Mars Daybreak Fan Fiction ❯ Haunting Past ❯ Chapter 2

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 2

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“Hello?” Enora picked up the call on her personal communication device. She hadn't paused to do more than grab some travel clothes when she left the principal's office. In fact, if her friend Hsia hadn't happened by, none of her friends would have known that she was departing the school. As it was, Enora had barely said more than `see you around, Hsia,' before she slung her small bag over her shoulder and nearly jogged down the hall toward the entrance to the dorm.

From the main gated entrance to the school, she had called for a ride to the near-by aero-port, paying for it thought her all-in-one communication device. She had formally had a classic phone/camera/PDA device. After her adventure on Mars, she had re-thought her accessories, and begged a top-of-the-line PCD from her grandpa. Now, no matter where she went, she could take and make calls, send and receive emails, video messages and picture or text messages, buy and sell online or at the counter, keep her journal, send or track navigational beacons, as well as organizing her life.

She had worked her way though the manual - which was bigger than most of her textbooks - and had swiftly mastered the complex device. With everything she needed now in one easy-to-use package, she felt that she was prepared to take advantage of any opportunity to return to Mars. Until her PCD had chirped at her, signaling the incoming call. Tapping the cover of the device twice, she had picked up the call.

“Enora, what are you doing, young lady?” came the measured voice of her grandpa, George Taft, President of Earth. Enora winced.

“What do you mean, Papa?” she asked, trying for innocent. Hadn't thought he'd find out this fast, she mentally groused.

“You know full well what I mean, Enora,” said the man sternly. “I just received the unpleasant surprise of finding out at a fund-raiser that my grand daughter had been put on leave of absence from her school,” he explained dryly. “While I can't say that I am overly surprised, it was not the kind of thing that I wanted to hear from the head of the Lauren Group.” Enora's eyes narrowed.

“That jerk again?!” she snapped, mostly to herself.

“Mister Lauren is likely to be my primary opponent in next year's elections, Enora,” cautioned her grandpa. “He has been gaining ground lately with big spending through his company on social and economic programs here on Earth and his platform is Mars-Earth cooperation - which puts him in a strong position on my weakest poll area,” continued her father's father. “As such, Enora, his choice to confront me at a social function about your sudden leave of absence is not helping me any.”

Enora felt a touch of guilt in her heart at his words. Her grandpa was her closest family member - even closer to her than her parents, and she hated to cause him undue problems. I messed up, she admitted to herself before speaking. “I'm sorry, papa,” she said softly. “I should have called you as soon as I left the principal's office. I didn't, and it caused you problems. I messed up, and I'm sorry,” she said honestly. On the other end of the connection, she heard her grandfather sigh.

“Well, I'd be hard put to say that it wasn't something that I couldn't handle, Enora,” he admitted. “Besides, my political career is not your responsibility. I shouldn't have lectured you like that,” apologized the old man. Enora felt a lot better.

“I guess we both messed up, then,” she said easily. “Um, are you going to be able to fend off that jackal?” she worried. George Taft chuckled.

“Oh, I have some mud of my own to throw, Enora,” he assured her. “I just don't like getting ambushed by that man,” he said, his tone smooth and casual as it usually was when he was annoyed with someone. For a moment, neither spoke. Then, the President of Earth got to the real point of the call. “Enora, are you ok, honey?” he asked her.

“I'm fine, papa!” she promised him. “And you should know, I suspect that if you check the current financial backers of my school, you will find that Lauren has been spending heavily there, as well,” she shared. I knew I smelled a rat! she mentally exalted.

“I see,” murmured George, doubtlessly making notes. “Where are you right now, sweetie?” he thought to ask. Enora hesitated just a moment.

“I'm on a SB heading for Australia. We'll be landing in about twenty minutes,” she replied. “Why ask?” she wondered.

“Kangaroo watching?” teased her grandpa. Enora giggled softly.

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “I was actually looking for someone I met a while back.”

“In Australia?” wondered George. Faintly, she heard some muted whispers and the soft clicking of keys. Enora knew what was happening then. I know I promised him I wouldn't go back to Mars without telling him, but I might have to break that promise, she mentally warned herself. “Anyone I know?” hinted the grandfather. Enora bit her lip.

“No, papa,” she said, silently gesturing an apology to her beloved grandfather, “just a girl I met on the shuttle back from Mars,” she white-lied. “We made a sort-of date to take a vacation on the beach down here, so I thought - since I have the time all of the sudden - I would come see her, maybe lay out on the beach for a couple of weeks.”

“Does this girl have a name, Enora?” asked the President firmly. Enora crossed her fingers.

“Her name is Ester, papa,” she said, hoping that he wouldn't make the connection between her substitute of the name of Vess's friend for the name of the first officer of the Aurora. “Oh, they just turned on the descent warning light, so we're gonna lose our connection,” she said hurriedly. “Love you, and I'll call you soon!” she said, ending the call just as the PA announced that they were making their re-entry into the atmosphere. Due to the interference of their hull blanketing the frequencies commonly used for communication, they would lose calls for about a two minute window as the ship plunged back into the atmosphere. Leaning back in her first-class seat, Enora checked her belts to make sure that she was secured before slipping her data-linked visor in place and bringing up the reports she had searched out on troop posting.

-

The Ship of Hope docked at the small facilities at the Morgan Drift city-ship, and the gangway was run out to meet the primary hatch. Inside the ship, Vess checked her one-piece outfit and vest a final time before finding herself being kissed once again by Gram. Humming softly, she broke the kiss. “Gram, if you keep doing that, we'll never get those supplies,” she said teasingly to him. Gram gave her an uncharacteristic serious look.

“Be extra careful, Vess,” he warned her again. “This city-ship is closest to Taklen and they are likely to be suspicious.”

“Even so, Gram, we didn't do anything to Taklen, so we don't have anything to hide,” argued the girl. “Shie and I will be fine!” she assured him. Behind the two, Bon and Shie came jogging up.

“Ready, Vess!” burbled Shie excitedly. Bon sighed, looking at his kid sister.

“Shie, you have to do exactly what Vess tells you to, remember?” he stressed to the young girl. “We don't know what kind of reception we will get here, so be a good girl and listen to Vess.” Shie pouted.

“I always listen to Vess, Bon,” she argued petulantly. “It's you who doesn't listen to Vess!” she accused him. Bon face-faulted, seeing Vess give him a narrow look.

“It…it's not like that, Vess!” he protested. Vess just grunted.

“Come on, Shie,” she said regally, “let's do some shopping.” Together, the two girl opened the hatch and moved across the slip-stop gangway to the dock. As they moved across it, Vess held Shie's hand with one hand, and kept the other on the railing. Looking around, she saw some people standing back from the dock, watching the two closely.

Reaching the dock, she let go of Shie's hand and the two moved toward the hatch that led from the dock area to the city proper. As they neared the dock area, Vess saw that the expressions of the half-dozen or so men were suspicious and distrustful. Well, the next-closest city ship was just sunk, she allowed silently. Beside her, Shie was moving closer to her, subconsciously picking up on the mood around the men. Casually, Vess shrugged her shoulders, easing her vest a bit wider to allow for a faster draw of her gun if necessary; it also accented her chest, which was modestly displayed by the partially-lowered zipper of her suit.

When the two girls were barely ten feet from the hatch, the men moved, blocking the hatch. Vess stopped, giving the men a questioning look and a half-smile. “Can I help you boys?” she asked them casually.

“We've just got a few questions for you girls,” said the fore-most man. Vess raised an eyebrow and waited for him to ask his questions. After several moments of silence, she prodded them.

“Aren't you going to ask me the questions?” she asked. The men exchanged looks before the front man spoke again.

“Yeah, we are,” he said tensely. “What ship is that?” he asked, jutting his chin toward the moored ship they had disembarked from.

“That's our ship, SHIELD ship hull number A5307, named the Ship of Hope. It is registered with Mars Defense Force base Ardena,” supplied Vess easily. It was both true and false; the ship was a SHIELD ship, but the original hull number was not the same as the one it was registered under. If they had a way to check, her story would check out.

“Ship of Hope, you say?” grunted one of the men, pulling up an old-style data pad and poking at it for a bit. Meanwhile, the front man went on.

“Where are you from?” he asked the girl. Vess deliberately misunderstood the question.

“We're from Ardena,” she said. “We took some time off to sail around Mars to see the sights,” she went on.

“Been to any other city-ships near by?” asked the lead man. Vess shook her head.

“No, not really,” she said slowly, thoughtfully. “We had planned to put in at Taklen for fuel, but it wasn't there. Is something wrong?” she asked, coloring her voice with concern and curiosity. The men traded looks.

