Mars Daybreak Fan Fiction ❯ Haunting Past ❯ Chapter 4

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 4

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“Stop! Thief!” screamed the merchant. Clutching the stolen food tightly in her hand, the young thief dodged through the crowds, knowing that she had to get off the street and to her hiding place as fast as possible, or risk being caught by the police. Behind her, she heard the hue and cry spread, but not as fast as it could have spread. Maybe I've gotten lucky, she thought fleetingly, seeing the alley way that lead to her bolt-hole just ahead.

With barely ten strides to go, she saw two cops turn the corner, drawn, no doubt, by the shouting. Spotting the girl barreling toward them, the two moved to intercept her, cutting her off from her bolt hole in the process. No! What now?! she thought, panicking. Trying to dodge to the outside proved to be a mistake, as her foot slipped on the road, sending her down in a tumble. Before she could get up, she felt the cops grab her arms.

“Well, what have we here?” gloated one of the cops. “A little food thief?” he demanded, grabbing a handful of her hair. “Little street scum,” he snarled, shaking her by her hair.

“Ow!” she winced, feeling the pain in her scalp. “Let me go, you goons!” she yelled.

“Not likely, girl,” added the second. “Not unless you make it worth our while, that is,” he added, smirking at her. The girl glared at him.

“Drop dead,” she snapped angrily. The man opened his mouth to say something, but just then, a half-rotten sponge-fruit splattered all over his face.

“Brave men, picking on a helpless girl,” came a mirthful voice from the other side of the street. “Think two of you can hold down a half-starved girl long enough for the rest of your bully squad to show up?” came the voice again as the cop furiously scrubbed the mess off his face.

“You!” growled the second cop, throwing the girl aside as his attention centered on the speaker. “I'm going to…gah!” he got another sponge-fruit to the face.

“Yeah, yeah,” scoffed the young man. “You gotta catch me first, stupid,” he taunted them, absently juggling two more sponge-fruits. The two cops were livid.

“Let's get that little shit and beat the hell out of him,” muttered one to the other.

“Sounds good to me,” replied the second, both men taking a step toward the young man, who snatched both the fruits from the air and mimed a throw at the two, who instinctively ducked back.

“See you, old guys!” came his voice, the young man sprinting down an alley on his side of the street.

“Shit!” yelled one cop, knowing that the alley connected to dozens of other allies and drainage pipes. Catching the assault-fruit-wielding kid was as good as impossible. “He's gone,” said the first, feeling very frustrated as the sticky sponge-fruit juice began to make his face itch. “Grab the bitch and let's get back to the station,” he ordered, turning to find the girl gone as well, her stolen bag of food also missing.

“Fuck!” he spat, his frustration boiling over. Around the two, the small crowd broke up, the people moving about their own business once more, now that the show was over. Cursing and uncomfortable, the two cops went back to wash off the sponge-fruit juice and get new uniforms.

In the drains, the young girl finally stopped running, panting as she looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She had taken so many turns so fast that she wasn't entirely sure where she was. But, it seemed like any pursuit had lost her as well, so she squatted and got into the bag of food, her stomach rumbling in anticipation. It had been three days since she last ate, and she was starving.

Seeing that her bread was flat, but still edible, she hungrily devoured it, fishing out the small chunk of cured meat and setting to work on it as soon as the bread was done. The cured meat was tough and salty, and it made her thirsty, but that could wait until she had eaten.

“It's better with some water,” came a voice from beside her. Jerking at the sound of the unexpected voice, she lost her balance and landed on her ass in the shallow water in the drain pipe. Looking at the shadowed figure before her, she blinked.

“It's…you,” she breathed, recognizing the young man she had seen earlier. “What do you want?” she asked suspiciously. He shrugged.

“Nothing, really,” he said casually. “Just wanted to make sure you got away clean, that's all.”

“How did you find me?” she asked, still suspicious. To her surprise, he chuckled.

“I spend a fair amount of time down here,” he said, fishing a sponge-fruit out of his jacket pocket. “And you aren't the only one who has taken some food because you're starving, you know,” he added, his tone less amused. “Want one?” he asked her, offering her the fruit. “I have some water, too, if you're thirsty from that meat.”

The girl studied him carefully. Nothing seemed dangerous about him, and he had stepped in to save her from the cops, putting himself in danger, so she slowly, carefully reached for the sponge-fruit. Biting into it, she found that it was just the tiniest bit past dead-ripe. Still, as hungry as she was, she could ignore the slightly bitter aftertaste and the mushy texture. Wolfing it down, she stripped all the flesh from the pit before spitting the pit into the drain water.

“Who are you?” asked the young man, curious. The girl didn't immediately answer. “Well, I suppose I could introduce myself first,” he compromised. “My name is Gram. What's your name?” he asked her.

“Vestemona,” replied the girl, accepting his offered hand as she stood. “But my friends call me Vess,” she added. Gram nodded.

“Then I'll call you Vess,” he decided, smiling at her. “You have a lot of friends?” he wondered. Vess hesitated for an instant.

“Not really,” she admitted. It looks like you might be my first friend, she left unsaid. Gram hummed softly.

“Oh,” he said. “Do you have a family or something?” he wondered. Vess shook her head.

“Orphan,” she said simply. Gram nodded.

“Me, too, Vess,” he said. A chirp came from his watch. Glancing at it, he grimaced. “Shit, look, I have to get to my part-time job. Do you have some place to stay?” he asked her. Vess shook her head.

“Not really. I have a place in the tunnels, but it's just a spot to rest,” she said, starting to turn away from him.

“Well, I have a small place in Undertown,” said the young man. “It isn't much, but it's clean and safe. You are welcome to crash there, if you want,” he offered. Vess considered it.

He knows were we are, and I don't, she reasoned. If he wanted to rape me, he could do that down here, and sleeping on the bare metal gives me bruises and caused cramps and aches. I could just look at it and see if it is worth it or not, she decided.

“I might,” she said, following him as he turned the opposite direction. In silence, the two made their way down the tunnels. “You found a job?” she asked him. He nodded.

“Gotta pay the bills somehow,” he shrugged. “It doesn't quite make the ends meet, but it keeps me from having to take as many risks as some,” he explained. “Tonight, I can show you a way to get a warm nippory for free,” he offered, smiling at her. Vess watched him as he unerringly led her through the maze, emerging from a manhole cover in the shanties of Undertown.

“Here we are,” he said, moving to one of the tiny, one-room houses wedged into every nook and cranny. Looking inside, she saw that it was, indeed, a clean place to stay, if cramped. Looking around, she saw that nothing there was worth stealing. Gram tossed his head toward the bed. “I have to run now, but you can rest there, if you want,” he said. “It will be late when I get back; assuming that I don't get laid off,” he added wryly. Waving, he moved off at a fast trot.

Vess considered the tiny house. He's a strange one, she thought to herself, absently touching the bed. It was hard and small, but much more inviting that the bare pipe she had been sleeping on. Feeling the chill of her soaked jeans, she kicked the door closed behind her as she unzipped her pants, wiggling out of them. Tugging off her top, she draped both items over whatever she could to let them dry, leaving her in her pair of worn panties. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she felt her eyes begin to get heavy.

Laying back on the bed, she found that it had carefully-patched sheets on it, and even a rough cover. Slipping between them, she tucked her arm under her head and felt herself yawn. I'll just rest for a bit, she told herself. When Gram got back several hours later, he saw the girl sound asleep in his bed. Shaking his head, he shifted some stuff around and fell asleep in the corner of his house, leaving the girl undisturbed.

-

“Here we go,” said Ester tightly, guiding the small work sub toward the mostly-hidden Ship of Hope. Yagami had run a search all around the sunken ship, declaring the immediate area to be free of enemy units, at which point, Ester had launched the mini sub, with Sala, Neli and Milhe aboard. Aki was manning his remote RB units, and Junior was escorting the work sub, since Yagami had volunteered to be their roving guard unit.

The hull of their friend's ship came into view, lit by the sub's powerful flood lights. Ester's hands tightened on the controls slightly, seeing the damage to the ship. “Captain,” she said into the communication mic, “the ship is looking pretty rough. It…might be too late,” she said softly.

“For our sakes, let's hope not,” came the quiet reply. “There isn't room in the code for those who don't repay a life-debt, you know,” she added.

“Understood,” came the reply from the Naval Witch. Closing the line to the Aurora, Ester opened the channel to the BALLS robots held in the arms of the sub like a bunch of jaw-breaker candy. “Grandpa, prepare to begin work on the damage,” she said.

“Ready when you are,” came the reply from the control unit of the BALLS.

“Neli, any sign of a soft-seal hatch?” asked the First Officer. The mechanic was intently studying the hull.

“I think that it should be fore of the sail, about a third of the way up,” she said. “These older designs often had two, but their placement was random for the most part, with the exception of the one that was usually fore of the sail.”

“Then we go forward,” said Ester, moving past the sail, noticing several pings that were clearly bullet marks. “They saw some surface action,” she noted, inclining her head slightly.

“Probably in the city-ship fracas,” rumbled Milhe.

“Well, they didn't get that damage from surface action,” observed Neli, seeing the buckled plates and gouges from what was - to her experienced eye - a collision.

“Agreed,” Ester replied, pausing to put several BALLS in place at the worst of the damage, the robots immediately beginning to patch the hull. Moving back over the main deck, Ester saw the soft-seal hatch. “There it is,” she breathed. “Beginning docking now, captain,” she reported, the mic in her hand once more.

“I'm trusting you to find them alive, Ester,” replied the captain.

“I will do my best,” came the reply. Moments later, the mini-sub was locked to the soft-seal hatch, and Milhe opened the two hatches, giving them access to the Ship of Hope's interior. Dropping down into the cruiser, he found that the power was still on, if only in emergency mode. The air was a bit stale and fouled with smoke, but more than sufficient to have let their friends survive.

Moving forward toward the second air-seal that led to the main passageways, he heard the others land on the floor of the pressure lock room. Before he could reach for the hatch's dogs, Ester's hands landed on them. Swiftly, the small girl spun the dogs and opened the door. “Fan out. Find them, and get me a damage report,” she ordered, moving toward the main living areas of the ship. “Milhe, take the forward areas. Neli, find the engine room. Sala, you're with me,” she delegated. Silently, the crew of the Ship of Aurora did as ordered.

The doctor of the pirate vessel followed the first officer as the Naval Witch quickly moved through the ship, finding the galley, the mess hall, and the den. Swiftly moving up a deck, the women found the bridge. As the door hissed open, Ester gasped. “Gram!” she cried out, dashing to the side of a large, comfortable command chair. Sprawled out in the chair was Gram, his clothes wet, torn and stained with various things.

“His girlfriend isn't here,” noted Sala, seeing the other chair was empty. Ester touched the side of Gram's neck, nearly sagging in relief when she felt the pulse there, and the warmth of his body. Gently, she shook him.

“Gram!” she said, shaking him again, “Gram, wake up! It's Ester!” His eyes flickered. “Come on, Gram, wake up!” urged Ester.

“Identify yourself,” came a familiar voice. Ester snapped her head around to see a window open on the main bridge display, the caption reading NAMI. “If you do not identify yourself immediately, I will be forced to repel you at any cost,” warned the AI. Ester remained kneeling next to Gram.

“I am Ester Ein Estrada, First Officer of the Ship of Aurora,” she informed the AI.

“And I am Sala Sesa, ship's doctor, Ship of Aurora,” Sala spoke. For a moment, nothing happened, then the AI spoke again.

“Voice prints confirmed. Deactivating anti-intrusion measures. Welcome aboard the Ship of Hope,”

“Thank you,” Ester said. “Can you give me a damage report?” she asked the AI.

“Yes. This ship has sustained serious damage in four areas, and has partial flooding in nine compartments. The engine is non-operational, and power is down to thirty one point one percent. Environmental controls are functioning in emergency mode. The Flick is unable to launch, but the engines are feeding power to the sick bay and environment.”

“NAMI?” came the tired voice of Gram. Looking back at the young man, Ester saw that his eyes were open, though still kind of unfocused. “Your back on line,” he managed. Ester made a soft squeaking sound before she threw herself forward, hugging Gram tightly.

“Thank god you are all right, Gram!” she breathed. She felt his arm slide around her, returning the hug for a moment.

“It's good to see you, too, Ester,” he managed. “NAMI, where are the others?” he asked, more alert and focused.

“Vess is unconscious in the Flick, Bon is unconscious in the engine room, and Shie is resting in sick bay. Two unknown persons are also aboard, one in the forward torpedo room, and the other is just entering the engine room,” reported the AI. “What would you like done about them?” quired the AI.

Gram glanced at Sala and Ester. “Neli and Aki?” he guessed. Ester smiled at him.

“Neli and Milhe,” corrected the woman. Gram nodded.

“NAMI, give the two temporary crew status. Can you open a ship-wide channel?” he wondered.

“I can,” came the reply. “But some of the circuits are damaged, so not all the squawk boxes will function,” warned the AI.

“As long as the ones in the engine room, hanger and forward torpedo room work, it's fine,” dismissed Gram.

“Channel open,” came NAMI's reply. Gram carefully sat up, easing Ester back. When she realized that she was still hugging him, she blushed slightly, but didn't release him. “Milhe, Neli, this is Gram,” said the young man. “Ester and Sala are with me on the bridge. Milhe, I need you to get down to the hanger and check on Vess for me. She's in the Flick. Go back past the sail, drop down the ladder, and the hanger hatch is just aft of the third stowage locker. Neli, you are in the engine room, right? There should be a young boy in there, probably asleep. Wake him up - his name is Bon - and get him to give you a report on the current state of the engine, ok?”

“Good to hear your voice, Gram,” came the reply from Milhe. “I'm heading to the hanger now,” he confirmed his destination.

“You had us all worried for a while, Gram,” responded Neli. “I see a short kid down here. He your friend from Ardena?” wondered the engineer of the Aurora.

“Yeah, he and his sister,” said Gram. “Look, I have to get to sick bay, so if Vess or Bon ask, that is where I'll be,” he said, managing to rise. “NAMI, see if you can recover any of the sensor nets, and also try to run a diagnostic sweep on the electrical system,” he said as he moved off the bridge, the two crewmen from the pirate ship following him, Ester walking beside him, her arm around his waist.

“What happened, Gram?” wondered the short girl, concern in her eyes. Gram exhaled.

“Actually, Ester, Vess and I had decided to come find you all to talk about that,” he said. “But right now, Sala, I need you to check on Shie,” he said grimly. “Matter of fact, I would like to see if you can get her back to the Aurora,” he added grimly.

“I am going to assume that Shie is the young girl we saw with you near Mount Olympus?” guessed the woman. “What happened to her? Is she seriously injured?” Gram paused just outside the sick bay.

“That's just it, Sala,” he said tightly. “I just don't know,” he admitted. “But, if anyone can tell, it'll be Megumi.”

-

Vess followed Gram through the crooked, narrow streets of Undertown, the two of them looking for a mark. The two of them had been living together for about three months now, and though they tried for the most part to get my on part-time jobs and little scams, they still had to occasionally outright steal supplies. This was one of those times.

Moving through the market area, the pair were looking for a vendor that was positioned right to allow them to do a snatch and run or a more subtle distract and grab. Both of them were hungry, but not starving, and if one were to look at their body language, they would see a young couple out on a date, rather than a pair of orphan survivors looking for a meal. In fact, the two's happen-stance relationship had been drifting closer to a dating relationship as the days went by.

“That one?” murmured Vess, subtly inclining her head toward a small vendor of bread and cured meats. Gram scanned it casually.

“Looks promising,” he allowed, beginning to look for cops or private guards. “What do you think? Snatch and run or distract and grab?” he murmured to her. Vess was usually the distraction, so he always made it a point to ask her. Vess considered the vendor carefully.

“I think…” she began, only to be interrupted by a shout.

“Stop, thief!! Get back here you little shit!” Both young teens turned to see a scruffy urchin pelting toward the two, a vegetable seller in hot pursuit, knife in hand. Gram and Vess stepped aside to let the kid run past them; in the process, they almost accidentally blocked the pursuer, who slammed into the ready Vess, who tumbled to the street. She made it look like a worse impact than it was, and no sooner had the grocer realized that he had knocked someone over than Vess began to scream and clutch at her knees.

“What's the big idea, running down my girlfriend with a knife, pervert?!” bellowed Gram at the top of his lungs. “I've a good mind to call the cops!” he yelled, grabbing the man's knife arm and knocking the knife out of his hand. “What are you, some of kind psycho sex offender?!”

“I…I was chasing a thief…!” began the man, staring at Vess, who was writhing on the ground, clutching her knees and screaming in agony.

“So you think that gives you the right to injure innocent bystanders?!” yelled Gram. “What if you had of killed her, running into her with that knife? What then, you maniac?!”

“God, it hurts!” sobbed Vess, still on the ground. A considerable crowd was growing now, drawn by the excessively-loud shouting of Gram and the sobbing of Vess. From where she lay on the ground, Vess spotted the young thief peek out of a alley a few yards farther on, and carefully winked at him. The head vanished down the alley after a small head-bow to her.

Gram knelt by Vess's side. “Can you walk, honey?” he asked her, oozing solicitous concern. “Should we call the cops?” he asked her. The shop keeper blanched at that.

“Now, I'm sure that isn't necessary, you two…” be began, licking his lips nervously. “It couldn't have been that bad…”

“My knees are swelling, and I can't feel my feet!” shrieked Vess, Gram wrapping his arms around her in an awkward hug.

“It's ok, honey,” soothed Gram. Turning to glare at the man, he went on. “I'm sure this fine citizen,” his sarcasm bled through like an arterial slice bleeds through a gauze bandage, “will be only too happy to pay for your treatment, won't he?!” he yelled the last part. The man began to sweat.

“Um, are you sure that…?” he began. Medical treatment was expensive, and if the injury was bad, it could easily bankrupt him in the current depressed economy. Gram growled at him. “I mean, of course. It was an accident that I ran into her, wasn't it?” he said weakly. Arms around Vess, Gram helped her up, Vess bawling and sobbing as she hung from him like dead weight. In the distance, the two heard the strident sounds of a police patrol car approaching.

Both Gram and the man felt the pressure to conclude this before the cops got involved. Hastily fishing around for his wallet, the man found it and grabbed out a wad of credit notes. “Well, I have a lot of work to do, so this should cover her treatment,” said the man, thrusting the money at Gram. Gram snatched it away from him.

“It better,” he snapped. “If not, I'll be back with some cops,” he said. turning to Vess, he hugged her tighter. “Hold on, dear, we're going to get you looked at,” he said, his performance of worried boyfriend flawless. Switching his arms, he swept her up, Vess writhing as her legs bent over his arm. Carrying her like a bride, Gram moved off, Vess's face buried in his chest, looking for all the world like a young girl in pain taking comfort from her boyfriend.

In reality, Vess was desperately trying to stifle the laughter that was trying to erupt from her throat. Once Gram had passed out of sight of the crowd, he ducked down an alley, Vess lightly hopping out of his arms as the two jogged down the alley. Snickering gave way to giggling, and soon, Vess was chortling as she and Gram walked swiftly down a drain pipe. For his part, Gram began chuckling, and by the time that they reached home, the two were both laughing together.

“That was lucky,” sighed Vess, running a hand through her hair. “We didn't even have to steal anything this time,” she noted, grimacing as she felt the grit and dirt in her hair. “So, how much did we get?” she asked her partner in crime. Gram pulled the money out and quickly counted it.

“Well, not enough to have your beautiful knees bandaged, but enough to keep us for a couple of weeks, anyway,” he said. Vess considered that.

“So, you think we could spare enough for a bath? I think we could both use one,” she said, giving him a soft smile. Gram shrugged.

“Sure, why not?” he replied. Together, the two changed direction, moving past their house and toward the small, cheap bathhouse farther up in Undertown. Passing a tiny, door-less dwelling, the two spotted a familiar form. “Hey, it's you,” said Gram easily. “Get enough to hold you for a while?” he asked the small boy. Spinning, the young thief revealed a small girl in the tiny house.

“Oh, it's you two,” he sighed in relief. “Thanks for your help, by the way,” he added, turning back to the small girl, barely more than five years old, and offering her some more food.

“You're welcome,” said Vess. “But you really need to be more careful,” she said. “They would have caught you, you know,” she warned him. The young boy shrugged.

“There wasn't a choice,” he said. “Shie had to have some food, and I got laid off yesterday - before the bonus food was passed out,” he said, his anger clear. Gram and Vess knew all about that; it was a favorite way of cutting operating costs in the depressed Mars economy.

“So, her name is Shie, then?” asked Gram. “Are you two related?” he wondered.

“Yeah, she's my sister,” said the young man. “I'm Bon, by the way,” he added as an after-thought.

“Gram and Vess,” replied Gram, indicting himself and his partner in turn. “Orphans?” he guessed. Bon shrugged.

“We are now,” he said. Nothing more needed to be said. Vess caught Gram's eyes, guessing what he was thinking. Giving him a minimal shrug, she glanced away.

“Well, seeing as we're practically neighbors, how about you and I team up to look for work?” suggested Gram. “I heard a rumor that a company will be needing loader pilots for expansion work on the military base,” he offered. That was valuable information in a place where workers outnumbered jobs more than fifty to one. Bon turned to stare at Gram.

“Why are you offering that information?” he asked suspiciously. Gram shrugged.

“Look, we each have things we're responsible for, right?” he said. “Besides, a job is less risky than the other way, right?”

“You have a point there,” mused Bon. “But, I can't operate a loader,” he sighed. Gram grinned at him.

“Well, if they need loaders, they need someone to move the supplies to and from the work site, right? I'm sure you can at least do that. And who knows? Maybe I'll teach you how to use a loader,” he offered. Slowly, Bon smiled.

“Ok, Gram, you have yourself a work partner,” he agreed, offering his hand. Gram shook it. Seeing Vess roll her eyes, Gram chuckled softly.

“We have something we need to take care of, but I'll be by early tomorrow morning, and we'll go find this guy with the job,” said Gram, moving off.

“I'll be ready!” called Bon, waving at the two. Once they were a ways down the street, Vess shook her head.

“So, I guess you are planning to take him with you rather than me?” she asked him. Gram nodded.

“Yeah,” he said. “Construction isn't really something a girl should do, you know?” he offered her. Vess glowered at him.

“I pull my own weight, Gram,” she warned him. Gram nodded.

“I know you do, Vess,” he soothed her ruffled feathers, “but there is no point in doing hard manual labor if you don't have to, now is there?” he reasoned. Vess sniffed disdainfully.

“Guess I'll see if Anna needs any help tomorrow, then,” she pouted. Gram smiled at her.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “And see if you can talk her out of some nippory while you're there,” he added. Vess flashed him a smile.

“I had planned to,” she replied. “But right now, I really want that bath!” she exclaimed. “If I'm going to be working at Anna's tomorrow, I should see about getting my clothes washed, as well,” she noted. An idea came to Gram.

“Since I'm forcing you to give up the manual labor job, I'll have to treat you to something special,” he said, grabbing her arm and changing their course. Vess frowned.

“Where are we going, Gram?” wondered the blonde. The only answer Vess got was a warm smile from the young man.

-

“Hey,” came a voice, along with a shaking of her shoulder, “you ok, girl?”

Vess's eyes snapped open. A large man with dark blonde hair had her shoulder in his grip. Reacting on instinct, Vess brought her elbow up from inside her cockpit, twisting her body around to put some muscle behind the hit, even as her free hand snatched her Earth Forces-issue sidearm from her lap.

The large man pulled back, his arm tightening on her shoulder as it blocked her elbow strike at his chin. Grunting, he pulled up and sideways on her shoulder, using the resistance of her body to leverage himself around, his other hand slamming down on the side of her pistol, pinning it against the lip of the Flick's cockpit. “Easy, girl!” he grunted, seeing her bare her teeth as she fought to bring the gun on target with his head. “I'm from the Aurora! We're here to help!” he managed.

“The Aurora?” echoed Vess. “NAMI, are you on-line?” she called out.

“Affirmative, Vess,” came the voice of the ship's AI.

“Where's Gram?” asked the girl, not relaxing any.

“Gram is currently at sick bay, with Sala and Ester from the Ship of Aurora,” reported the AI. “Gram granted them temporary crew status while you were unconscious,” added the AI, almost as if it sensed what Vess was about to ask. Slowly, she relaxed, the man responding in kind.

“My name is Milhe,” said the man, easing back. Vess checked her controls once more before she answered.

“Vestemona Lau…just Vess will do,” said the girl, sounding distracted. “NAMI, are the secondary generators repaired yet? Flick is getting close to its limits.”

“Secondary generators should be on-line within a half hour,” reported NAMI. Vess nodded.

“How's Bon doing?” she asked, vaulting out of the cockpit of her RB unit and swinging easily past the large man. For an instant, Milhe saw the resemblance between how she moved and how Gram moved. Clara said he moved like a cat, and this woman moves the same way, thought the big man. Vess didn't give him a second look as she stepped through the hatch. Taking a moment to look over the controls to the RB that had given both his ship and the Earth Forces such a nasty surprise, he followed her.

“Bon is in the engine room. He fell asleep working on the engine, and is still asleep,” reported NAMI to Vess as the girl swiftly made her way to sick bay.

“Who's doing the repairs, then?” wondered the girl. NAMI had an answer for that, as well.

“Temporary crew Neli is working on the secondary generators,”

“Another Aurora crewman?” guessed Vess.

“Affirmative.”

“I see,” mused Vess, seeing the hatch to sickbay. “How is Shie doing?” she breathed.

“No appreciable change, Vess,” was the answer. Stepping into sick bay, she saw Gram standing beside a shorter girl in some strange clothes, watching a taller woman checking on Shie. As she had since the fight at the docks of Morgan Drift, Shie was staring at the wall, hugging herself. Vess's lips tightened. Damn it, still nothing! she silently cursed the situation that had forced itself upon her family.

The shorter woman glanced at Vess as she entered, but her attention was on the taller woman. Gram gave Vess a brief, small smile. The girl stopped by her partner's side, absently taking his hand in her own. “So?” she breathed to Gram.

“Don't know yet,” he breathed back. “Since you're here now, this is Ester, first officer of the Aurora, and Sala, ship's doctor. You'll meet Neli later,” he said. Sala straightened, looking at the group. “Well?” asked Gram, clearly worried.

“Like you said, Gram, she's fine physically,” said the doctor. “But, I don't know about the rest,” she murmured softly. “I think your plan is the most reasonable one. We can transfer her over on the work sub,” said Sala. Vess blinked.

“Transfer her? What's going on, Gram?” she asked, worried. “Why take Shie to the Aurora?”

“Because one of the crew - Megumi Higashibara - is probably the only one who can help Shie now,” explained Gram. “Megumi has…an ability that isn't like anything I have heard of. She can talk to the BALLS and sea life, she can hear what you are thinking and if the circumstances are right, she can talk to you without saying anything. I think that the only way to find out what is wrong with Shie is to have her see if she can use that ability.”

“You mean there is an ESPer on the Aurora?” breathed Vess. Gram blinked.

“So there's a term for it?” he asked, surprised. Vess shrugged.

“When I was on Earth, I found out that there are a lot of people down there that claim to have that kind of thing,” she shrugged. “All the ones I heard of were fakes, though,” she dismissed the entire notion. “One of my school friend's was into it really heavy, though, so I became sort of familiar with it,” a pause, then she went on. “Seems like another life now.”

Gram squeezed her hand gently. “Whatever Megumi has is not fake, Vess - I swear it,” he promised her. “It put her through hell, though,” he recalled. Sala smiled at him.

“In the months since you left, she had really blossomed, Gram,” said the doctor. “In fact, you would hardly recognize her as the same person now,” the doctor shared. Gram smiled back.

“She and Junior still an item?” he chuckled. Sala nodded.

“So far,” she confirmed, “though I sometimes wonder why she doesn't toss him, the way that he acts…” she shook her head. “Anyway, we should get Shie over there as quick as we can; the sooner we get her on the Aurora, the sooner we can see if Megumi can help her.”

“Yeah,” came the unenthusiastic reply from Gram, who stepped forward and gently scooped up the small girl. Turning to Sala, he handed her the girl. “Can you get her back with Milhe?” asked the captain of the Ship of Hope. “I could really use some parts, and Neli is going to need some more BALLS and tools if we're going to be able to get the ship up again,” he said. “I've got a list, actually,” he said, raising his voice a little. “NAMI, transfer the notes I made to the work sub soft-docked to the forward rescue hatch,” directed the young man.

“Already done,” confirmed NAMI. Sala nodded to Milhe, who led the way back toward the work sub.

“Who is doing patrol right now?” asked Gram, remembering something. “We laid a few camouflaged mines out there as an early-warning system,” he shared.

“Yagami is on patrol, and Junior is on stand-by,” answered Ester. “I can take over the bridge while you help with the engines, or if you want to talk with Captain Elizabeth,” offered the shorter girl. Vess studied her carefully.

“Thanks, Ester,” came Gram's relived reply. Seeing the annoyed look from Vess, he explained his reasons. “I need you down in the hanger with Flick. When we get the generators on-line, you need to stand down your Buckler and run a check on it, in case we get jumped by more of those pirates,” he explained. Ester blinked in surprise.

“Pirates?” she wondered aloud. Glancing at Vess, the Naval Witch flinched at the flat, vicious look in the blonde's green eyes.

“Oh, I hope we see some more of those walking dead men!” bit out the girl. Gram, to her surprise, reached over and squeezed his partner's shoulder.

“First things first, Vess,” he said. “We're in no shape to fight or run right now, so we have to keep our priorities straight,” he cautioned her. Ester realized that Gram had changed since she had crewed with him last.

“I know,” said Vess evenly. “I'm heading for the hanger,” said the girl, absently caressing Gram's cheek before turning away from him. Gram watched her go before turning to see Ester looking up at him.

“What?” he asked her. Ester shook her head, smiling a little.

“Nothing, Gram,” she said, moving toward the door. “I'll go to the bridge now,” said the shorter girl. “You should check in with Neli and this `Bon' person,” she suggested. Gram chuckled.

“Yeah, he'll love meeting you, Ester,” he laughed, moving off in the opposite direction. He heard the faint sounds of the work sub detaching. Nodding to himself, he jogged to the engine room. Let's see how Bon and Neli are getting along, he thought.

-

Bon blinked at Gram stupidly. “Just what do you mean, `Vess is gone',” he demanded. Shie was looking back and forth between the two of them, frowning. Gram sighed, sipping his water.

“I mean just what I said, Bon,” said the young man. “She got adopted by a family on Earth, and left this morning,” he said quietly. Bon smacked the small crate that served as his and Shie's table.

“And you didn't tell us?!” he complained. Gram gave him a steady look. “I mean, we wanted to say good bye to her, too, you know?” he modified his first statement. Shie looked at Gram.

“Gram let Vess go?” she asked, unhappy. Gram knelt, looking into Shie's eyes.

“Yes, Shie, I did,” he said quietly. “It…had to be done,” he tried to explain to the young girl. “Vess is better off on Earth, with a family, than here on Mars.” No matter how much it hurt, I had to let her go, he told himself. Not even a day yet, and he missed her more than he had thought possible.

“No!” pouted Shie.

“Shie, it isn't your choice, you know,” chided Bon. He himself was no happier with the situation than Shie, but he also knew that it was too late to change things now. Looking at Gram, he saw that the older teen wasn't doing as well as he usually did. gram patted Shie's head.

“Someday, you'll understand why I had to let her go, Shie,” he said quietly. Looking at his watch, he sighed. “Look, I got a line on a possible job, so I'm going to go check it out. I'll see you two later,” he said, exiting the tiny home of the two younger siblings. Bon had been unable to focus all day long.

-

“Hey, wake up, kid,” a voice impinged on Bon's sleep. Vaguely, he was aware of someone shaking him by the shoulders. His mind still asleep, he sloppily waved an arm more or less in front of him.

“Just a little longer, Vess,” he slurred. The shaking increased.

“Well, I'm not Vess, kid, so wake up!” yelled the voice. Bon's brain finally booted fully. Blinking, the scruffy kid found himself looking at an unfamiliar woman squatting in front of him. Her orange coveralls were smudged, and from the spots of oils and lubricates on her work gloves, she had been working on something recently. blinking, he sat up from where he had been sleeping on the raised metal cat-walk in the engine room. “Morning,” came her casual greeting. “And who might this `Vess' be, anyway?” asked the woman.

“Huh?” wondered Bon. The woman sighed.

“You aren't very bright, are you?” she noted, standing up. Since she hadn't released him, she lifted him off the deck when she stood. “What's wrong with the engines, kid?” she asked directly. “I've got the emergency generators repaired, but your AI reports that the main engine is still down. So, before Gram gets here, what is wrong, and how far along were you with repairs before you fell asleep on the job?” she asked him, setting him down on the deck.

“Hey! Gram and I worked on this thing for thirty six hours straight, ok?!” he bristled at her implication that he had fallen asleep for no reason. “If it had of been anyone else, this ship would have sunk when we were rammed by that pirate ship! But Gram, Vess and I kept her going until we found a place to lay low.”

“Sounds like Gram, all right,” mused the woman, smiling. “None of that tells me what I asked, though,” she noted. Bon frowned at her.

“And who are you and why should I tell you anything, woman?” he demanded, trying to make himself look bigger by thrusting out his chest. Grinning evilly, the woman grabbed his shirt and easily lifted him off the deck again so he was face to face with her.

“I'm the engineer of the Ship of Aurora, kid. Name's Neli. As for why you should tell me, if you don't, I'll stuff you down into the bilge and pump you out into the sea!” she said flatly. Bon swallowed nervously.

“You make a good point, Neli,” he conceded. The woman set him down.

“That's better, kid,” she smiled. “You got a name, or do I just keep calling you `kid'?”

“My name is Bon,” supplied the kid. “As for the engine…” he began.

“There you are, Neli, Bon,” came Gram's voice from the hatch to the rest of the ship. Neli turned to smile at Gram.

“Good to see you again, Gram,” said the woman, nodding to him.

“I see you have met Bon,” chuckled Gram. “Bon, as you can guess, these are crewmen from the Ship of Aurora,” he explained. Bon nodded.

“Yeah, I figured as much,” he said. “Any more of them running around loose?” he asked his friend. Gram nodded.

“Matter of fact, yes. Ester is manning the bridge and will be helping us out from there. You missed meeting Milhe and Sala.” That reminded Gram of something. “Oh, Bon, I sent Shie back to the Aurora with Sala and Milhe. I think that Megumi might be able to help her,” he relayed. “If you want to go check on her, we can get you over there.”

Bon shook his head. “Maybe a little later, Gram,” said the young man. “We still have to fix the engine.”

“Actually, Bon,” Gram said, “I think that from here on, Neli and I are going to have to do the rest.” Seeing Bon's look, Gram moved to soften the blow some. “You do pretty good at mechanical stuff, but this is more advanced stuff, and Neli and I are better suited to it, in any event.”

“If you say so, I guess I'll go help Vess,” said Bon. Gram bit his tongue to keep from telling Bon that nothing that Vess was doing was within his area of expertise. Instead, he chose another task.

“Rather than that, I need you to start running down the damaged circuits and repairing them,” ordered Gram. “Get the list of damaged circuits from NAMI and Ester on the bridge, track the problem, and replace or repair as necessary. The sooner we get all the control circuits back up, the sooner we can beat feet out of here,” he reminded the younger man.

“I'm on it, Gram!” responded the young man, who nearly dashed off. Neli watched him go.

“Eager kid,” she mused to Gram. Silently, Gram nodded. “Still, you should have warned him about Ester. If he gives her any gruff like he gave me, she's likely to beat his head down to his ass for it,” she chuckled. Since the incident surrounding the Naval Witch's last birthday, word had gotten around - thanks to Enora - just what her background was, and the crew of the Ship of Aurora had had to re-think the way that they treated her. After all, if she could beat the shit out of Poipoider, Aki, Junior and Yagami with only a section of conduit - while wearing only a sheet - then what could she do when fully dressed and equipped?

Gram blinked. “I don't think he'd do that…” he frowned. “NAMI, you monitoring?” he asked.

“Of course,” came the immediate reply.

“Good, let me talk to Ester,” said Gram. “Ester, you there?” he asked an instant later.

“Yes, Gram. What do you need?” asked the woman crisply.

“I sent Bon to get the list of damaged circuits from you. If possible, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't kick his ass if he gives you some attitude; it's been a rough few days for us all,” he pre-apologized for what the younger man might do.

“Understood, Gram,” came the crisp reply.

“Well, now,” sighed Gram. “Guess we need to get going on that engine issue,” he said to Neli, rubbing his eyes. Neli gave him an assessing look before grabbing his arm.

“First, I think you better get some coffee going,” she said. “You look about half-asleep, and these older engine types are not very forgiving of mistakes when you're elbows deep in them,” said the mechanic. “Besides, the coffee on the ship has been shit since you left,” she grinned at him. Chuckling, Gram followed her to the galley.

“Tell you what, Neli,” said the young man as he quickly got a pot of coffee going, “When we get this ship to a dry dock somewhere for major repairs, I'll cook for you guys for your help,” he offered. Feeling a hand on his arm, he turned to look at Neli.

The woman shook her head. “No, Gram,” she said quietly. “We owe you a lot more than this,” said the mechanic. “We'd be glad to have you cooking for us, but not because you think you owe us,” said the woman. Gram didn't know what to say to that.

“NAMI, tell Vess and Ester that coffee is on in the galley,” he called out to his AI. “How are we doing on control systems repair?” he thought to ask.

“They have been notified, Gram. Currently, control systems are still inoperable, but three have already been repaired. At this rate, the repairs will be complete in five hours. Once the engine has been repaired, the ship will be able to surface, or operate under reduced efficiency until we can dry dock and overhaul the hull and systems.”

“And it'll take a dry dock to fix us this time,” muttered Gram. Neli watched the coffee slowly brewing.

“Just what happened to you, Gram?” she asked, taking the nearest seat. Gram shook his head.

“No offense, Neli, but I only want to have to go over this once, so I'll tell you when I tell Captain Elizabeth,” he deferred. “Honestly, I'm more concerned about how to pay for the repairs to the ship. Guess I'll have to work off the costs, somehow,” he mused.

“Gram, what are you thinking? If you show up at a city-ship, you'll be shot on sight!” protested Neli. Gram blinked.

“Why?” he asked. Neli groaned.

“Hey, NAMI, patch us through to Ester,” called the mechanic. A moment later, Ester answered.

“What is it, Neli?”

“They don't know about the news flash, Ester,” said Neli. “Looks like it's going to have to be Harras.”

“The Captain won't like that,” noted Ester.

“Not my problem,” shrugged Neli. Gram listened to the conversation, confused.

“What news flash?” he asked the two. For a moment, nothing was said. Then, Ester spoke up.

“Gram, we really have to talk, but right now, we have to get your ship somewhere out of sight and get the repairs going.” She paused, then spoke again. “I'm heading down to the galley; I think I will need some coffee myself.”

-

Enora yawned before tossing back the sheets and covers. Looking around the cheap hotel room, she ran a hand through her hair. Better hotel room, definitely, she promised herself, snagging her pack and rummaging in it for a moment before pulling out her travel toiletries and making her way to the bathroom. Just short of the bathroom door, she back tracked and grabbed her PCD, checking it for messages as she started the shower. Waterproof, shockproof and nearly indestructible, she wasn't worried about keeping it handy while showering.

With nothing of interest going on, she stepped under the spray, swiftly washing her hair, scrubbing herself down and taking a moment to let the warm water wash over her. Twenty minutes later, she shut off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying herself off, finding that the towel didn't absorb the water on her skin so much as scrape it off. “Definitely a better hotel,” she muttered aloud, seeing that her skin had a faint reddish tint once she was dry. Shrugging, she dropped the towel on the floor and padded over to the bed, tucking her small travel bathroom basket back into her pack and pulling out some lotion, which she swiftly applied to her irritated skin.

Done with morning issues, she stretched once more before getting into the main compartment of her go-pack and withdrawing a pair of panties. Stepping into them, she selected a mid-thigh length skirt and a simple top, wiggling into it before smoothing out her outfit. Looking at herself in the crooked mirror on the back of the door, she smiled. Turning back to the unmade bed, she grabbed up her clothes from the day before and swiftly bundled them into her dirty clothes bag, compressing it down, then tucking it into the go-bag. Visually sweeping the room once more, she slung her bag over her shoulder and exited the room.

Uppercity was a tourist trap, really. Enora had spent a few weeks there, taking in the sights, before she had been snatched up as a hostage by the student revolutionaries. Snorting at the memory, Enora wondered briefly how they were doing. Hope they didn't die when that city-ship sank, but there was no way that I was going to stick with those bozos, she thought, only the tiniest bit of guilt under it. Leaping into Gram's arms had proven to be the right choice several times over. “If only there wasn't Vess,” she sighed.

Her mood brightened as she recalled that there was a good place to grab some eats not to far from where she was. Moving with greater purpose, Enora quickly found the small shop in full morning swing. Working her way to the counter, she yelled her order to the counter person nearest to her, and eventually, she was able to secure her plate and muscle her way back from the press, finding an open seat in the corner of the cramped diner. Tucking her pack across her lap, she got comfortable and twirled the fork in her fingers, digging into her breakfast.

Quickly working her way across her plate, she tried to just focus on her meal, instead of obsessing over how she could find the Ship of Aurora or Gram. Gradually, the sounds in the diner wormed their way into her awareness, and she looked up to see everyone watching the holo-vision over the counter. “Hey! They got another one!” cheered one suit-wearing patron. Enora frowned, focusing on the report.

“…and this makes the fifth pirate vessel sunk this week. This can be seen as another victory in the campaign to make Mars safe for its citizens,” the anchor's cultured, smug voice. “While this vessel was a relatively small fish, as it were, the sinking of the Deep Sea Mako - a pirate vessel of the corvette-class - is some small measure of pay-back for the loss of the Earth Forces patrol frigate EFV Talisman two weeks ago to the dread pirate Kuberness. All citizens of Mars should rejoice that one more pirate ship has been brought to justice, thanks to the united efforts of Earth Forces and Mars Defense Force ships.

“Though the crew of the Ship of Aurora and the ship herself escaped justice months ago, it is only a matter of time before our allies in the Earth Forces and our own heroes in the MDF bring them once more to justice; and this time, we all pray that it will be the foul pirates' final justice.”

Enora glared at the new report. “Lying bitch!” seethed the girl. Just like last time, they are playing to the people without regard to truth or accuracy! How can anyone believe such shit? she marveled. Looking around the diner, though, she saw that many were opening celebrating the victory. Enora debated spitting at the holo-vision, but crushed that impulse. Attention was not what she needed right now. Besides, the best revenge would be to find Gram and the Aurora and fix their asses for good! she decided. As the news break finished, she saw a familiar corporate logo flash across the screen as the channels changed feed back to normal broadcasting.

“Lauren Worlds Broadcasting and Media Group,” she murmured. “Figures!” she spat angrily. Several of the closest diner patrons turned to look at her distrustfully. Enora ignored them. Looking back at the last third of her food, she found that she had no appetite left. Standing, she slung her around so it was looped over her shoulder, dropped her data glasses over her eyes and pushed her way - perhaps harder than necessary - through the press of people. “Later, tools,” she gritted as she broke free of the diner.

Angry, it wasn't until an hour later that she realized that she was sitting on the observation deck of the main tower in Ardena, staring out over the city. Uppercity was all gleaming white, clean windows and glitzy shops and museums; much like any city on Earth. Looking around, Enora realized that she might just have well stayed on Earth, if this was all she was going to see. Standing, she marched off the observation deck, taking the express elevator to the bottom of the tower, and from there, she began to look for a place she had heard of her last visit here: Undertown.

-

“Wow,” breathed Bon reverently as he climbed out of the work sub and onto the Ship of Aurora. Behind him, Vess easily swung out of the work sub. The blonde looked around the basic hangar area before tossing her head toward the hatch.

“Through there, Bon,” said the girl, all business. Behind the girl came Aki, who had been pressed into shuttle driver. He had been awestruck upon meeting Gram's legendary girlfriend, Vestemona. While the crew had seen her before, most notably when he had stolen a kiss from her on the dock when she had tried to capture him, they had never gotten a good look at her, and even though her hair was now shorter, Aki had immediately fallen for her; hard.

“Hey, Vess, I'll be happy to guide you to…!” he called out. She didn't even look back at him.

“I memorized the entire layout back when I was chasing you all,” said the blonde. “I'm fine,” she added shortly. “Left, Bon,” she directed her charge. Aki sighed.

“Now that is my kind of girl!” he breathed reverently.

“I thought any girl was your kind of girl,” came the mocking voice of Yagami. Aki scowled at him.

“Shut up, Yagami,” shot back Aki. Yagami smirked at him.

“Take my advice, Aki,” said the Reaper, “that girl is all edges - she'll shred you in an instant if you get too close to her,” warned the RB ace. “Besides, the only one she sees is Gram,” he noted. I can understand now why we could never get rid of her, he thought.

“Ha! I'll catch her eye, you just watch!” bragged Aki. Yagami shook his head.

“It's your funeral, Aki,” he dismissed the topic.

“Aki, you have that stuff loaded yet?” came the voice of Captain Elizabeth. Aki flinched.

“Um, almost!” he lied.

“Stop standing around mooning after another guy's girl and get to work! We are totally exposed here!” she yelled at him.

“Yes, captain!” he replied, hurrying toward the mechanical supply room.

On the bridge, Elizabeth shook her head. “That boy has a lot to learn about women,” she muttered to herself. In truth, she was a bit worried about her own first meeting with the former Earth Forces soldier, former daughter of the Lauren family, and current partner and lover of Gram. A small tickle of unease had been playing at the back of her mind since Ester told her that Vess was going to be coming over to the Aurora to check on the girl.

Clara, once more lying serenely on the command couch, purred slightly. “I'm looking forward to meeting this Vestemona girl,” she observed casually. “She must be something very special to have ended up with Gram,” noted the cat.

“She'd have to be, to keep up with that kid,” offered Poipoider. “I'm more interested in those two kids with them, and how they fit into the picture,” shared the Beluga whale.

“Gram never really told us much about his past,” mused the captain. “Suppose we'll have to pry if we're to get any answers from him.”

“Captain,” came the voice of Ester, still manning the bridge of the Ship of Hope, lying directly beneath the Aurora, the two linked by a communication tether. An instant later, a window popped open on the main display, and the bridge saw Ester sitting in a chair, clearly busy with something. “Neli reports that the repairs are nearly complete, and we can test the engines within an hour or two. Command and control circuits are green, environmental controls are nominal, fuel is sufficient, stores are secured, flooded sections drained, and bilge prepared for pump once the main engines come back on line,” reported the first officer, eyes roving around. One of her rare smiles graced her lips.

“Captain, I think I can safely say that we got here in time,” she said quietly. “We saved them,” she whispered, leaning back in the comfortable-looking command chair.

“I wouldn't necessarily say that, Ester, but I do share your relief,” replied the older woman. “So, how do you like the Ship of Hope's bridge?” she teased the Naval Witch. Ester blushed slightly.

“It is comfortable,” she admitted. “They have an AI that is based on MAKI. They named her NAMI, and she is quite the versatile ship's system,” the girl deflected the topic. Elizabeth smirked at her first officer.

“Is that Gram's chair, Ester, or Vess's?” she sniped.

“It is the captain's chair,” replied Ester. “It is the easiest place to coordinate things from, after all,” the girl once more deflected the question.

“At any rate, call me when you are ready to start the engine. Out,” she said, ending the transmission. I think that Gram and my crew bonded more solidly than I had thought, she realized.

-

Vess stepped into the sick bay on the pirate vessel, glancing around for a moment before she spotted the dark-skinned doctor sitting beside a bed at the far end of the room. Stepping quickly toward her, she saw that the familiar blonde head of Shie was peeking out from under the sheet covering the bed. Stopping beside the seated doctor, Vess saw from the outlines of the sheet that Shie was still curled up into a ball, hugging herself.

“How is she?” asked Vess tightly. Beside Vess, Bon slowly reached out and patted his sister's head.

“Shie? It's me, Bon,” he said. “Are you feeling any better?” he asked her. A slight tremor in her body was the only response. Bon swallowed with some difficulty. Looking at Vess, he sought reassurance. “She'll get better, right, Vess?” he asked her.

“Of course she will,” assured the older girl. Green eyes flittered to the dark eyes of the doctor. “Anything?” she asked the woman simply.

“Megumi is going to see her a little later; after dinner. Right now, I have given her a little something to help her rest. She is exhausted, but can't seem to sleep, so I thought it for the best that she get some rest,” explained the dark-skinned doctor. Vess nodded curtly.

“I see,” said the older girl. The doctor was studying Vess with great interest.

“The girl isn't the only one that could use some sleep,” noted the doctor. “You look about ready to fall over, Vestemona,” she said.

“I'm fine,” Vess assured her. “Gram and I will catch up once the Ship of Hope is in dry dock,” she added. Her eyes slid to Bon, who was unconsciously yawning as he stroked his little sister's hair. “But you, Bon, should rest while we can,” she said firmly. The young man blinked at her.

“But, I have to give Gram and you a hand, Vess,” he protested. Vess shook her head.

“You won't be much help if you are staggering around half asleep,” argued the blonde. “Gram and I have some things to do right now, but they don't require you. Shie needs you right now, Bon, so take this time and get some sleep,” she said, her tone inflexible. Bon knew that tone.

“Ok, Vess,” he said, stretching. Grabbing the edge of the bed, Bon rolled onto the bed next to Shie, carefully getting settled, and was asleep within five minutes. Sala's attention was on Vess, who watched the two for a few moments before turning toward the door.

“Call me or Gram if something comes up,” said the girl, used to being obeyed. “I'm heading for the bridge; Gram should be here soon,” she explained. Just as she reached the hatch, it slid open and a short, pink-haired boy rushed through, colliding with Vess.

“Oomph!” he grunted, staggering back. Vess caught her balance, her feet settling into ready position as her right arm came up to guard position. Catching sight of the girl, the short boy laughed nervously.

“Uh, sorry about that,” he offered her. Vess stared at him.

“Junior?” came a girl's voice from behind the young man. Stepping sideways, he made room for a young, short girl to come into the sick bay.

“Megumi, this is Vestemona,” came Sala's voice.

“I know,” replied Megumi, studying Vess in a very odd manner. “I can hear that,” she added. Sala rose and stepped closer to the three.

“Vestemona, this is Megumi Higashibara,” she indicated the girl, “and her boyfriend, Junior,” she made the introductions. “Megumi, the girl is back there,” said Sala. Megumi nodded.

“Ok, but I came to ask you if you wanted supper,” said the girl. “Gram arrived here a few minutes ago, and is cooking dinner for us, as a thank you,” beamed the girl. Sala's stomach growled.

“Finally,” breathed the woman happily, “real food!” She and Megumi shared a content, expectant smile. Vess frowned at the odd mood.

“I take it there was trouble with the food?” she asked. Junior snorted.

“Since Gram took off on us after the execution, we've had nothing but slop and indigestion,” he carped. “I never thought that I would miss being stuck on kitchen duty, but I wouldn't mind washing dishes for another six months if it means that Gram is cooking again!” he exclaimed. Vess dismissed the topic.

“Excuse me,” she said, moving forward again. Sala read her intentions.

“Vestemona,” said the taller woman, “you might as well go to the dining room; no one will be on the bridge if Gram is in the kitchen,” she laughed softly. “Can you find the dining room?” wondered the doctor.

“No problem,” assured Vess, slipping between Megumi and Junior and moving off down the corridor.

“Man, she's as cold as Ester,” muttered Junior. Megumi frowned.

“No,” said the girl quietly. “She's not cold; she's just like Gram inside,” said the psychic.

“Like Gram?” wondered Sala. “What do you mean, Megumi?”

The small girl with the gifts locked gazes with Sala. “Vess is angry because she's scared.”

-

“There you are,” said Vess, smiling as she stepped into the dining room and spotted Gram working on the small galley kitchen's stove and range. Around him, stacks of food were laid out. Glancing up, he saw his girlfriend in the door way.

“Vess, how is she?” he asked directly, returning the smile.

“No change yet, but I met Megumi,” replied the girl, seeing the room packed with the crew of the Ship of Aurora. Moving between the tables and crewmen, she could feel their assessing gaze like ghostly hands on her. Being Gram's girlfriend certainly makes for an interesting time, she thought idly. Moving to the kitchen, she easily slipped over to Gram and hugged him carefully, even as he tended to the food. In the room, she could hear whispers spreading. “Our ship?” she murmured into his ear.

“Ester and Neli are setting up the pumping and purging schedule and charging the drained packs,” said Gram, eyes on the food. “Once Milhe and grandpa eat, they are going over to relieve Ester and Neli. Once Ester and Neli have eaten, we're going to have a meeting with Captain Elizabeth and the others,” said Gram. Vess nodded.

“Maybe we can get some answers,” said the girl.

“That would be a refreshing change of pace,” agreed Gram tightly. Raising his voice, he called out to the assembled crewmen. “Ok, guys, the first batch is ready! Come and get it!” Instantly, the pass-though counter was slammed with pushing, shoving pirates. Chuckling, Gram unloaded all the cooked food, swapping in fresh servings as he took off the cooked food. Vess worked her way to his side and helped him without a single word.

The two gladly lost themselves in their work, and it was a surprise to find themselves serving Elizabeth, Ester and Neli some of the last of the food. Inhaling the smells deeply, Elizabeth sighed. “Oh, that does smell heavenly!” she exclaimed. Gram shrugged.

“Heavenly would be some of Anna's nippory,” he said, grinning at Vess. “We didn't pay her for that last one, did we?” he recalled. Vess smiled.

“We were a little busy, you will recall,” she responded. “I still don't know what you were thinking, coming back to Ardena when your face was plastered all over those wanted posters,” she huffed. Gram shrugged.

“The ship was leaving the area, and I wanted some nippory,” he defended his actions. “It worked out pretty good,” he added, slipping a hand behind her back to lightly pinch her toned ass. Vess suppressed an excited shiver.

“Glad one of us thought so,” sardonic overtones colored her retort. Gram chuckled.

“You didn't have to shoot at me, you know,” he noted. “I thought you wouldn't mind a kiss,” he added.

“It wasn't the kiss that I minded, Gram!” protested Vess, turning slightly to glower at him. “It was your sticking the nippory down my shirt!”

“I needed both hands, Vess, and didn't want to drop the nippory, so it was the only thing I could do. Why did that make you angry enough to shoot at me?” he wondered. Vess blushed a little, looking away.

“Never mind that,” she said. I was mad because it wasn't your hand, idiot! she silently screamed. Behind the counter, Vess's hand caught Grams, interlacing her fingers with his and giving his hand a squeeze.

Suddenly, the two lovers became aware of the cat-calls and hoots from the assembled crew. Both felt color rise to their cheeks, but not very much. It was easy for them to forget that they weren't on their ship, alone, and able to talk freely. Focusing on the current situation, they saw that the now well-fed crew were enjoying the show the two were putting on. Chief among them were Elizabeth, Ester and Neli.

“You know, that kiss is making a lot more sense, now,” noted Elizabeth dryly. Ester's lips were twitching slightly, like she was trying to suppress a smile.

“You know, Vess, that stunt of his made him a god among the crew of this ship,” noted Neli, grinning easily at the two. “Not too many people are brave enough to face down a gun, let alone counter it with a kiss,” she observed, taking a huge bite of her steak.

“Knowing that she was your girlfriend makes it a little less incredible,” came Yagami's voice from farther back in the dining room.

“Like you could of pulled off anything half as cool!” scoffed Aki. “That was one sweet move, Gram,” the corded RB pilot assured the young maverick. Neli snorted at that.

“Like you're some Casanova, Aki! You cratered big-time with your `lady of the seas', you'll recall!” she taunted him.

“Oh, yeah?!” came the immediate reply. “At least I have a love life! Anyone ever seen you with a guy?!” he challenged her. Neli just grinned.

“If the choice is between you and machines, I'll take machines,” she counter-lunged cleanly. Aki's face went red. The rest of the crew were happily watching the verbal fight go back and forth, their heads turning from side to side like they were watching a tennis match. Forgotten in the small kitchen, Vess watched the pirates, half puzzled, half amused.

“They aren't how I imagined them,” murmured Vess to Gram, her voice so soft that he almost didn't hear her. “Were they always like this?” she wondered. No wonder Gram bonded with them so solidly; these are the kind of people we grew up with, reflected the girl. Her hand tightened ever so slightly on his.

“Pretty much, yeah,” breathed Gram in reply, a content smile on his face. “Back then, it would be about now that Enora would jump into the fray,” he recalled fondly. “It kind of surprised me how well the grand daughter of some stuffy Earth politician fit in with this crew,” he shared.

“It's not so surprising, Gram,” came the quiet, yet clear voice of Megumi. Blinking, the two saw her holding a plate and standing in front of the pass-through. “Sala hasn't eaten yet, so I thought I would take her some food and get started with your friend,” she explained the plate. Silently, Gram dished up the last of the food. As the girl started to turn away, Vess noted that she hadn't finished her initial thought.

“What did you mean by saying that it wasn't surprising that Enora fit in here?” she asked the quiet young psychic.

“Oh, that,” recalled Megumi. “It's just that you and she have a lot in common, Vess,” said the girl, smiling at the blonde. Gram and his girlfriend exchanged a puzzled look. It wasn't until they heard the door hiss shut that the two realized that the room was silent again. Looking out over the watching crew, Gram sighed.

“Might as well have that talk, Captain Elizabeth,” he said quietly. The raw-boned woman nodded.

“Yes, but not here,” said the captain. “I think we should have it on the bridge,” she noted. Turning to the crew, she named off her war council. “Ester, Neli, