can't be replaced. Come on back,” he added. He could practically see the grimace on Vess's face.

“Returning now, Gram,” she confirmed. In her cockpit, she glared at the enemy ship, which was looking very much the worse for wear after her attack runs. “Lucked out this time, bastards,” she whispered to the other ship as her swift, nimble Buckler shot back up to the diving Ship of Hope. She smiled every time that she thought of the name that she and Gram had decided on for their ship. “I'm clear, Gram,” she radioed back to him. “Blast the bastards!” she snarled.

From the nose of the ship, four torpedoes hissed out, unerringly tracking to the nearly-crippled ship and detonating. Vess remained outside her ship for a bit, to make sure that the four torpedoes had done the job. As the bubbles cleared, she saw the broken hull drifting toward the bottom. As she watched it sink, she frowned. “Gram, are you seeing what I'm seeing?” she wondered. Gram's voice came back to her.

“Yeah, Vess. What do you think it means?” he asked her. Vess shook her head.

“I don't know, Gram,” she admitted, “but it can't be good.” Gram made sure that NAMI was recording everything. As Vess docked the Flick and made her way back up to the bridge, Gram tried to recall where he had seen something like that before. I think it's time to see if I can get in touch with the Aurora again, he decided. Looking at the smaller display, he realized that it would have to wait.

“I think we better re-stock our provisions before we do anything else,” he noted. Vess glanced at the readouts.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Taklen?” she suggested. Gram nodded.

“Taklen,” he agreed, putting the ship on course.

-

“Captain Doolittle, sir! Reporting for duty!” yelled the cadet. Sighing, the portly Mars Self Defense officer turned to see the next batch of elite RB pilots that Earth had sent to `train and observe' under his command. Looking this bunch over, he debated if this group was better or worse than the first group. Well, the leader is almost as endowed as Rosetta was, he noticed, though unlike the sex-pot who had been in the trio with Vestemona before her, this one kept her uniform tightly buttoned, strapped and fastened.

Behind her, a pair of young men stood at ram-rod attention, saluting him. Certainly not a match for Vess, looks-wise, he mourned silently, slowly returning the salute. But at least they didn't send me some painfully-ugly Council member's kid, he tried to console himself. “If you keep yelling like that, you'll blow your voice,” said the older Captain, smiling at the girl. Her expression didn't change.

“Sir!” she yelled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Doolittle smothered a grimace. Great, he thought silently, spit-and-polish Elites without a bit of humor in them! Fortunately for him, he liked a challenge.

“Welcome to Mars, kids,” he said, covertly watching all three of their eyebrows twitch at his greeting. “Ever been here before?” he wondered. At least Vess had been born and raised on Mars, which made his work easier.

“Sir! First time off Earth, sir!” screamed the leader. Doolittle wanted a drink - and maybe some curvy companionship to go with it.

“Well, then, this will be quite a memorable posting for you three,” he replied urbanely. Why me?

“Sir! Request permission to inspect and calibrate our Round Bucklers, sir!” the leader yelled. Doolittle wondered if the Earth military taught the training recruits the same script before sending them here.

“Why not?” he shrugged. “This way,” he said, tossing his head. As the portly Mars officer casually walked along the corridor toward the launch area for Ardena's military base, the three cadets fell into parade-ground perfect lock-step behind him, the cadet sergeant leading the two cadet corporals. Remembering Rick's group, Doolittle grinned slightly as he wondered how this ram-rod-up-the-ass group would react to his little fun.

As they mounted up in a jeep to head down to the launch port the training group had been assigned, he started his little `welcoming game' off. “Yeah, I see that you have been issued H-class frames,” he said, absently flipping some pages on his clipboard. “Good equipment, but hard to find parts for here on Mars,” he noted. “Matter of fact, I haven't seen the sign-off sheet on the assembly of your units yet,” he threw his first curve ball.

“Sir! Units were shipped fully assembled with spare parts included, sir! Sea Horses have been cleared and the units loaded already, sir!” barked the trio's leader. Doolittle didn't react to that, but he was surprised at that bit of information that had somehow failed to make it to him. Outta the park on the first pitch! he thought, feeling a tickle in the back of his mind. Well, the game is just starting, my hot-shot friends, he vowed.

“Well, that's certainly better than last time,” he retorted calmly. “Did they include any support staff with the parts? I only ask because technicians with experience with the H-class frames are very, very hard to find here,” he threw pitch two.

“Sir! No problems, sir! We have all taken the armor's course on the H-class frames, sir! We can perform our own repair and maintenance, sir!” she screamed. Doolittle managed a yawn. Damn! Pitch two lands in the cheap seats! I'm beginning to smell a rat, he thought. If my curve and heater aren't doing it, I guess it's time for the old knuckleball.

“I see that you have been tasked a bit wider than the last group,” he mused aloud. “Seems like you are targeting all pirates, not just the Aurora; think that might be a bit much for cadets?” he baited them carefully. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl's eyes narrow slightly. Did that one do it? he wondered.

“Sir, no, sir! We are Elite, sir!” she trumpeted. “Earth Forces have learned from the last training group's experiences, sir, and we have had extra training to better facilitate our mission success, sir!”

“That's good to hear,” replied Doolittle, his tone bored. Foul or strike? he asked himself, unsure where the ball went. “Since you are all so eager, how about you take a perimeter patrol around Ardena to begin familiarizing yourself with your primary base?” he directed them.

“Sir, yes, sir!” yelled the leader of the three.

“Sir, we are honored, sir!” seconded one of the men, nearly deafening the Mars captain.

“Sir! We won't let you down, sir!” agreed the third. The electric vehicle stopped dockside. Looking over, Doolittle saw that, as he had been told, the sea horses were loaded with two H-class Round Bucklers each. Three sea horses this time, with a total contingent strength of six H-class units, he noted. That seals it - this game is fixed!

The girl in charge of the cadets vaulted out of the transport, yelling even before her boots hit the reddish-tinged deck. “Squad, fall in for mission briefing!” she screamed. The two men were only a half-second behind her. “Perimeter patrol, gents,” said the girl. “Combat patrol configuration, all three units. I'll lead, you two take wing position. Engage on sight any pirate vessel found. Orders are to capture if possible, but allow no pirate ship to escape! Understood?”

“Good to go!” screamed the two men.

“You've got two minutes to check your gear! Dismissed!” she yelled, spinning and firing off a salute to Doolittle. “With your leave, sir!” she roared, practically turning while speaking, ignoring the half-wave that Doolittle gave her as she ran to the lead sea horse and jumped in. Just over ninety seconds later, the three sea horses sank below the surface, moving out at full speed.

Thoughtfully, Doolittle waved to the driver, indicating that he was heading into town. As the military jeep moved back toward the gates to the expanded military base, he wondered what new problem he had just inherited. Man, I sure do miss Rosetta and Vess! he thought morosely.

-

In the master cabin aboard the Ship of Hope, Gram watched Vess get ready to head into town. The pair had discovered that sending Vess in first when reaching a city-ship was a wise precaution against him being recognized. After a couple of close calls, Vess had started to take Shie with her when going into a city-ship, the better to disguise herself and divert suspicion. Zipping up her one-piece body suit, she grabbed her vest and shrugged into it, patting the various pockets to make sure that her landing kit was in place. Reaching to the bedside table, she picked up her Earth Forces military-issue sidearm, checking to make sure that it was loaded before tucking it into the concealed holster in the back of her suit's waistband.

“Vess, I don't think that you should take Shie with you this time,” said Gram, stepping up behind his girlfriend and hugging her. Vess hummed softly, turning her head to kiss him.

“Why not?” she asked when she broke the kiss.

“Well, this city was just hit by pirates, so the place is pretty torn up, right?” he reasoned. “Also, these small city-ships on the frontier tend to be rough places. There was this one place - Liberty City - that we went to re-supply, back when I was on the Aurora, and that was where I ran into Kuberness for the first time,” he added. Vess considered that.

“You might be right,” she said, kissing him again. “Let me see what is going on before we make any more decisions,” she added. Gram nodded.

“Sure, Vess,” he agreed. “Keep in touch.”

“Of course,” smiled Vess, kissing him one more time before the pair moved out of the cabin. Vess and Gram moved toward the main hatch, which was connected to the dock facilities here, though the hatch was still locked. Unlocking the hatch, Vess stepped out, pausing to look around.

What she saw was not encouraging. The immediate dock area was pretty much wreckage. The small city ship only had four lanes, and aside from the one that they had docked at, two of the three held sunken SHIELD ships. Scanning the two ships, she saw that one was a standard supply and cargo type, and the second was a private yacht. The farther slip had a large part of it torn up by either torpedo fire or RB hits.

Turning to look toward the city proper, she saw smoke and more explosion marks. Did the fighting make it all the way into the city? she wondered. Nimbly debarking from her ship, she moved toward the warehouses that separated the docks from the city proper. Passing the warehouses, she saw numerous bullet holes in the pre-fab storage facilities. Infantry fighting? she asked herself. Looking down, she saw spent casings on the deck. Pausing to pick up a few, she looked at them. Earth issue, but not from any one source, she frowned. It seems like the kind of black market good that pirates would use, but it just doesn't feel like that.

Dropping the casings, she moved past the warehouses. Deciding that the townsfolk were probably fighting the fires she saw farther in, she quickened her pace as she made her way toward the center of the town. Building after building showed signs of fighting, and from the occasional red patches, she knew that at least some of the combatants had been killed or injured. Reaching the center of the town, she found the main administration building on fire. Not seeing anyone around, she eased her gun out and moved closer. Large red smears and lines on the ground told her that the injured or dead had been moved here from farther away, though why that would be done was beyond her.

Moving still closer, she saw that the fire was confined to the rear area of the building, where the controls for the city ship were located. In the main hallway, she came across a pile of bodies. All of them had been executed like cattle. Vess moved back out of the building, scanning the area around her as she went. Her instincts said that something was very wrong with this whole picture. But what is going on here is still not making any sense, she thought uneasily. “Better check the rest of town,” she decided.

Quickly moving past the center of town, she searched for survivors in the residential area. Not seeing any, she decided to try the environmental areas and green sections before going back to tell Gram that the city was dead. With the reassuring weight of her gun in her hand, she moved through the green sections - which were parks and open areas that were used to help maintain the atmosphere of a city ship - and found the environmental section. In city ships like this, the section was fairly small, and it didn't take Vess more than an hour to search it.

Emerging from the environmental section, she made her way back toward the dock area to tell Gram what she had found. As she walked, she found herself trying to make sense of the whole thing. That strange ship, this town being massacred, H-class frames…none of this is fitting together! she thought unhappily. Still, something was tickling the back of her mind.

“Vess!” came Gram's yelled voice as she passed the last of the homes and neared the warehouses. Blinking, the green-eyed girl saw Gram and Bon standing next to the warehouse. “What did you find, Vess?” asked Gram. Vess tucked her gun back into its holster.

“Nothing, Gram.” she said quietly. “This town is dead.” she said, aware that Bon was standing right next to Gram. Her boyfriend frowned.

“Dead, Vess?” he wondered. She looked him in the eyes.

“They're all dead, Gram.” she said. “City controls are destroyed, environmental is shut off, and I couldn't find a single survivor. What about you?” she asked him, killing the topic for the moment.

“Warehouses are nearly empty, but they have desiccate, food and some useful items in there,” he reported, hiking his thumb over his shoulder. “Do you think…?” he began. Vess nodded.

“Let's get what we need,” she said quietly. “No one here is going to need any of it,” she murmured. Quickly, Gram and Bon began to separate out what they needed and began to load it into their ship with the help of some power movers. Vess helped Shie stow the supplies aboard the ship. As they were loading the last third of the selected supplies, the entire city ship shook with a rumbling explosion. Instantly, Gram felt and heard the pressure begin to drop in the dock area, the water level exploding upward.

“Bon! Get aboard now!” he yelled, diving off his own lifter and sprinting for the hatch. Bon hesitated for a split second, and Gram yelled again. “Leave it!” he repeated himself. “Get aboard now! This ship is going down!” Bon wisely took his cue and pelted after Gram. That time that that old university ship sank on us turned out to be useful after all, thought Gram absently, recalling the day that he met Enora Taft for the first time.

With water already covering the swaying walkway, Gram grabbed Bon's shirt and literally threw him at the hatch, the small boy managing to land just short of it and dart inside. Throwing himself through the hatch, he slapped the emergency close button, sealing the ship. Hope Vess is already getting us out of here, he thought as he dashed through the next hatch, leaving the water that had flooded into the entry way to be drained to the bilge.

“Gram, we're under way right now!” came Vess's voice over the squawk box. “Hold on; this is going to be close!” she added, the ship tilting as he grabbed onto the handholds in the passageway. Gram knew that Vess would have to dive deep under the sinking ship to get out from under it, or the ship would be trapped under the wreckage of the city ship. Against the hull, he heard clanks and thuds as smaller bits of debris hit the hull. Holding his breath, he hoped that the ship wouldn't be nailed by a larger piece of debris.

“We have cleared the danger zone,” came NAMI's voice, causing Gram to release his held breath explosively. “Now trimming the ship's angle,” added the AI, the ship leveling out. Gram swiftly made his way to the bridge, finding Vess holding Shie in one arm, her other on the wheel. Bon was gripping the back of Gram's chair. “Gram? Are you uninjured?” wondered the AI.

“Yeah, I'm fine, NAMI.” he said, “Just a little wet,” he added. Vess set Shie down on the deck, releasing the helm, which re-stowed itself in the floor.

“Gram, you and Bon should get some dry clothes on,” she said. Shie nodded.

“You'll get sick if you don't, Gram!” she protested. Gram chuckled lightly at that.

“If you and Vess think I should, who am I to argue?” he asked rhetorically. “Let's get dried off and into some fresh clothes, Bon,” he said to the other man. Bon nodded, smothering a sneeze.

“Sounds good, Gram,” he agreed. “When we're done, we should get those supplies stowed,” he suggested. Gram nodded.

“That little move probably scattered them all over the place,” he agreed. “NAMI, how's the surface looking?” he asked the AI.

“My sensors show open water, calm conditions and no biological or mechanical targets within sensor range,” reported the AI.

“Excellent. Surface and run at one third toward the closest city ship,” he said, turning away from the bridge.

“Understood, Gram,” confirmed the AI. The ship's screens switching over to indicate autopilot. Following Gram and Bon, Vess and Shie moved down to the living quarters, Shie following her brother into their shared room, and Vess stepping into the master cabin with Gram.

“Do we have a plan, Gram?” she asked him, helping him strip off his pants. Gram considered that.

“Well, not exactly, Vess,” he confided in her. She nodded slightly.

“Yeah, as I thought.” she murmured, tossing the soaked pants into the laundry basket and reaching for his shirt. “Do you at least have some thoughts on this situation?” she pressed, one-handing his shirt toward the basket as she pulled him tight to herself with her other arm. Gram wrapped her up in his embrace, absently rubbing her back and sides with his hands.

“Actually, I was thinking that I should see if we can find the Ship of Aurora, Vess,” he shared. “Unless you want to take this to the military?” he asked. Vess shook her head.

“I don't think that would help us any, Gram,” she replied. “I sort of made a mess of things when I retrieved the Flick, after all.” She paused, then went on. “Besides, Rosetta and Rick are back on Earth by now, and Captain Doolittle is probably hoping he never has to see me again,” she chuckled at that last part. “I likely ruined his career,” she sighed.

“I don't know, Vess,” disagreed Gram, kissing her before resuming his thought. “From what you have said, he seems a sharp guy; people like him are hard to pin down.”

-

Anna Grace gritted her teeth as she read the terms of the new Earth - Mars treaty. “This is outrageous!” she screamed, tearing the hardcopy of the treaty in half. “How do they expect me to sell this to the citizens of Mars?! Have they any idea of how hard it is to keep my position here?” snarled the woman. Abbott, her personal assistant, tried to calm her down.

“I'm sure it is just a temporary thing, Miss Grace!” he tried to soothe her ruffled feathers. “After all, that incident with Poe and the escape of the pirate ship were sure to have some short-term ramifications, weren't they?” he asked her.

“A tax increase, increased garrison for troops and greater autonomy for the Earth Forces stationed here is hardly what I would call `short-term ramifications', Abbott!” she yelled at him. Groaning, she flopped back into her chair, her fingers massaging her temples. Well, at least it's some consolation that that golden mineral stuff is going to eventually bring life to the seas of Mars, but it doesn't help me any, short-term, she thought to herself. “Speaking of that pirate ship, have we heard anything from them since their `escape'?” Anna thought to ask.

Abbott checked his data pad. “Um, not exactly, but it seems that one of the frontier city-ships got hit by pirates.” Anna frowned.

“Frontier city-ships getting hit by pirates?” she wondered to herself. “What did they think they would take from those pitiful outposts? Food?” she scoffed. “If pirates want anything of use, they have to attack large city ships like Ardena,” pronounced the woman. “What was the damage?” she wondered. Probably some blown sectors and some buildings damaged, most likely, she bet herself.

Abbott was silent for a moment before he gasped softly. “This…this can't be right!” he murmured, staring at the pad. Anna looked up.

“What can't be right, Abbott?” asked the Mars Administrator.

“The outpost city-ship was…destroyed,” he breathed. Fingers flying, Anna brought up the details on her terminal.

“This makes no sense,” she mused, tapping in the commands that brought up the specs and relevant details on Taklen. Looking at the manifest of the city-ship, she couldn't see a single thing that pirates would be interested in, other than food. And honestly, there was more - and better - food to be had from the larger city-ships that were the normal prey of pirates. And why sink it? Accident? she asked herself. Yeah, there were reports that the Ship of Aurora had sunk that old, run-down university ship a while back, but honestly, that ship would have gone down on its own in a matter of months anyway, given the lack of maintenance it had received.

“Ma'am, you don't suppose…?” wondered Abbott aloud. Anna sent him an annoyed look.

“Don't be stupid, Abbott!” she snapped at him. “There is nothing there for any pirate vessel to bother with, let alone the Ship of Aurora. It wasn't them,” she pronounced. Say what you will, but that ship has never taken anything from civilians, she recalled. “Abbott, let's see if we can find out where the main pirate ships are, right now,” she directed.

“Including Kuberness?” asked the assistant. Anna scowled.

“Especially Kuberness,” she said sourly. As he started to make the calls, her terminal chirped, indicating an incoming transmission. Tapping the key to connect the call, she found herself looking at the senior-most Earth Forces officer.

“Administrator Grace,” he said, his tone vaguely condescending, “I am pleased to tell you that a patrol of Earth Forces cadets has found and sunk a pirate vessel on the edge of Ardena territory,” he said smugly. Anna managed a smile.

“Well, Admiral, that is certainly good news,” she lied. “When can we expect the prisoners to be ready for trial?” she wondered. The Admiral gave her a thin-lipped look.

“My apologies, Administrator, but they were all killed while attempting to escape our H-frames,” he said. “What little we recovered indicate that they had been watching this city for a specific target, but hadn't found it at the time that they were sunk. However, we also found wreckage that indicated that a Mars Defense Force patrol was sunk by them shortly before our patrol engaged them. My apologies once again, Administrator, for your losses.”

Anna held her bland expression. “Such touching concern from our good allies, the Earth Forces,” she managed. “I will be looking forward to the reports, Admiral.” No sooner had she closed the connection than she slammed her fist down on the desk. “Damn them! Damn those Earth Forces assholes!” she spat. “Gloating like that after finding some pirates near the ship…” abruptly, her anger vanished, a frown taking over her face. “Abbott, I'm going to speak with the head of our defense forces. Hold my calls until after I return,” she directed him, swiftly exiting her office.

“Miss Grace, wait!” called out her assistant, trying to catch up to her. Anna wasn't paying him any heed, though, her mind busy. A patrol gets sunk by pirates, who then wait around until the Earth Forces destroy them, and I don't hear one peep about it until that insufferable ass calls me? What the hell is going on here?!

-

“Enora Taft, report to the Principal's office,” came the announcement over the school's PA system. Blinking in surprise, the grand daughter of the president of Earth looked up at the speaker. It was lunch time, and she was eating with some of her friends. “Repeat, Enora Taft, you are to come to the Principal's office immediately. That is all,” the announcement ended.

“What did you do this time, Enora?” wondered one of her friends. The three girls sitting with her looked at her suspiciously.

“I can't think of anything,” mused the high school girl. Seeing the looks on her friend's faces, she waved her hands in front of her face. “Honestly, guys, I haven't done anything!” she protested.

“Then why are you being called to the Principal's office, huh, Enora?” questioned Janice.

“It might be about your obsession with Mars,” offered Kumi. “I mean, really, Enora! Every last school project you have done since you came back from that place has been weird!”

Enora frowned. “What do you mean, `weird', Kumi?” wondered the girl.

“Weird like this:” clarified Janice, taking a deep breath. “'When I was on Mars, I met a girl who was one hundred and forty one years old, rode around with a bunch of pirates and sank a city ship!'”

“Or maybe, `the pirates were looking for this ancient treasure of the aborigines, and when we finally found it, there was this big fight, and big brother had to save all his friends by single-handedly beating the Earth Forces and Mars Defense Force!' God, Enora, you're fixated on Mars!” agreed Kumi.

“Gram didn't beat them single-handedly,” replied Enora truculently. “Vess and that creepy pirate Kuberness helped him.”

“The point is that you haven't spoken - or probably thought! - about nearly anything else since you got back,” spoke up the third girl. Hsia rarely spoke at any length, but she loved to listen and analyze what was being said. Enora sighed.

“You don't have any idea what it is like on Mars,” she breathed under her breath, seeing the crew of the Aurora in her mind's eye. “None of you have ever even been off Earth!” she pointed out hotly.

“Why would we want to leave Earth for some uncouth frontier world, Enora?” wondered Janice. Standing up from where she had been sitting on the carefully maintained lawn, Enora dusted off her school uniform skirt.

“I feel sorry for you all,” she said quietly, giving the three a sad look. After experiencing something like that, Earth will never be enough for me ever again, she reflected, turning to head to the Principal's office. Behind her she heard her friends trying to talk to her, but her mind was already on other matters. While Janice and Kumi discussed her strange, unkind remark, Hsia thoughtfully watched the girl move toward the school.

Pausing outside the Principal's office, Enora made a quick check of her school uniform. Going to one of the most prestigious and elite private schools on the planet, her uniform was expected to be in perfect condition at all times. Skirt's fine, socks are straight, shoes are polished, no grass is sticking to my thighs, blouse is tucked in right, all the buttons are correctly fastened, my choker is laying flat, and my jacket is straight, she mentally tallied. I have short hair, so I don't have to worry about having it braided or otherwise bound, and my lip gloss isn't colored, so I should be fine! Taking a breath, she knocked on the door before opening it.

The door was not the one to the actual office, of course. It led to the ante room where the Principal's personal secretary worked. “The principal wanted to see me?” she addressed the secretary. Glancing up, the distant, cool expression on the woman's face didn't change.

“Go right in, Miss Taft,” said the woman, still typing on her terminal. Enora didn't care for the woman's cold demeanor, but ignored it, since she was doubtlessly going to be butting heads with the Principal yet again. Of all the students in the school, she was the only one that could argue with the Principal, thanks to her leverage. Being the grand daughter of the most powerful man in the solar system has its advantages, she thought fleetingly.

Knocking on the door to the inner office, she pushed it open a moment later. Sitting behind the huge, hand-carved desk (rumored to contain the souls of a thousand failed students) was the Principal. As always, he was sitting erect, half-glasses on, his hands clasped calmly on the desk before him. “You wanted to see me, sir?” asked Enora, stopping a few paces from his desk.

“Miss Taft. How nice of you to come see me,” he said, his tone indicating that was speaking meaningless formulas.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” asked Enora, cutting the usual tongue-dancing short. I wonder if I could get him to grow a beard, wear white gloves and play god? wondered a small part of her mind irreverently. Nah, he plays god too much as it is, she decided.

“Miss Taft,” said the man, “several of your teachers have expressed great concern about your fixation on Mars and your flights of fancy about the conditions there,” said the man. Enora's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Oh?” was all she said, her hands unconsciously balling into fists.

“Indeed,” the man confirmed. “The report that I was given when you returned mentioned that you were kidnapped and held by pirates for a substantial time. I am aware that you have developed a psychological attachment to them, as a coping mechanism for the trauma of what you doubtlessly saw. But, Miss Taft, this continued expression of Stockholm Syndrome is beginning to worry all the staff. I am recommending you for a leave of absence from the school for the purpose of therapy,” he informed her. Enora felt her lips curl back in a sneer.

“This is a `favor' for that Lauren jerk, isn't it?!” she accused angrily. Since she had seen the head of the Lauren group working with Niall Poe to take the God Stone from them, she had developed a near vendetta against him. Her talk with his ex-adopted daughter, Vestemona, hadn't helped his case as far as she was concerned. He and Niall had planned to let the crew of the Ship of Aurora hang just so they could take control of a treasure they hadn't earned - and neither had they understood it nor respected it.

“Miss Taft, groundless accusations should not be made so casually,” said the man sternly. Enora sniffed disdainfully.

“You didn't see what I saw,” she said. “I bet you haven't even been off Earth!” she challenged him. Unexpectedly, he smiled.

“In point of fact, Miss Taft,” he said smugly, “I served in the Earth Forces for five years, and during that time, I was stationed on Lagrange Base Alpha, Luna Station and Mars. So, yes, I have seen Mars,” he needled her.

“Really,” deadpanned Enora. “What did you do in the military? Shuffle papers? Shine some general's shoes?” she bit out. The principal's jaw tightened at her tone and words.

“I was a staff officer for intelligence, Miss Taft,” he said tightly. Enora suddenly saw Captain Elizabeth, standing at the wheel of her ship, telling her that only what one learns for themselves is of any use to them. The memories of her friends from Mars made her break out in a small smile.

“And I'll bet you were just a perfect tool, too!” she said to the principal. The man's eyes narrowed.

“I can make that leave of absence permanent, Miss Taft,” he threatened her. Enora's eyes narrowed as well.

“I'm sure that my grandpa would be very curious about the reasons behind that,” she reminded him. The man smiled at her thinly.

“With your record of inciting unrest and discipline lapses before your trip to Mars, there won't be much for him to find fault with, Miss Taft,” he riposted. Enora wasn't going to let that go by her.

“Since when is telling the truth `inciting unrest'?!” she threw back at him. “And my record is far from the worst one here!” she added. “Without my grandpa backing this place, you wouldn't have a job!”

“This school is not solely dependant on your grandfather's patronage, Miss Taft,” he said. “As it happens, recent donations from the family of an alumni who wishes to remain anonymous have put us in a more favorable position of late.”

“Lauren again,” came the cynical reply.

“That is a groundless accusation, Miss Taft,” cautioned the man. “Now, which is it to be?” he asked her. Enora was busy plotting, assessing and making plans.

“I'll take the leave of absence,” she said suddenly, spinning on her heel. “Later, old man,” she said over her shoulder.

-

The place was a dive, really. Not the kind of place that anyone of normal sanity would go. But for some people, this kind of place was just fine with them. In the bowels of the pirate stronghold know as Liberty City, there was a bar that - even in pirate circles - was known as a rough joint. That bar was the Drunken Viking. Given the clientele of the place, alcohol was not all it served.

You know, I think that this place breaks every regulatory law I have every heard of, though the young man as he sipped from his beer. Situated in a corner at the back of the room, at a booth that had the single light fixture broken so as to better conceal the table in darkness, the young man watched the main floor show in the center of the room. Three girls were energetically dancing and making out, all three totally naked. Naturally, they had started out with some clothing on, but even then, it had barely been the old `two sequins and a cork - placement optional' standard of clothing. Smirking, the young man raised his mug of suds to the trio, though he doubted that they could see him in the dark corner he occupied. Hell, even if they could, I doubt that they are looking at the audience, he amended the earlier thought, seeing the enthusiasm with which they were servicing each other.

Glancing past the trio of girls, he saw that a fight had broken out once more near the bar, with a couple of baboons from rival ships going at it with all the skill and finesse of a pair of brown bears doing ballet. Watching the fight with one eye and the girls with the other, he reflected on the advantages of having a skills test for potential crewmembers. Yeah, that was a better idea than I thought at first, he mused. When I get my own ship, I think I will follow my former captain's lead on that one, he decided. He absently noted that two of the bouncers were in the process of breaking up the brawl; along with the two combatants. A few heavy-handed thumps from a cudgel settled the two drunks down, and once they were pacified, the bouncers dragged them toward the door, where a generous helping of steel-toe boot to their asses would send them on their way.

“Another fine evening at the Viking,” smirked Yagami. Since the attempted execution of the crew and the sinking of the ship itself, Yagami had been cooling his heels here at Liberty City, debating what to do next. Stashed in a concealed dock was his RB unit, waiting for him to make up his mind. Originally, he had thought about crewing on another ship for a while, but had swiftly given that up; after crewing on the Ship of Aurora, none of the other ships held any appeal to him, being of significantly lower status and capability. “Gram had the right idea, after all,” he admitted. I need a ship of my own, to pursue my goal of Mars independence and freedom.

His attention was diverted by a couple of pirates talking loudly not too far from where he was sitting. Focusing on their conversation, he let the rest of the room fade into background noise. “I tell you, it just doesn't make any kind of sense for a pirate vessel to hit a frontier city ship,” said one. “But to sink it, too? Something just don't add up.”

“I hear that, but who else would have done it but a pirate?” countered the second man. “Hear any rumors about which ship it might have been?” he asked, glancing around.

“Nah, not really. The news is saying it was probably the Ship of Aurora, but then, they say that every time they get whipped good,” he grunted. “Besides,” he added introspectively, “never heard of Captain Elizabeth targeting civilians.”

“Well, she might be a bit pissed that none of us tried to save her,” pointed out the second man. “Maybe she thinks that the citizens needed a lesson?” At his table, Yagami's hands curled into fists. Captain Elizabeth would never do that, jackass! he thought angrily. Especially since Gram busted her out…

“Does anyone even know where the ship is, since it sailed off, leaving that bunch of goons jumping around like monkeys on a string?” wondered the first man. His companion shook his head.

“Laying low somewhere, if they know what's good for them,” he replied, signaling for another round. “Say, did you hear about the score that Ivory Web got last week?” he asked, leaving the topic of the Aurora behind. Yagami absently sipped some more beer.

It's not my problem any more, he told himself. Besides, Captain Elizabeth can take care of herself. And she is surrounded by the best crew on Mars. His mind recalled all too vividly how capable certain members of the crew were. Man, I never would have thought that Ester was in the Naval Witches' Special Forces! he thought, glad that he had survived the birthday surprise gone out of control. He, Aki, Junior and Poipoider had gotten their asses kicked by the first officer. Bare-handed and with nothing but a sheet on, she kicked our asses like it was nothing, he recalled, shaking his head slightly. Glad I never got her really mad at me!

“Mr. Arian?” Yagami's attention snapped back to the present, finding a thin man standing in front of his table. Yagami nodded.

“That's me,” he confirmed. The slim man slid into a chair, leaning closer to the bespectacled `Reaper'.

“I have located a source for those items you were interested in,” said the man quietly. “However, the kind of items you are interested in are not cheap,” continued the man. “My source insists on credits up front, and the items are not going to be available for long. Is this a problem?” he asked directly.

Yagami shook his head. “No, it is no problem,” he assured the man. “How soon can you arrange the deal?” pressed the RB ace. His guest considered that for a moment.

“Two days at the earliest, four at the latest,” he said a moment later. Yagami nodded, slipping a card of credits out of his pocket and sliding it to the man. When the man reached for the card, Yagami kept his finger on it, anchoring to the table.

“Just so you are perfectly clear on this,” said the young man coldly, “if you or your source double-cross me, nowhere on Mars will be safe. Understood?”

“I didn't get where I am by breaking deals, Arian,” was the curt reply. Yagami released the card. “Certainly not with the Reaper of the Ship of Aurora,” added the man, the card vanishing in his hand. Leaning back, he prepared to stand, but paused, giving Yagami an assessing look. “Can I ask you a non-business-related question, Mr. Arian?” asked the man. Yagami shrugged.

“Sure, but I can't promise an answer,” he replied.

“Did the Aurora really hit that city ship out on the frontier?” wondered the man. Yagami's eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

“No,” he said flatly.

Sensing the young man's anger, the thin man held up his hands in a calming manner. “Easy there, Arian! I was only asking,” he placated the pilot.

“You should know that the Aurora would never target civilians,” snapped Yagami. “Where did you hear such a transparent lie?” he wondered. The thin man leaned back in toward him.

“Believe it or not, from Earth Forces Senior Command,” he whispered. “They say that they have video of the attack, as well as several other raids by that ship and several others. In fact,” he went on, “they also had sunk three pirate ships in the last week alone, near Ardena, Calnia and Utopia,” the facilitator whispered. “Watch you ass out there, Arian - they are playing hardball ever since the Aurora made fools of them all.” Swiftly, the man vanished into the crowd in the bar. Up on stage, three new girls had taken over the platform and were already well into the heavy petting stage, though Yagami hardly noticed.

Three ships have been sunk? he wondered. It wasn't all that unheard of for a ship to be sunk, but three in one week was way over the norms. He hadn't heard anything on the news about it, though he was leery of anything the news reported, since it was censored by the Earth Forces for content. They should be running that fact all day, but instead, not one peep out of them, he analyzed. Why? What are they gaining from being silent? Also of interest is what ship or ships is doing all the damage out on the frontier?

Suddenly standing, he made his way out of the Drunken Viking, weaving past a new fight, avoiding a lap-dance and snaking past the doorman. He had a call to make and some questions to ask.

-

“How are we doing, NAMI?” asked Vess, sitting in her chair on the bridge. The AI was driving the ship, but she and Gram had informally decided that one or the other of them should be there whenever they could be, just in case.

“Gram and Bon are storing the last of the provisions, and Shie is coloring in the main hall. My systems are all green, and there are no mechanical or biological echoes within sensor range,” answered the AI of the ship. “Do you wish to adjust the current course, Vestemona?” wondered the AI. Gram and she shared captaincy of the ship, something that she was sure NAMI found funny. No matter how much Gram says she doesn't understand humor, I could swear she is grinning every time she says something like that! thought the woman.

“No, current course is fine, NAMI,” declined Vess. “When will we arrive at Frontier city ship?” she asked the AI.

“We should arrive in sixteen hours at current speed. Do you wish to increase our speed?” wondered the AI. Vess glanced at the readouts. Currently, they were submerged and running all ahead full. Their ship was fast, but all ahead full was their best cruising mode, and with the distance to the next city ship out here on the frontier, it was best to conserve fuel when possible. I think I will talk to Gram about refitting the engines on our ships to neo-pulse fusion engines, she idly thought. While sound and strong, the old engines in their shield ship were hardly suited to what they had been doing with her, and would likely keep doing with her.

“Our current speed is fine, NAMI,” said Vess, rising and stepping toward the hatch. “Alert us if anything comes close,” she said, giving the ship over to the AI.

“Understood, Vestemona,” confirmed the AI. “Please enjoy yourself,” added the AI. As the hatch to the bridge shut behind her, Vess grinned.

“Oh, I plan to, NAMI, I plan to,” she purred happily. The hatch shut behind her as she moved off the bridge and down the passage toward the living sections of the ship.

The Ship of Hope was smaller than the Ship of Aurora, being about two-thirds the size and displacement as the bigger ship. If the Aurora was a battleship - as Earth Forces classified it - then their ship was a fast cruiser, not quite as heavily armed, but a little faster in open water, lighter and smaller by about a third. Over all, Gram had said that the pirates who operated this ship before it became trapped in the drift ice graveyard had up-armored the hull so that their ship was only slightly less durable than the Aurora was; excepting the ram on the bow of the larger ship, of course.

With just four crew aboard, the ship was nearly empty, as far as the capacity to hold people. Originally, the ship had supported a crew of twelve, with a master cabin for the captain, a single cabin for the first officer, and small, two-bunk cabins aft of the dining hall and kitchen. As with all Mars submarine Shield ships, this one had a library, exercise room, laundry room and bathroom, as well as the necessary stores areas, weapons lockers and machinery access areas. Unique to this ship was the customized dock for Vess's Flick, which wasn't built like conventional RB units. Gram had taken the time to make it so the Buckler could be launched from the bottom, side or top of the wet-dock. The lesson that Kuberness had taught him when he pinned the Aurora down from above, thus locking their wireless Bucklers inside had been learned well by Gram.

Unlike the Aurora, they didn't have an army of ballz robots to do their work, though Gram managed to get his hands on a half-dozen of the workhorses. He had explained to Vess that without a `boss ballz', the six maintenance robots would have to be controlled by NAMI, instead of being an independent force aboard ship. The maverick young man had discussed some plans for getting a boss for the ballz, but so far, they hadn't had the leisure to do so, and NAMI was doing an admirable job of directing the little robots.

With so few of them crewing the ship, Gram and Vess had taken the captain's cabin for themselves, and Bon and Shie had taken the first officer's cabin, just down the passage from the captain's cabin. Vess smiled to herself as she thought about the fact that it was under the floor of the captain's cabin that she and Gram had found the treasure of the last captain of the ship. Only Gram and I know about that little hide-away, she thought. So far, they hadn't done anything with it, leaving it as a bare room, but in their idle moments, they had discussed different things to do with it. To date, they had not settled on a choice, but they had time.

Moving past the dining hall, she paused to check on Shie in the main hall. The young girl, having grown up being on her own for long periods as Bon worked to feed them and keep them housed, had become good at minding herself. She was an excellent colorist, tended to minor housekeeping tasks, and acted like an information center for where the others were and what they were doing. Vess had come to know her and Bon a lot better in the six months she waited for Gram to come back to her after the aborted attempt by the Earth Forces to execute the ship and crew of the Aurora. Even though she and Gram had looked after them together before she had been adopted by the head of the Lauren Company, she had been away for years, and the two had changed a lot in that time.

It was like meeting them again for the first time, she thought as she patted Shie's blonde head before moving back toward the secondary stores hold. It was where Bon and Gram had been slaving away, stowing the stores that they had hastily salvaged from Taklen before it sank - almost on them. Approaching the double-width hatchway, she poked her head into the hold. “Hey, guys, how's it going?” she asked. Gram and Bon were working their way around the room, checking the now-neatly stowed supplies, occasionally tugging on netting lines, checking latches, and otherwise testing the job they had just done.

“We just finished, Vess,” said Bon, grinning at her. “Great job, huh?” he asked her cockily. Vess smiled at him.

“Yeah, good job,” she agreed. “What did we get out of that stop, Gram?” she asked him. He glanced around the room.

“Some food, some desiccate, some mechanical parts, and some clothing that Bon and Shie can use,” he said. “What we didn't get was fuel and information,” he reminded her quietly. He and Vess didn't discuss everything with Bon and Shie, and one of the things that they didn't share was the puzzle of why the city ship had been rendered morbid. No pirate group would waste that kind of effort on a frontier city ship, and even if there were a ship out there stupid and inept enough to do something like that, they would be too stupid to avoid capture. Add to that the strange ship that they had sunk, and both of them smelled a rat, but had no idea how the pieces fit together.

“Well, we're sixteen hours out from Morgan Drift city-ship,” she said, looking at the two sweaty guys. “You two need to shower and get cleaned up, though,” she noted, her nose wrinkling slightly. Gram grinned at her.

“Just what I was thinking, Vess,” he said. Bon looked down at his own clothes.

“You're probably right, Vess,” he seconded. “I'm gonna grab some fresh clothes and hit the showers,” he proclaimed. Vess and Gram glanced at each other.

“So, we'll see you for supper, Bon,” said the girl, stepping aside so the short young man could pass. Together, she and Gram moved to the master cabin. During the re-fit that Gram had done, he had put in a small but comfortable shower in their cabin. Usually, Vess and he used the main shower room, but sometimes, circumstances didn't allow that, so they used their private shower. The main shower room was pretty basic, though it did have a nice soaking tub in it.

It was a quirk of the way that they had grown up that none of the four had any real problem with common bathing. With resources and money being so tight in the city-ships of Mars, only the tourists and wealthy businessmen could afford to waste a warm bath on just one person. In the poor sections of Undertown - where Gram, Vess, Bon and Shie had grown up - the warm bath where one could soak in the warm water was often a joint undertaking.

With her access to most of her military pay that she had saved gone because she had been listed as KIA, Vess had been forced back to her old habits, though Anna was glad to give her a job in her shop. She had managed to get a fair percent of her saved-up money through a clandestine visit to the Mars Defense Force base, where she had managed to get into the Earth Forces network and shuffle some of her pay to a local account. She hadn't gotten it all out, and the system had caught her before she could disconnect, so she wouldn't be able to get back in that way.

Still, she had managed enough to support herself, Bon and Shie while she waited for Gram to come back. She had made it a point to budget in an actual bath for them at least once every ten days. Since the funds just weren't there for three baths, she had shared with Bon and Shie, fondly recalling the times that she and Gram had done the same thing. Thinking of Gram had always made her horny, and even now, as the two of them entered the captain's cabin, she could feel her nipples tenting her shirt and her pussy beginning to get warm and tingly.

Hearing the door shut behind them, Gram turned to look at his girlfriend, and immediately noticed her hard nipples standing out proudly from under her shirt. She's horny again, he thought, his lips twitching into a smile. Vess caught his smile and leered back at him. Pulling her shirt off, she dropped it into the small basket at the foot of their bed before wiggling out of her shipboard pants and panties. Naked, she stepped over to the shower and started it up, adjusting the temperature to her liking.

With her attention on the shower, she was caught off guard by Gram when he silently stepped up behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. Against her firm ass, she could feel his hard length throbbing. Smiling happily, she tilted her head back to kiss him. “Want to share a shower, Gram River?” she invited him, her tone low and rough with her lust. Against her back, she felt him hum.

“I would rather have you, Vess,” he whispered in her ear before kissing her directly behind her earlobe. In his arms, he felt her shiver at his kiss.

“It's a package offer, Gram,” she whispered, eyes closed as her whole body felt like it had been filled with lightening. Gram didn't answer in words, but his roving lips told her his answer. Together, the two stepped into the shower, the simple curtain closing behind them as they got situated.

Even if the shower had been big enough for a platoon, the two would still have gotten as close as they practically could. Face to face, Vess and Gram leisurely made out and ran their hands over each other's bodies. Unhurriedly, they began to progress to the next stage, Gram skillfully massaging Vess's firm breasts as he nuzzled her neck, Vess teasingly caressing his hard member with her fingertips. Eventually, as Vess's hands began to stroke his dick in earnest, he moved a hand down to touch Vess's neatly-trimmed patch of dark blonde pubic hair and leaking pussy.

Unsurprised to find her sex drooling in anticipation, Gram delicately spread her nether lips and eased a finger into her passage, earning a moan from his lover as she spread her legs more to give him better access. Stroking her passage, he used his thumb on her clit, which was engorged and fully exposed from under its protective sheath. Vess trembled in his arms. “Gram,” she whined, her hands squeezing his hard shaft.

Accepting her wishes, Gram turned her so her back was against the wall of the small shower, his hand easily moving from her sex to the back of her knee, hooking her leg up and aside, Vess secure against the wall and in his arms as he opened her nest up to him, her hands eagerly guiding his tip to her entrance. Kissing her lips as he settled her leg into a comfortable position, Gram pushed forward into her, her pussy stretching tight around his dick as he firmly pushed into her. It took him three strokes to bury himself in her to the hilt, but after that, her significant lubrication made it all slick and easy.

With his shaft now in her, Vess was free to move her hands and arm, and did so, looping her arms around his shoulders and neck, reveling in the feeling of him filling her sensitive depths with his tool. Oh, god! I never want him to stop! thought the girl happily. Absently, her right hand brushed against the tiny ridge between her bicep and tricep muscles on her left upper arm. Let's see, I think it's good for another five years…or was it three? she wondered in a tiny part of her mind.

Pushing that thought aside, she relaxed her mind and let her body ride the building wave of pleasure radiating out from her groin. Gram was passionately kissing her, his tongue deep in her mouth as he began to thrust into her harder and faster. Panting, Vess tapped his shoulder, indicating that she wanted to increase the dept of his penetration by switching positions. Gram shifted his feet impatiently and slid his free arm down to snag her other knees, lifting it until it was even with her other knee, then bracing his palms on the wall, Vess how supported by her knees over his arms, her body weight driving him deep into her spread sex, his tip butting into her cervix each thrust.

“Ugh!” she grunted, loving the electrical arcs that shot through her each time his tip pushed hard against the entrance to her womb. Just a little more, she thought with what little mental ability she had just then. In her hyper-sensitive sheath, she could feel the throbbing of his dick, and knew that he was nearly there as well. “Yes!” she hissed, feeling Gram pushed against her hard, pinning her to the wall like a bug on a display board. His first spurt of semen triggered her own orgasm, the girl crying out inarticulately in pleasure as jet after jet followed the first.

“Vess!” cried out Gram as the last of his load forced itself into her stuffed passage. Gradually, the two relaxed, Vess's legs slowly dropping back down to the floor, though her arms didn't leave his neck. Experience had taught the two that for several minutes, she wouldn't be able to support herself or balance well. For his part, Gram caught his breath, still resting against the wall of the shower, inhaling Vess's intoxicating scent.

As the minutes passed, Vess recovered and regretfully let his soft member slip free of her full pussy, a small glob of mixed cum dropping from her before her inner muscles instinctively clamped down tight, trapping the rest of his load in her sex. The couple shared some soft, leisurely kisses as they finished recovering. With their libidos taken care of for the moment, the two turned back into the spray from the shower head and began to scrub themselves clean, taking liberal advantages of the situation to touch each other. Glancing at the clock, Gram realized that he and Vess had been in the shower for nearly three quarters of an hour.

“Guess we should go get some supper,” said Vess, seeing his glance at the clock. Reading it herself, she smirked. Not bad, for a quickie… thought the girl, turning off the water and reaching out to take a towel. Gram accepted the towel from her and quickly dried off as Vess did the same. Past experience had taught them that if they dried each other off, they would likely end up in bed instead of the galley.

Hanging the towel up to dry, the pair grabbed some fresh clothes for themselves and dressed, Gram taking a moment to admire the slim but curvy woman as she stepped into a pair of panties, settling them before pulling on a fresh pair of the thin pants she favored on board ship and reaching for one of the tops she habitually wore. She could feel him watching her, and it made her both feel warm in her belly and put some extra effort into the act of dressing to make herself as provocative as she could without being blatantly obvious about it. It was nearly a disappointment to reach for her vest, since it meant that Gram's attention would turn to getting dressed himself.

Peeking over at him, she saw that he was trying to get himself settled comfortably in his boxers, though he was having some difficulty because of his semi-erect dick. Licking her lips, she forced herself not to step over to him and caress his dick. Time for that later tonight, she promised herself. As Gram finally finished dressing, Vess waited patiently for him. Together, the two exited the cabin, moving aft to the mess hall. As they moved down the corridor, Vess's hand slipped into Gram's. The two were still holding hands when they reached the clean, bright dining area.

“Well!” called Bon, grinning at the two like an idiot, “There you are; we were getting worried about you,” he teased them. Vess's lips twitched, but she made no reply. Gram ignored the younger man's teasing.

“So, you had time to complete supper then, did you?” he replied instead. Bon blinked.

“Um, almost, Gram,” he replied, his fun killed. Vess moved over to see what was on the menu for that evening. Chops, buns, beans and potatoes were what they were having, apparently. Mentally shrugging, she moved back to sit with Shie, who had settled next to Gram. Facing her lover across the plain table, she found herself wishing that it was Gram cooking that evening; while Bon was as good as any of the military cooks she had experienced, she greatly preferred to eat Gram's cooking.

Glancing at the small girl, Vess saw that she had on some of the clothes that they had salvaged from the destroyed city-ship. The top was loose on her, but fitted her well enough. The skirt, however, was a different matter. “Shie, we need to get those fitted to you a bit better,” said the wheat-blonde girl, smiling at the lighter-blonde girl. “After we eat, let's get them sewn up, ok?” she added. Shie giggled and nodded.

“Sure, Vess!” she chirped. While both Vess and Gram could repair clothes and fit them, neither was likely to be mistaken for a seamstress or a tailor. One of the many, many things that Vess had been teaching the two younger orphans was basic skills like that. Bon announced that dinner was ready, and the four fell to eating the simple, but filling, meal.

As they finished up and tended to the dishes, the four of them talked of minor things, Gram and Vess careful not to let the subject of the mystery of the erased city-ship come up. Vess asked Shie of she had had a bath yet, and she said that she had taken one with Bon while she and Gram had taken a shower together. Shie had started to say something about that bath, but Bon had hurriedly hushed his little sister and changed the topic. Before long, the four of them were in the great room, as they called the main recreation lounge. Vess had Shie fetch the basic sewing kit and the two of them set up shop on the rug in the center of the room, while Gram and Bon settled onto the couch, discussing possible upgrades to the ship.

Vess quickly shortened the length and waist of the skirt, discovering as she did that that Shie would need some things at the next city-ship they docked at. When the skirt was taken up, the older girl moved on to the top, putting in some stitches to make it fit a bit more snugly on the girl's thin frame. Before long, the group was preparing for bed. After getting Bon and Shie bedded down, Vess and Gram moved toward their cabin. Once they were in bed, holding each other tight, they quietly began to try and figure out what was going on in the seas of Mars.

-

Deep in the Mars Defense Force base's labyrinth of barracks, posts, depots, hangars, maintenance and staging areas, a small group of people unobtrusively stepped behind an empty supply depot, scanning the area quickly before splitting up. One of them took up positions at either end of the building, watching the approaches to their position, while the third knelt and un-slung a medium-small pack from her back.

Opening the pack, she swiftly set out her gear before opening the panel that fed power to the currently-empty storage facility. With efficient economy, the woman found the right set of wires, attaching parasitic taps on some of the wires, and threading in I/O taps on others. Checking her work, she picked up another of the small units she had in her bag, clipping it to the back of the first, and cramming it all behind the access panel for the warehouse. After meticulously re-securing the panel cover, she fished around in her bag for a moment before withdrawing a small PDA.

Powering up the PDA, she swiftly entered a short message. A moment later, she nodded to herself, closing the PDA and standing. Brushing off some rust and dust from her Earth Forces field uniform, she tossed her head, the man at the far corner of the warehouse jogging over to join her as she made her way to where the third member of the group was still watching the area. When the other two paused just behind him, he scanned the area one more time before giving the others a silent nod. Together, the trio emerged from their hiding spot and moved back toward the barracks.