“Well, let's talk about that, miss,” said the front man. “You'll need to come with us,” he said. Vess's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Why is that?” she asked directly. The front man stiffed at the change in Vess's tone.

“Look miss, I'm the law here in Morgan Drift,” he said flatly. “We've got a report that a pirate ship has been killing off frontier city-ships, and in case it slipped your notice, this is a frontier city-ship.” He gave her a hard look. “And we're not exactly what you'd call a center of trade hereabouts, you get me?”

“With such a charming reception, I'm not surprised,” replied Vess flatly. “We came here for fuel, not for some wanna-be gumshoe routine. If, however, you would rather not have us spend our credits here, we can go elsewhere,” she warned him. The local sheriff glanced at two of the other men.

“If you agree to stay with one of my men, I think I can let you get done what you need done,” allowed the sheriff. Vess considered it.

“Fine,” she said crisply. “Where is your fuel station manager?” she asked, getting right to business. One of the men in the pack stepped forward.

“That would be, miss,” he said. “What kind of fuel does your ship run on?” he asked her. Vess swiftly gave him the specs for the two fuel types they needed and instructed him on how to properly charge the fuel cells. With that taken care of, she turned to the sheriff.

“We need some food and some clothing,” she said evenly. “Which one of your charming rogues are our watchdogs?” she asked directly. The sheriff jerked his head toward a smaller man who had stayed at the back of the group. “Gribon, you're up,” the sheriff. Without glancing at the man, Vess easily swung Shie up onto her shoulders and marched toward the hatch to the city, deliberately lengthening her stride so the shorter man had to nearly run to keep up with her.

Watching the two girls swiftly move off, the sheriff turned to look at the silent ship. “Anything?” he asked one of his deputies. The man shook his head.

“Hatch is locked,” he said quietly. “And for whatever reason, the ship's computer is refusing all outside commands, too,” he added. “What are you thinking, sheriff?” he asked.

“I don't see any way that it could be two girls who did it, and this ship doesn't look like it has fought a city-ship, but still…” he chewed his lip. “Anything from the Mars Defense Force yet?” he asked the man who had been fiddling with the outdated portable terminal. The man shook his head.

“Not yet,” he said. “But they should have some sort of satellite imagery of that area, since the bird is right over us,” he grumbled. The sheriff chewed his lip some more.

“Just in case, keep an eye on them,” he said at last. “And post a guard on the ship, too. In case they get loose in there,” he added, turning toward the hatch to the city part of the ship.

On the bridge of the ship, NAMI had been relaying the video and audio feeds from the exterior sensors to Gram and Bon. Gram didn't like what he had heard. Beside him, Bon wasn't happy about it either. “What are we gonna do, Gram?” he asked his long-time friend and mentor.

“Not much we can do right now, Bon,” said the young man. “Vess and Shie are fine for the moment, anyway, and since we didn't sink Taklen, we should have nothing to be worried about,” he tried to assure the younger man. “NAMI, what is the status of our defensive armaments?” he wondered.

“Currently, we have twenty six point four percent of our missile compliment remaining, and twelve percent of our torpedoes. Assorted smaller munitions are available, but of limited use in this environment,” supplied the AI. Gram thought about it carefully.

“NAMI, unload one of the aft torpedo tubes, and be prepared to open the outer doors and cycle the tube,” directed Gram. “Also, prepare the Flick for launch, but keep the launch bay locked until you have orders from myself or Vess to unlock it,” he continued. “Do you have a lock on the locators that Vess and Shie have on them?” asked the young man.

“Yes, Gram, I do,” confirmed the AI. “Telemetry signal is strong and steady,” she assured him.

“Good,” murmured Gram. I don't know why, but this is making me nervous, he thought uneasily. Taking seats in the two command chairs, Gram and Bon silently watched the dock area, both worried about the girls.

-

“Why, mister Poe, did I catch you at a bad time?” came the falsely-concerned voice of Anna Grace. Blinking, the `leader' of the Mars Independence Front tried to figure out how the every-annoying Mars Administrator had managed to get into his communications line.

“Of course not, administrator Grace,” he replied - just as falsely. “I was just wondering what you were up to not a moment ago,” he lied. The two of them were oil and water at the best of times, and since the God's Stone fiasco, his star had been clouded, while her star had grown a bit brighter. So, at the moment, the two were especially incompatible. “What can I do for you, administrator Grace?” he asked urbanely.

Anna clenched her jaw. “How about dying, mister Poe?” she gritted out. The man never lost his smile, though a muscle in his cheek developed a tic.

“After you, administrator Grace,” he returned. Annoying shrew!!

“Oh, I insist - you first!” rejoined Anna. Bastard!! The two of them shared a forced, fake laugh. Eventually, though, they had to get to business before they lost themselves in their mutual hate. “Tell me, mister Poe,” said Anna tightly, “have you been sacrificing your pirate ships again?” she asked sweetly. The man considered that, trying to figure out where she was going with the question.

“Pirate ships?” he asked innocently. “I do not have dealings with pirates, my dear Administrator,” he denied. “What could you possibly be suggesting with such a question?”

“You mean you were lying about your `good Ship of Aurora' back on the liner?” challenged Anna. Poe kept his mask in place.

“I can't recall any such remarks, Administrator,” he deflected.

“I'll bet,” came the sardonic reply. “But I was referring to the pirate vessels that have been sunk in the last few weeks, in point of fact,” said the administrator. Poe was quiet for a few moments.

“Yes,” he said slowly, “It would seem that the Earth Forces program is having some note-worthy success,” he conceded carefully. “How…fortunate for us,” he tentatively offered. Anna stiffly nodded.

“Why, yes, how…fortunate,” she concurred. “With the pirates being steadily sunk, our reliance on Earth Forces should be greatly reduced, is it not so?” she pressed.

“Indeed,” agreed Poe. “In fact, with those dreadful pirates dealt with, we could even disband our Mars Defense Force and just let the reduced garrison of Earth Forces…protect…us.”

“I'm so glad we understand each other, mister Poe,” said Anna tightly. Niall Poe stiffly nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “Perhaps we should…consider the implications of this agreement independently?” he wondered. Anna considered that.

“Perhaps that would be best for now,” she agreed.

“Well then, I wish you a pleasant evening, Administrator Grace,” said the man, killing the connection. Leaning back in his chair, he considered what Anna had and had not said. Well, I think that my assessment that Lauren is not ready to cut his losses is correct after all, he mused.

With the way that the agreement between him and the earth magnate had played out, he was left with very little to work with. The ship that he had planned to sacrifice - crew and all - for Mars independence had managed to fight free of their execution, becoming a loose end and a confirmed enemy. His most trusted lieutenant, `Grim Reaper' Yagami had up and quit on him, vanishing into the oceans with his RB unit, having told the man that he would no longer be part of Poe's plan. The gambit with the young man who held the keys to his dreams had failed miserably, and since Captain Elizabeth had managed to survive, he had suffered a lot of lost influence in the pirate community; it seems that the pirates viewed what he had done as a breach of their `code'.

“Well, I built it once, I can do it again,” he said resolutely. Now, the question is what can I use to build my dreams again?

-

“Thank you for flying United Semi Ballistic Lines, and have a good day!” came the rote parting call from the flight attendants as Enora swiftly exited the sleek SB shuttle. Pack slung over her shoulder, she skipped baggage claim, skated through departure with a single swipe of her PCD, and stepped through the doors of the aero-space port in New Sydney.

Spur of the moment choices like this one made her appreciate her experiences on Mars even more. Since that trip, she had learned to live fast and lean in terms of what she had to have to travel. Everything she needed was in one pack, and all her communication, monetary and data needs were met by her PCD, so with only two items, she was ready to roll. Slipping her data glasses on, she tapped the sensor on the front temple, activating the wireless linkup to her PCD. “Hotel. Single occupancy. Pool and salon. Four star or higher. Six kilometers or less from EDF base Winholm. Immediate availability.” she said softly, hailing a taxi as the data was gathered and displayed on the lenses of the data glasses. She could see through the display, much like the ancient HUD that was used in fighter planes.

Seeing a taxi stop in front of her, she tossed her bag into the back seat and stepped into the cab. “Donnagers Hotel, please,” said the girl, selecting the most appealing-looking result from her search parameters and making her reservation. The cab pulled away and merged into the traffic pattern. Clearing the results of her first search, Enora stored the confirmation number of her reservation and formatted another search.

“Personnel Division. Earth Defense Force. Australian theater. Winholm Base. Search parameters: Rosette. Wildcard first/last, all branches. Go,” she said, watching the scenery roll by. A moment later, the results popped up. Enora frowned.

“Narrow results. Female soldiers only. Off-planet training tabbed jackets only. Age range sixteen to twenty two only. Refine,” she said. Four seconds later, the results were up. Enora was more satisfied with the refined search results. “Display photos on results,” directed the girl. The one she wanted was the third result.

“Select. Current address, please,” said the girl. Hope she isn't on base, the grand daughter thought idly. She could get onto the base, of course, but it would make it harder on her. Seeing the address pop up, Enora smiled. “Lucky!” she murmured. “Save and map, starting main entrance Donnagers Hotel,” ordered the girl. Immediately, her PCD obeyed. “Save. Exit. Phone. Dial papa line one,” she said.

By the time that she hung up with her grandfather, she was walking in the doors to the hotel. At the desk, she had claimed her keycode and rode up to her room. Her PCD unlocked the door for her and she surveyed her room. This'll do, she nodded silently. Tossing her bag to the huge bed, she stripped off her travel clothes, grabbed her PCD and moved to the bathroom for a well-deserved shower. Setting her PCD on the vanity, she tapped the display screen on the wall, activating it. Barely a second later, it had connected to her PCD and was ready.

“Email, vid mail, voice mail, please,” said the girl, starting the shower. The display came up. “Audio interface on,” said Enora, ducking under to wash her hair.

“You have eleven new email messages, Enora,” said the synthetic voice of her PCD. “Zero new from friends, family and contacts,” expanded the device. Enora frowned.

“Delete all,” ordered the girl, lathering up her hair. “Vid mail,” she selected.

“One new vid mail. Sender unknown, Enora,” came the report. Enora's heart skipped a beat.

“Origin?” she whispered hopefully.

“Protocol codes indicate origin as Mars,” said the device dispassionately. Hurriedly rinsing the shampoo out and washing the suds off her face, Enora wiped her eyes and turned to look at the screen.

“Play vid mail!” she demanded.

“Playing message,” complied the device, the screen going blank for a millisecond as the message was downloaded and played.

“Enora, I am sending you this message from Morgan Drift city-ship. I don't know when you might get this, but when you do, I need to ask a favor of you,” said Vess, the girl's face wearing a bothered expression. “I need to know if you have heard anything about city-ships being destroyed on Mars. Nothing is being said here; at least, officially. Gram and I ran into…something that bothers us. If you can find out anything, please try to contact us again at the same routing address as last time. Well, I have to go now - things are going on. Take care, Enora,” the video vanished.

“Message ends,” reported the PCD, waiting for her instructions. Enora was silent, but the device was patient. Making a decision, Enora spoke up.

“Encrypt and save message, local storage,” she commanded. “Retrieve Rosetta file. Phone book. Phone number, email, vid mail or voice mail number for same. Execute,” said Enora, seizing the body wash and hastily scrubbing herself clean. Forgoing her planned soak in the hot tub, she snatched a towel up and impatiently began to dry off.

“Phone number, email and vid mail found. Select?” asked the device. Enora was working on drying her hair.

“Select all. Duplicate message: Hi, my name is Enora Taft. I met a mutual friend on Mars, Vestemona Lauren. I would like to talk to you about her. When would be a good time for you? End message. Send,” she called out, throwing the towel over her shoulder and moving to the bed, where her pack was. Rooting in the tightly-packed main compartment, she pulled out a fresh pair of panties and a moment later, a pair of shorts dropped to the bed. Rooting some more, she tugged out a short-sleeve top, thin and light colored.

As she was zipping up the shorts, her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten yet. Smiling to herself, she amended her plans. “Dinner next, I see,” she murmured, reaching for her shirt. Tugging it on, she loaded up her pockets with her necessities and hit the door. Pausing just outside the main entrance to the hotel, she looked around. It's a nice day, she realized, having been distracted until now. If I have to wait to contact Rosetta, I could hang out at the beach or sample the local dishes, the girl decided. Thoughts of food, of course, brought her mind back to her `big brother', Gram River.

Before she knew it, she was sitting at an outdoor table at a small diner, working her way though an impressive sandwich and steadily draining a cup of soda. Beside the disappearing sandwich was a small dish with a battered and fried onion as well as a pyramid of fish sticks, complete with tartar sauce. Enora happily filled her stomach.

Once the sandwich was gone - along with half the onion - Enora settled back, slowly munching on fish sticks and onion sections as her mind turned back to what had been on her mind since her first trip to Mars: Gram, the Ship of Aurora and her crew, and Vess. Thoughtfully, she tapped her PCD and created a new search string. What could they have gotten mixed up in this time? worried the girl, not seeing anything in the news that really described what Vess seemed to be worried about. I have to go back to Mars, she once more decided.

-

“Vess! Vess!” called Shie, waving to the older girl as the pair moved through the small, basic town section of the small frontier city-ship. The girls had been looking for supplies and sundries for about an hour. With the critical items already secured and sent back to the ship, all that was left was some non-essential items. Like some new underwear for Shie and Bon, she smiled, seeing that Shie had found a clothing shop of the type that she was looking for. Telling Shie what they were looking for had animated the energetic girl like a double espresso coffee.

“Ok, Shie, I'm here,” chuckled Vess, smiling fondly at the girl. Shie grabbed her hand, tugging her into the shop.

“Hurry, Vess!” the young girl begged. Vess let Shie set the pace, subtly guiding the girl toward the right area of the shop. Arriving at their destination, Shie's eyes grew big, taking in the numerous colors and designs. Absently, Vess wondered what the girl would think about some of the lingerie shops in the upper decks of Ardena or on Earth, where the panty section alone was as big as this city-ship's clothing store.

“Wow! Look at all the colors, Vess!” breathed the girl, giggling happily. Vess surveyed the modest selection, seeing a good core selection.

“Yeah, I see them, Shie,” agreed the girl. Shie was looking at the panties, eyes wide.

“Which ones should I get, Vess?” she wondered. Vess patted her head.

“Don't worry, Shie,” she assured the girl, “I'll help you pick out your new clothes,” she promised. Shie smiled at her.

“And I'll help you pick out yours, Vess!” she responded. Laughing, Vess ruffled Shie's head.

“Sure, Shie,” she replied. Reaching over to the narrow table that held the plain cotton panties, she began to look for some that might fit Shie. Swiftly flipping through them, she found some sturdy ones that should be a good fit for the girl. “Shie, what colors do you like?” she asked, indicating the five or so different colors in the right size.

“Blue!” she said immediately. Vess nodded, pulling out the two blue pairs.

“Just blue?” asked Vess. Shie considered the choices.

“Green, too!” she decided. Vess selected a pair of the green ones.

“Any other colors?” pressed Vess, knowing that there would be.

“Red!” giggled Shie. Dutifully, Vess selected a pair of red panties.

“How about white?” she asked. Shie shook her head. “No? Why not, Shie?” wondered Vess.

“White isn't a color, Vess!” instructed the girl, shocked that Vess didn't know the difference between white and a color. Caught off guard, Vess blinked before bursting out laughing.

“You got me there, Shie,” laughed Vess. “But what say we get some anyway?” she suggested. Shie, laughing as well, nodded.

“Ok, Vess!” she chirped. With a half-dozen pairs in her hands, Vess figured that they had enough for Shie for the next while. Glancing at the pairs in her size, she found herself imagining how Gram would react to the different cuts and colors.

Back when she had been the daughter of the head of the Lauren Group, she had had a very comprehensive wardrobe - including underwear. Not that growing up as an orphan on Mars and running with Gram had made her prone to being a clothes rack, but she had discovered that she liked looking for outfits. And since she could afford to indulge that little pass-time, she had. I think that that is what I miss the most about those years: the clothes, she mused, absently adding a pair of panties for herself to the small stack she had for Shie. A pair of lace-trimmed, high-hipped panties in cool grey caught her eye.

“Hmm. Not bad,” she murmured, shaking the small article of clothing out and perusing it. One-handed, she refolded it and added it to the stack. I think that Gram will like those, and they should work well with my ship-board clothes and for when I'm piloting the Flick, she excused the purchase.

“Vess, what are these?” came Shie's voice, interrupting her train of thought. Glancing at the smaller blonde, she saw Shie staring at some bras. Vess blinked, realizing that she hadn't worn one since returning to Mars, with it's lighter gravity. The uniforms always gave me - hell, even Rosetta! - plenty of support in the lighter gravity, and I didn't even know that there was such a thing until I reached Earth! she recalled, feeling a small twinge of nostalgia. “Vess?” came Shie's voice.

Blinking back her memories, she smiled at Shie. “Those are bras, Shie,” she said, “but you won't need to worry about those for a while,” she said. If ever, added the older girl silently. Shie shrugged.

“Ok, Vess!” she happily dismissed the topic.

“Well, let's get back to the ship, Shie,” said Vess, moving to the small sales counter and setting down the selection of clothing. As the woman rang it up, Vess pulled out her credits and waited, seeing their `escort' standing by the door, looking bored. Hearing the sales woman give her the total, Vess dropped the credits on the counter, told the woman to keep the extra, and handed the small bag to Shie. “Hold on to this for me, Shie,” directed Vess. Shie carefully got a secure grip on the bag.

Together, the two exited the shop, the deputy falling into step with them. “Where are you do off to now?” asked the man.

“We're headed back to the ship,” said Vess absently. Looking ahead, she saw a small group of men standing in front of a building with the sign for the Sheriff on it. “You can call it a day; we're going to get some rest,” she said to the man. He just grunted.

As the two girls drew closer to the group of men, Vess got this tickly sensation in her spine. Why do I have this feeling that something is wrong? she wondered. The Sheriff saw them approaching and stepped forward to meet them, the other men drifting out to block the street. Vess stopped. “Help you, sheriff?” she asked distantly.

“You said you were out of Ardena?” he asked. Vess nodded.

“Our ship is registered there,” she confirmed. The Sheriff nodded to himself.

“Well, I guess that the Mars Defense Force should be able to verify your registry, then,” he said, almost to himself. “We're going to have to detain you until they can send a patrol out here. Please understand,” he said. Vess's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Detain us? On what grounds?” she asked coldly. The sheriff tossed his head toward one of the other men.

“Gorbon there got some sat footage of your ship running on the surface near where Taklan was sunk, barely five minutes after it went down,” said the man. “Seems to me that your ship might just know a lot more about it than you're letting on.”

“We already told you, we were going to put in at Taklan for supplies, but it was already sunk when we got there,” repeated Vess.

Once more, the Sheriff nodded. “So you did, miss,” he agreed. “But if it is as you say, then you have nothing to worry about, do you?” he all but accused. Vess stared at him.

“Other than being detained for no reason, you mean?” she counter-accused. Shie was looking back and forth between the two, her eyes showing she was getting scared.

“Vess?” she said softly. Hearing that tone, Vess turned and knelt next to Shie.

“It's ok, Shie,” said the older woman, not looking at the sheriff, “the sheriff is just throwing his weight around like an ignorant ass,” she said, hugging Shie. Intellectually, she knew that antagonizing the man wasn't the best thing to do, but she disliked his attitude, and after seeing what had happened to Taklan, she was edgy and on guard.

“You can wait for the Mars Defense Force in the station, miss, or you can wait for the Mars Defense Force in a cell,” barked the man. Vess patted Shie's head reassuringly.

“And when is the MDF going to be here?” she wondered.

“They had already sent out a patrol when the reports about Taklen came in, so they should be here tomorrow or the day after, at the latest,” said the Sheriff. Vess nodded curtly.

“That's fine,” said the woman. Not good, she thought. I was listed as KIA as an Earth Forces Elite, and since the attempted execution, I have been listed as drowned by Lauren. When the Mars Defense Force patrol gets here, they will find out that I am a match for a twice-dead girl - not to mention that our ship is a converted pirate ship!

Following the Sheriff into the station, Vess realized that this was what was commonly called `a fork in the road' for her and Gram and their two young friends.

-

“I could have sworn that I packed it,” muttered Enora, checking her bag once more. It was barely daybreak in New Sydney, and she hadn't heard back from Rosetta yet. She decided to give it one more day before just showing up unannounced at the other woman's address. Hearing the weather report, she had decided to go to the beach and lay out for a bit; maybe do some correspondence or try another search for news of city-ships sinking on Mars.

To that ends, she had showered and gone looking for her bathing suit, but couldn't find it. She had been sure that her red bikini had been in her bag, but after emptying it completely, she had to admit that it wasn't there. “Damn it; that was the one I had on Mars, too!” she complained to no one. Giving up, she grabbed a fresh pair of panties, a short skirt, and a top and quickly dressed, tucking her PCD into her pocket and putting her data glasses on her head. Working her feet into her sandals, she exited the hotel, leaving a note for the maid to take care of her laundry.

“Guess it won't hurt to buy a new one,” she smiled to herself, stepping quickly down the street. A half-hour later, she was in a shop that sold nothing but beach wear, looking at the rack upon rack upon rack of bikinis. She already had a one-piece suit in hand, but she preferred bikinis for sunning herself, so she wanted to get a good one. Humming to herself, she was working her way through all the suits that she thought would fit her, looking for the right suit.

Preoccupied with her search, she flinched when her hand met the hand of another woman when they both reached for the same suit. “Oh! Pardon me!” said Enora automatically, though she still grabbed the suit's hanger.

“Hey! I was reaching for that one!” came the protest from the other woman. Enora turned to grin at the other girl.

“But I took it off the rack first,” she began, only to realize that she had seen the woman before. Well, her picture, anyway, she corrected herself. “Excuse me, but are you by chance named Rosetta?” she asked the other woman.

“How did you know that?” wondered the woman, blinking at Enora.

“Are you in the Earth Defense Forces? And did you go on a mission to Mars to hunt pirates not too long ago?” pressed Enora. Rosetta's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Yes, I am and I did, but who are you and why do you care?” demanded the woman. Enora gave her a small head-bow.

“Sorry! I'm Enora Taft,” she introduced herself. “Didn't you get any of my messages?” she wondered. Rosetta shook her head.

“I'm on furlough right now, so I don't check my messages,” said the woman. “Too many ex-boyfriends bothering me,” she smiled. Enora managed a smile in return.

“Um, yeah, that's too bad,” she commiserated. “Actually, I was trying to reach you to talk with you about one of your friends from that mission,” admitted Enora. Rosetta frowned.

“You can't mean Rich, right?” she said skeptically. “I mean, I know he's a loser, but you look way to young to be involved with him…” began the other woman. Enora gritted her jaw.

“I don't know anyone named `Rich',” she said tightly. “Sorry,” she added insincerely. Rosetta shrugged.

“Well, he was the only one who came back, so I guess we don't have much to talk about, Enora,” said the soldier carelessly. Enora frowned.

“I'm talking about Ve…!” she began, only to find Rosetta's hand over her mouth.

“Oh, honestly, I think this suit suits you much better than that one,” said the woman casually, all but thrusting a bikini at the younger girl. “Don't you agree?” she said softly, making eye contact with Enora. For a moment, Enora wondered what she was saying, but finally figured it out.

“Ah, yeah, I think you're right,” said the younger girl, trading suits with the taller, more developed woman. “This isn't my best color anyway,” she said as Rosetta took the suit.

“How about we see how they look on us?” suggested Rosetta, grabbing Enora's hand and tugging her toward the changing rooms. Once they were in the curtained-off booths, Rosetta leaned over and whispered to Enora. “We need to go somewhere less conspicuous.”

Nodding, Enora stepped into the booth next to Rosetta, swiftly stripping and putting on the suit. She found that it fit her pretty good, and while not the most flattering cut she had ever worn, it wasn't half bad. Wonder if Gram would like it? she wondered, looking at herself in the mirror.

“Oh, it's perfect!” gushed Rosetta. Flinching, Enora turned to see Rosetta's head poked through the curtain to her changing room. “How does this one look?” she asked, sweeping aside the curtain and posing for Enora. Looking at the other woman, Enora found herself jealous.

“It looks…perfect,” she managed. The suit was probably a size or two too small in the cup, and maybe a half-size too small below, but it looked sinfully sexy on the stacked woman. Rosetta smiled happily.

“Yes, it does, doesn't it?” she purred. “How about you and I go to the beach and show off our suits?” she suggested a little louder than necessary. Enora swallowed back a rude comment and nodded.

“Sure, sounds like fun,” she agreed. “I was going to go there today anyway,” she added, reaching back and unclipping her top in preparation to change back into her clothes. Rosetta touched her shoulder.

“Let's just wear them out,” she said quietly. Enora nodded, stepping into her short skirt and tucking her panties into her skirt pocket. Rosetta ducked back into her stall and moments later, she re-emerged, the sundress that she had been wearing haphazardly clinging to her.

Ten minutes later, Enora and Rosetta were lying on chaise chairs just above the tide line, two of several hundred women and men on the beach. After a few minutes of silence, Enora spoke quietly. “Why out here?” she asked Rosetta.

“Vess is not a popular topic in certain sectors, Enora,” replied Rosetta, uncharacteristically somber. “Even less so now than before,” she added introspectively. “So, when the grand daughter of the President shows up out of the blue, wanting to talk to me about Vess, I find it suspicious,” said the soldier.

“I hadn't thought about that,” admitted Enora. Too much like Vess and Gram, I suppose, she realized, smiling at the thought.

“So, is she really dead?” asked Rosetta quietly. Enora frowned.

“Who? Vess? Of course not!” she denied hotly. “I got a vid message from her two days ago, in fact,” she confided. Rosetta sighed.

“I had hoped she was ok, but it's good to know she is alive and well,” said a relieved soldier. “Is she with that Gram guy that she was chasing high and low all over Mars?” wondered Rosetta. Enora giggled.

“Yes, she's with `big brother', all right!” confirmed the girl, feeling a stab of jealousy. Her smile faded. “But, well, I think something is going on on Mars lately,” admitted Enora. Pulling out her PCD, she murmured her commands, then handed it to Rosetta. “Take a look at the vid message she sent me,” she said. Rosetta watched the message play through, frowning as she did so. Handing the personal communication device back to the younger girl, Rosetta contemplated the message.

“It makes a certain amount of sense, Enora,” she said at last. “For the last few months, there has been a lot of unit re-assignment and shifting of posts going on in the special forces and units of command. Rich sent me an email about a shake-up at High Command, and now Vess is wondering if there has been any news of city-ships being sunk,” her tone was thoughtful.

“You know, Enora, there is a lot of media censorship going on in regards to Mars right now,” shared Rosetta. “With the elections gearing up, it's like someone doesn't want any attention paid to Mars, which is odd, considering that the number of troops and RBs being shuffled there has been slowly increasing ever since that incident with the Ship of Aurora.”

Enora frowned. “Why are they increasing their troop commitment, but censoring the news here on Earth? Do you think that there is something going on up there?” she worried. Rosetta sighed.

“When Rich and I were on the taskforce to capture the pirate ship - after Vess went rogue - we saw a lot of things that didn't make a bit of sense. Did you know that the Ship of Aurora was captured by special forces from Earth, not by the Mars Defense Force?” she asked. Enora grimaced.

“I know that, Rosetta,” she said sourly. “I was aboard the ship when it was captured, remember?” she reminded the older woman.

“Sorry,” chuckled Rosetta, “It's easy to forget that you were mixed up in that,” she apologized. Her mood turned somber. “But it didn't really hit me until that day that something was wrong with the way that things are done on Mars. Captain Doolittle knew it, though. He said that Rich and I should advance through the ranks to do something about it. Since that day, I have been doing that; as has Rich.”

Silence fell for a while before Enora spoke again. “Rosetta, you said that there was a lot of shuffling of forces and equipment going on,” said the younger woman. “What kind of shuffling, exactly?”

-

“A SHIELD ship is approaching Morgan Drift city-ship. Profile suggests a Mars Defense Force ship. Patrol ship class,” noted NAMI. Gram twitched, opening his eyes. He had dozed off in his chair, apparently, while waiting for Vess and Shie to return from the city ship. Sucking in a deep breath, he glanced over at Vess's chair, finding it empty.

“NAMI, where is Bon?” he asked her, standing.

“Bon is stowing the supplies that were left by the hatch, Gram,” replied the AI of the ship. Gram frowned.

“He went outside?” wondered Gram. NAMI almost seemed to sense his unease.

“My monitors detected no one within dangerous proximity to us, and we need the supplies,” NAMI answered him. “Bon suggested that he would be a better choice, since seeing a kid would help dispel any suspicions the authorities might have,”

“I see,” dismissed Gram. Not like there is anything to be done about it now; and besides, Bon's not the one with his face on a poster, he reasoned.

“And Vess?” he wondered.

“Still in the city,” came the answer. “She and Shie have not moved more than a few meters in the last sixteen hours,” added the AI. “Telemetry is still reading clear and strong,” she assured her captain.

“Where is the SHIELD ship now, NAMI?” he asked. The displays went from dock monitoring to a display of the course of the SHIELD ship closing in on Morgan Drift city-ship.

“Currently, the ship is making a circular approach to the city ship. Estimated time to arrival, four hours, eleven minutes,” supplied the AI. Gram watched the projected course on the screen.

“Why are they taking such a round-about course?” he murmured to himself, forgetting that NAMI was listening to him.

“Unknown,” came the immediate reply. “Oder print is consistent with Mars Defense Force ship, but I am detecting some irregularities in the sonar image from the city-ship's auto-beacons.”

“Irregularities? Like what?” wondered the former pirate.

“The mass of their returns do not match the patrol-class ships of either Mars Defense Force, or Earth Forces ships. Furthermore, the acoustic echoes are inconsistent with the machinery of known ships of the line,” mused the AI.

That seems familiar, but from where…? wondered Gram. “NAMI, cross-reference the new track with the ones we made of the unknown ship that sank Taklen,” directed the young man. “Any matches?” he wondered.

“Analysis complete. Profiles match sixty one point seven percent,” reported the AI a moment later. Gram considered that.

Barely half? Could be coincident, he reasoned. “NAMI, I want you to keep close watch on that SHIELD ship. Also, prepare a full spread of decoys and keep the engines at low-ready; we might have to move fast,” he muttered to himself.

“Understood, Gram,” confirmed the AI.

“I'm going to go check on Bon. If anything changes, call me immediately, NAMI,” he said as he departed the bridge. On the bridge, the main display went to stand-by mode.

“Of course, Gram.”

-

In the Sheriff's office, Vess was hiding her concern fairly well. Each hour that passed increased her unease, though. Currently, Shie was sleeping, her head on Vess's lap. The two had passed the time as best as they could, but there wasn't much to do in a jail cell - even if the door wasn't locked. Still, beats being thrown in the brig, mused Vess, managing a smile. Absently, she stroked Shie's hair.

It wasn't that she didn't have any options. Her Earth Forces handgun was still tucked into the concealed holster under her vest, and her pockets had some useful things in them, but using those options would mean choosing a path she wasn't sure she wanted to walk. I worked so hard to get Gram to give up being a pirate, and now, here we are, right back at the same fork in the road, she thought, a little resentfully. It wasn't her fault or Gram's, but it still pushed her buttons.

Of course, it's not like I haven't walked that path before, she recalled, slightly guiltily. Her weeks running with Kuberness had been highly educational, but it was still running with pirates. In her case, though, she had no left-over strings, since she was listed as KIA by the Earth Forces, and Kuberness had never made any kind of comment about her running with him. Gram, however, was still gracing the wanted posters from the Ship of Aurora, albeit with an almost insultingly small reward posted. One hundred credits, she thought, smirking, you can almost buy a meal in Upper City for that…

Outside the cell and down the hall, she heard the `guard' change. Well, well! Sheriff is back in town, she thought sourly, feeling Shie shift a little. Easing the girl's head off her lap, Vess stood up, pausing to make sure that the small pillow was tucked under the girl's head before she moved out of the cell and toward the front of the station. Reaching the corner of the short hallway, she paused, hearing the sheriff talking quietly with someone. Straining her ears, she tried to make out what was being said, but couldn't catch more than a word or two.

Hearing the door to the building open and close, Vess silently cursed the missed change to mine for data. Easing back down the hall, she made more noise as she moved toward the front of the office. Rounding the corner, she saw that the Sheriff was watching the opening to the short hall expectantly. “Where's the girl?” he asked.

“Sleeping,” replied Vess, “so keep your voice down, if you don't mind,” she added. “When are those MDF flunkies due here, again?” she needled him. The Sheriff's eyes narrowed a little.

“They are making their approach even now,” he said stiffly. Vess crossed her arms under her breasts.

“Really,” she said disdainfully. “How wonderful.”

“Look, miss,” began the sheriff, standing, “I've had about enough of your attitude!”

“And I have had enough of being detained for no reason!” snapped back Vess, struggling to keep from yelling and awakening Shie. “I'm hungry, I want a shower and fresh change of clothes, and I want to sleep in my own bed!” she hissed. Preferably with Gram holding me tight! she didn't say out loud.

“Well, if that's all that's bothering you…!” retorted the man, grabbing a small keycard. “If you will come this way, miss…?” he mocked her with a bow, indicating a door off the other side of the office from the one that led to the cells. For a fraction of a second, Vess debated getting Shie, but ultimately decided that Shie would be fine where she was for the moment; besides, if things got rough, it would be easier for her to fight without Shie in the way.

Following the man to the door, she watched him swipe the card past a reader, the door clicking open. Moving through the door, Vess saw that she was in a locker room, with an open shower area beyond the sparse lockers. “There we are, lady,” said the man tightly, “your shower,” he nearly spat, inclining his head.

Vess glared at him. “Why, thank you, sheriff,” she snarled. The man shrugged.

“You wanted a shower, didn't you?” he asked her. Vess sniffed disdainfully.

“Yeah,” she said. Calm down, Vess! she told herself. This could work to my advantage, she reminded herself. “Do you have a towel?” she asked him coolly. The sheriff pointed to a couple of sloppily-folded ones at the end of the simple bench. Sighing, Vess moved over to the shower and cranked it up, letting it warm up while she dealt with the next hurdle: getting undressed without the gun being seen. Facing the sheriff, Vess slipped off her vest, using her toes to work off her boots before carelessly dropping the vest to the end of the bench. Behind her, the steam from the shower was beginning to grow toward her. Grabbing the small tab on the zipper of her one-piece suit, she drew it down from where it had been just above her breasts, pulling it down to the bottom of the track, which was right over her pubic bone.

Subtly rolling her shoulders back, Vess watched the man's face through her eyelashes. Come on, eyes on my tits, she silently coaxed him, pulling the unzipped suit open, her shapely breasts jiggling a little as they lost the support of the thin material. Vess's sharp eyes caught the fast bobbing of the man's Adam's Apple. Feigning indifference, the girl worked the top off her shoulders and arms, moving lower as she did so. Against her back, she could feel the small semi-automatic gun shift in its concealed holster. Eyes on the naked chick, jerk, she willed the man. Don't pay any attention to that odd bump in her suit. Using her thumbs, Vess pushed the suit over her hips, leaving her exposed to his view, her small, neatly-tended patch of dark blonde hair holding his gaze.

As quickly as she could without seeming to rush, Vess stepped free of her one-piece suit, casually folding the material over the concealed gun. Placing the loosely-folded garment on top of her vest, she glanced at the man before turning and stepping under the spray of the showerhead. “If you keep staring like that, I'm going to have to charge you by the minute,” came Vess's sardonic voice. Flinching, the sheriff shook himself.

“Yeah, well, can't let you loose in here unsupervised, miss,” he said. “Lot of stuff in here you can't mess with,” he added, clearing his throat. Vess just gave a grunt in response, turning to face him, though it was more to make sure that he wasn't moving toward her clothes than because she was interested in giving him a show. Can't have him find that gun right now, she reminded herself. Besides, it's not like it matters if some stranger sees me naked, she reasoned. Growing up as she had, and then later in the military, she had become accustomed to lack of privacy; it was just something that you ignored.

“Sheriff!” came a yell from outside the room. Jerking his head around, the man leapt to the door and opened it, seeing one of his deputies frantically looking around the office.

“What is it, Jelkus?!” he barked at the man.

“Pirates, sheriff!” yelled the man.

“What do you mean, pirates?!” demanded the sheriff. “The Mars Defense Force is out there, right? So what would pirated be doing here now?”

“That's just it, sheriff!” the deputy excitedly. “That ship wasn't the patrol from the MDF! It was a disguised pirate ship!”

“What?!” sputtered the sheriff. “What are we doing about them?!” he demanded of the deputy.

“There's little we can do, sheriff,” the man said unhappily. “We don't have any RB units, and since we've been watching that ship…” he began. The sheriff's eyes narrowed at the reminder.

“So, that's your game,” he snarled, spinning toward the girl in the shower. Only, Vess wasn't in the shower any more. She was standing at the end of the bench, her suit up to her waist, the arms tied to hold the suit in place, one hand holding her vest, the other pointing a gun at the sheriff and the deputy.

“Don't move!” snapped Vess. “You! Jelkus! Keep your hands where I can see them,” she ordered them, eyes cold and hands steady. “Sheriff, turn around slowly and walk back toward me,” she went on. “Not you, Jelkus,” she hissed, seeing the deputy start to move. Slowly, the sheriff did as instructed. When he got close enough, Vess took a silent step closer to him and brought the bottom of the grip of her gun down on his neck, knocking him out cold. Even as the sheriff fell to the floor of the locker room, Vess had the sights back on the deputy.

“Uh uh, Jelkus,” she warned him. “Turn around slowly, hands behind your back,” she ordered him. Seeing him hesitate, she tightened her finger on the trigger. “He's just knocked out, but if you don't obey me, I will shoot both of you!”

Slowly, the man did as he was told. Taking a risk, Vess took the gun off-target for the few moments she needed to shrug into her vest and haphazardly close it. With her chest now covered and her gear secure, Vess silently moved up to the deputy and slapped the memory-plastic shackles on him. “Where is the rest of your little club? The docks?” she guessed. When the man didn't say, she prodded him with the gun. “In spite of what it looks like, we aren't the enemy,” she said. “In fact, if Shie and I can get back to our ship, we can take care of the pirates for you,” she offered.

“I'm not falling for your tricks, pirate!” the deputy huffed. Realizing that the argument was useless, Vess gave it up and moved forward.

Using a hand on the restrains, she dragged the man back to the holding cell, her hand on her gun in case another deputy or ten showed. Seeing Shie still sleeping, she kicked the bars, generating a loud clang! of steel on steel. “Shie, time to go, sweetie!” she called out. Almost instantly, Shie sat up, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

“Vess?” she asked, blinking at the sight of Vess holding her gun in one hand, a deputy in the other. “What happened?” wondered the girl, hopping off the cot.

“Pirates are attacking, Shie,” said Vess calmly. “We have to get back to the ship before the dock access is destroyed.”

“Are you going to fight the pirates, Vess?” asked the girl.

“If necessary, Shie,” conceded Vess. “But right now, we have to get back to the ship!” she repeated. “Follow me, and stay close, Shie,” she directed the girl.

“Ok, Vess!” smiled Shie. As soon as the girl was out of the cell, Vess jerked the man around and pushed him into the cell, locking it behind him.

“Sorry, Jelkus, but I can't be dragging you around all over the city,” she said distractedly, tucking her gun back into the holster. Grabbing Shie's hand, Vess ran out of the building and toward the dock, hearing Jelkus begin to scream bloody murder as she exited the office. Should have knocked him out, too, realized the girl, briefly considering going back to do exactly that. Or at least gagged him!

-

“Did you get the information?” asked Enora as she and Rosetta changed out of their bikinis and into casual clothes. Like yesterday, the two had spent nearly the entire day at the beach, laying out, swimming and walking aimlessly in and out of shops along the boardwalk. As they did, they had quietly talked about Mars, politics and their friends.

Rosetta had made some calls and called in some favors the night before, and now, they were going to review the results of those calls. After ten hours at the beach, it was time to have a good dinner and relax for a bit. Enora was feeling a little warm from the sun. I need a better tan if we are going to be doing this for the next few days, she thought, seeing that her skin was a bit red and it was already obvious where her new bikini clung to her.

“I have it,” confirmed Rosetta, glancing at Enora. “You're looking a little red, Enora,” smiled the darker-skinned woman. “If you aren't careful, you'll be really uncomfortable by tomorrow morning,” warned the older woman. Rummaging around in her small bag, Rosetta pulled out a tube. “Here, let me get this on you before you put on your clothes,” she said, uncapping the small tube.

“What is that stuff, Rosetta?” wondered Enora, watching the soldier squeeze some greenish gel onto her palm.

“Skin conditioner to minimize sun damage,” answered Rosetta, beginning to quickly rub it into Enora's skin. At first touch, it felt cool, but as the gel was worked into her skin, Enora felt the brittle, hot feeling that had developed vanish, leaving her feeling great.

“Wow! That stuff works great!” exclaimed the younger girl. Rosetta smiled at her.

“Doesn't it, though?” she agreed, swiftly working her way down Enora's back. “So, where are we going to eat?” asked Rosetta, her hands moving over Enora's firm rear and down her legs.

“I made some reservations at a nice place farther down, near the bay,” replied Enora, feeling the hands of the larger woman moving down her calves. “It's supposed to be one of the best in New Sydney; and private, even better,” she added.

“Sounds good,” murmured Rosetta. “Turn around so I can get your front,” she added. Enora did as she was asked, her mind busy with the issue on Mars. Filling her hand once more with the gel, Rosetta worked her way back up the younger girl's legs, crossing her bikini line and marching up her stomach toward her breasts. Before Enora knew it, she felt the cool, slippery sensation engulf her breasts.

“Hey!” she gasped, realizing that Rosetta had already covered her breasts in the gel. “I wasn't sunburned there, Rosetta!” she half-complained, half-noted. Rosetta shrugged.

“Easier to make sure you have an even coating this way,” she dismissed. Grinning at Enora as her hands moved over her collarbone and up her neck, Rosetta went on. “Besides, it isn't like you didn't like it, now is it?” she teased. Enora refused to answer that; her nipples, however, were semi-hard, betraying her attempt to ignore the insinuation of the stacked woman. Closing her eyes, she felt Rosetta's soft, slick fingers brush across her face. “Done,” announced Rosetta calmly.

Sighing, Enora had to admit that she felt a lot better now. Reaching over to her pack, she dug around in it for a minute before withdrawing a thin, short-skirted dress that was half-way between an evening gown and a casual dress. Stepping into a pair of clean panties, she wiggled into the dress, taking a moment to get it situated right and to make herself comfortable in the close-fitting top.

Glancing at Rosetta, she saw the brunette zipping up a tight, short evening dress. We're dressed up, but neither of us have a date, she realized. Too bad Gram isn't here, she mourned. Rosetta finished adjusting herself and her dress before giving herself a very thorough exam in the large mirror. “Ok, I think that should do it,” she announced five minutes later, grabbing her small purse. Enora nodded, her PCD tucked unobtrusively under her dress. Together, the two exited Enora's hotel room.

-

Vess sprinted from the back of one warehouse to the next, rounds sizzling past her as she held Shie tight in her arms. All but diving into her new position, she hastily put Shie down and grabbed her gun, leaning back around the edge of the warehouse to fire at the small group of sloppily dressed men who had emerged from the small shuttle sub. One of the men reeled back, Vess seeing a small spurt of blood from his chest as he did so.

Return fire forced her back around the corner. These guys might look like pirates, but they certainly move like trained soldiers, she thought grimly. More importantly, they are between us and our ship! A bullet smacked into the metal not too far above her head. Snarling a curse word, Vess twisted and fired two rounds at the city-ship's defender who had just shot at her. “Can't those idiots see that I'm not shooting at them?!” she screamed in exasperation.

Beside her, Shie's eyes were shiny with tears, the firefight terrifying her. Vess took a moment to touch Shie's cheek. “It'll be ok, Shie,” she tried to soothe the girl. “Promise,” she added, leaning back around the corner and engaging the group dockside again. Her slide locked back, the magazine empty. Snatching herself back to cover, Vess buttoned out the spent magazine and reached into her chest pocket of her vest, finding she was down to her last magazine. In her front pockets, the three empty mags rested.

This is not good, the girl realized, seating the mag with the palm of her hand and swiping her thumb over the slide release, the gun snapping into battery; and not a moment too soon, either, as she was forced to fire on the city-ship deputies again as one of them tried to get a bead on her with a rifle. I don't have the kind of ammo I need to be in this kind of a firefight! the girl swore to herself. Not to mention that I'm not armored, and have Shie with me, she grimly considered. Once more, she ducked around the corner, front sight searching for the invaders. Finding one, she fired four rounds, winging the man as he tried to work his way into a flanking position.

Tucking back behind her cover, Vess considered the situation she was in. I have to board the ship, but if I try to go over the gangplank, I'll be picked off - if not by these `pirates', then by the deputies, she analyzed the problem before her. I've only got a ten rounds left, and there is still another row of shipping crates to cross before I can even get close enough to the ship to consider boarding it in any fashion! “What are you going to do, Vess?” she asked herself in a whisper. Or rather, what does Gram think you are planning? worried the girl.

Poking her gun around the corner, she fired two rounds in the general direction of the invaders just to keep them on their toes. Seeing the deputies once more trying to get a line on her, she sent a pair of bullets into the building just short of the man, forcing him back against the warehouse. You'd think that they'd be more interested in shooting at the men with rifles, the girl thought sourly, risking another peek. Maybe if I can get around to that end of the crates, I can put them under fire from their flank long enough to break for the ship, she considered. But, what then? How am I going to get Shie and me onto the ship without getting shot? she asked herself yet again.

A thud! broke her train of thought, and a moment later, the corner of the warehouse where the deputies were taking cover exploded. Twenty mil grenade launcher, her training told her. Probably micro-fused HE rounds or AP rounds, judging from the damage. Vess blinked at that thought. What the FUCK am I still here for?! Hastily shoving her gun into the holster, she grabbed Shie in her arms and sprinted for the other end of the warehouse. Behind her, she heard another detonation. Diving around the corner of the warehouse, she saw one of the enemy, side-on to her, at the end of the shipping crates. Unceremoniously dumping Shie, Vess snatched her gun and brought it on-target as the man spotted her and started to swing his rifle toward her. Front sight on his chest, Vess rapidly squeezed the trigger, dropping rounds fast and ugly.

For a moment, Vess worried that she wasn't aligned right, but then the man crumpled forward. Glancing at her pistol, she realized that she had been frantically squeezing the trigger on an empty gun. Hitting the slide release, she secured the pistol back in her holster before sprinting to the dead man and grabbing his rifle. Peeking around the corner, she waved her arm at Shie, and the girl scrambled over to cling to her. Taking a moment to look the rifle over, she frowned. This is current Earth Defense Force issue, she realized. Well, that just makes it easier for me, she thought, flicking the selector to three-round burst and checking the magazine.

Full metal greeted her visual check. Gently pulling Shie off her, she rolled out from behind the container, rifle tucked to her shoulder. Landing in the kneeling position, left leg bracing her left arm, she swept for targets. Spotting one as the man spotted her, she put a three-round burst square into his chest, dropping him. Where is that fucking grenade trooper? she wondered, sweeping the positions, but not seeing him.

Of course, the invaders had been moving as she had been moving, and the three-way firefight was making it impossible to get any sort of coordinated effort going. Hearing another thump!, the girl realized that the grenadier had moved forward to occupy her former position. The deputies are flanked, now, she thought. With a grenade launcher on them, they can't hold the dock, which means it will be Taklen all over again. Her eyes fell to the huge emergency doors that isolated the docking area from the city-ship proper. Why haven't they closed those yet?! she silently snarled.

“Vess! Food grab slip on ten!” came the voice of Gram over the PA. Vess blinked.

“Food grab slip?” she said out loud. “What is he thinking?” she asked herself rhetorically. An instant later, she realized what he was thinking. Smiling, she turned to Shie. “We're about to get on our ship, Shie,” she said calmly. “But we're going to get wet before we can. So, when I tell you, I need you to take a deep breath and hold it, ok, Shie?” she asked. Silently, Shie nodded. “Good girl,” approved Vess.

“Hey! We got a couple of stragglers!” came a man's voice. Snapping her eyes around, she saw an invader wave an arm at someone. Smoothly, Vess brought the rifle on target and put a burst into his chest as well. Over the din of gunfire, she heard the loud hiss of ballast tanks blowing. Looking over at the third slip, she saw another shuttle sub surface. “Fuck!” she snarled, bringing the rifle on target to engage the new reinforcements.

“One!” came Gram's voice. Vess began the count in her head as she sprayed the first man to peek over the lip of the hatch of the mini-sub.

“Vess! Bad man!” shrilled Shie, grabbing her arm, Rotating on her planted foot, Vess traversed her field of fire, finding a man peeking around the lip of the row of shipping containers. Her burst missed him as he tucked back behind the lip.

“Thanks, Shie,” muttered Vess, twisting back to fire a pair of bursts at the mini-sub. If that guy is the grenadier, then we're in big trouble, since he can micro-fuse a round to burst right over us, cutting us down with the shrapnel pattern, she realized. Another burst chipped the metal hull of the mini-sub.

Instantly switching targets, she caught the man looking around the corner again, but once more, he was just quick enough to duck back behind cover. “Mother fucker,” gritted Vess. Of the original forty two rounds in the magazine, she had maybe fifteen left. Her peripheral vision caught some movement. Rolling back, she saw a deputy moving along her previous path of advance. Silently grimacing, she put a burst into the warehouse just above his head, and he scooted back around the corner.

“Eight!” came Gram's amplified voice. Vess sucked in a breath.

I forgot the countdown! She was half-way to standing when the enemy at the end of the row of crate jumped out from behind cover, a thick-barreled weapon in his hands. Grenadier! her mind screamed at her. One-handed, she fired from the hip, praying for a hit. Her shots were off-target, chipping the decking and crates, ricochets wailing off the metal.

“Nine!” yelled Gram. She could hear her ship's engines begin to rev. From the corner of her eye, she saw a man on the mini-sub pop up, rifle at his shoulder, drawing down on her. Not good!

“Ten! Vess, move!” screamed Gram. The rifle ceased firing, Vess dropping it as she grabbed Shie, bodily snatching the small girl up, her legs pumping toward her ship. From her side, she heard the thump! of the grenade round being fired. Too late to worry about it, Vess willed her legs to go faster. From farther away, she heard the sound of rifle fire and knew that the man on the mini-sub had opened up on her.

“Now, Shie!” she howled, throwing the two of them forward. Obediently, Shie sucked in a huge breath and held it as the world twisted around the two of them. Vess herself managed a deep breath as she bent her body forward. We will make it! she vowed.

What Vess didn't see was that her last few rounds - though off target to hit the man - had slammed into the hard metal of the shipping containers, fragments of the copper-jacketed ball rounds peppering the man. One of them had sliced cleanly through the side of his neck, and he had instinctively tried to stem the arterial spurt of blood the cut caused. His instinctive actions caused him to both pull the launcher off target, and squeeze off the HE round in the tube. The round tracked high, hitting the side pressure-wall to the dock area, detonated and burst the seams of the city-ship's dock, opening it to the ocean outside.

The man on the mini-sub was emptying a magazine at the sprinting girl, but he had made one fatal miscalculation. He had - correctly - determined that she was trying to board the strange cruiser-class sub in the dock, but he had made a critical assumption that she would try to make it across the gangplank. And the gangplank was where his rounds were going. Only problem was that Vess had dove into the water of the dock instead, slipping under his line of fire. Intent on nailing the woman, he shifted his muzzle down to catch her when she came up.

Because he was avidly looking for the blonde, he didn't see the missed shot of the grenadier, but he did notice some other things. First, he noticed that the girl wasn't coming back up for air. Secondly, he noticed that the ship was submerging. Impotently, he sprayed the armored hull of the cruiser. Finally, he noticed the sudden change in pressure in the dock area. He barely looked up in time to see a wall of water slam into him from the gaping hole it the dock wall. He never got a change to drop down the ladder and close the hatch; there wasn't time.

-

“Vess! Shie!” yelled Bon, barging into the automated forward torpedo room. Hearing coughing and panting, he found the pair of soaked girls sprawled out on the decking, gasping for breath, the tube they had swam through closing behind a freshly-loaded Beta type eleven ASCAP torpedo. “Thank god!” he breathed, grabbing Shie.

“Good to see you too, Bon,” managed Vess, standing. “Get Shie to sickbay and strap yourselves down,” she ordered, swinging past him. “Gram, I'm headed your way,” she called out, knowing that NAMI would relay the message to Gram.

“Move it, Vess,” came Gram's tight voice. “We have a nasty situation here.”

Vess hurried, hearing an explosion an instant before the ship was shaken by the shockwave. Moments later, she lunged through the door to the bridge, water still sheeting off her from her unexpected swim. “I'm here, Gram,” she said, jumping into her chair and fastening her belts. “NAMI, route telemetry to my station,” she ordered. Her console lit up.

“We have another of those ships out here, Vess,” gritted Gram. “This time, they were waiting for us, though.”

“Can we evade them?” wondered the girl. Gram sighed.

“I hope so, but they seem to be after us, specifically,” he warned her.

“I could go out in the Flick and…” began Vess. Gram shook his head.

“I'd rather you didn't, Vess,” he disagreed. “They have more of those weird RBs, and if you are outside, I'm stuck with no one to back me up. We'll try to run, and fight only as a last result. Agreed?” he asked her. Vess sighed.

“Probably for the best, after what happened,” she murmured. Gram spared a second to give her a questioning look. She waved it off.

“Tell you when we get free of these pricks,” she promised. Just then, their ship shook.

“Damage to the aft trim tank,” reported NAMI calmly. “RB units appear to be trying to disable our propulsion system,” she added almost as an after-thought.

“Fire spread of type four area sensor mines from lateral batteries. Set fusing for mass detonation, size of target to match RB units. Do we have target lock on the enemy ship?” she asked.

“Currently, the enemy is hiding behind the city-ship,” reported NAMI. “Warning: high-speed screws detected. Incoming torpedoes. Profile suggests Tau-class type two odor-print tracking.”

“Fire two decoy scent markers, one fore, one aft,” commanded Gram, spinning the wheel. “Bring us to flank, NAMI,” he added tightly.

“Aye,” confirmed the AI. A moment later, she spoke up again. “New contact. High speed screws. Torpedoes in-bound. Profile suggests Epsilon-class mark three type zero units,” said the AI. Gram's eyes went wide.

“Epsilon class?” he breathed. “Those aren't supposed to be allowed on Mars!” he gaped.

“Worry about that later, Gram!” snapped Vess, her fingers dancing over the controls. “Configuring for counter-fire,” she said crisply. “Sub-munitions armed. Launch aft tubes one and three, NAMI!” she screamed, hitting the redundant controls on her station. Their ship shivered as the batteries fired even as the engines roared at full throttle.

“Target ship is emerging from behind city-ship,” noted NAMI. “New contacts aft,” she added a moment later. Gram didn't need to hear what NAMI was about to say next.

“Let me guess: torpedoes,” he said tightly.

“Correct,” confirmed NAMI. “Profile suggest Beta-class mark ones. Count is six.” Unexpectedly, Gram smiled a thin smile.

“Well, that's interesting,” he murmured. “Come about!” he ordered, spinning the wheel. “NAMI, I need emergency power!”

“What are you doing, Gram?!” sputtered Vess. Gram spared a short instant to wink at her.

“Trust me, Vess,” he reassured her. “I happen to have a trick up my sleeve; that's all,” he explained. Thanks to my time on the Ship of Aurora, I know a few things about these old work-horse torpedoes. It doesn't hurt that I also learned a few things from a certain nut-job pirate captain…

“Emergency power engaged, Gram,” reported NAMI. Gram grunted.

“Brace yourselves!” he yelled, tapping the button for the intercom.

“Torpedoes still tracking,” warned NAMI. “Target ship dead ahead. Warning: collision imminent,”

“On my mark, give me an emergency blow, but don't reduce the power output, NAMI,” he prepared.

“Understood, Gram,” said the AI.

Getting a solid grip on the wheel, Gram prepared to porpoise the ship. “Get ready, Vess,” he warned his lover. Vess gripped the edges of her console.

“Enemy ship accelerating toward us,” sang out NAMI. Gram blinked.

“SHIT!” he yelled. “Emergency blow, NAMI!!” he screamed, desperately spinning the wheel and pulling it back into a steep climb. On the view screen, he saw the enemy sub mimic the move.

“Collision in four seconds,” noted NAMI dispassionately.

-

“Captain, Yagami's RB has just appeared on scope,” came the calm, measured voice of MAKI. At the wheel, Ester blinked.

“MAKI, are your sure that it is Yagami's Buckler?” asked the first officer of the AI. Behind her, Captain Elizabeth sat up from her small couch.

“Affirmative. Direct match to odor and acoustic file of Yagami's Vector of Winds,” confirmed MAKI.

“Wonder what he wants?” mused Elizabeth. The ship was hiding out under an ice formation after taking its latest prize from the Earth Forces depot on Gate city-ship. After Gram had broken them free of the attempted execution, and after they had flooded the chamber where the Gods Stone had been, Yagami had once more left the ship, this time to pursue Mars independence through his own means.

“Send him a communication cable,” directed Elizabeth.

“Already done, Captain,” confirmed Ester. “Cable connected,” she added a moment later. On the main screen, a communication window popped up, revealing Yagami.

“Well, you are looking good, Yagami,” began Elizabeth casually. “What brings you to this neck of the seas?” she asked.

“We need to talk, Captain,” he said bluntly. “It's about Gram,” he added grimly. Elizabeth frowned.

“Hanger is open, Yagami,” she said. “I trust you can still find it?” she teased him.

“Can do,” he said, killing the link, his RB unit coming in fast. Ester gave Elizabeth a curious look.

“He said it was about Gram?” she wondered. Elizabeth nodded. “What do you suppose has happened?” worried Ester.

“I don't know, Ester,” replied Elizabeth, standing. “But after Higashibara's nightmare, I don't feel very good about this,” she said. “Call Poipoider, Milhe and Clara up here on the double,” she added.

“Already done, Captain,” replied Ester.

Moments later, the crewmembers of the `council' were on the bridge, having been roused from their rest and dinners. Less than a minute after his RB was locked down, Yagami stepped onto the bridge, followed by a curious Neli, who was wondering what Yagami was doing back on board.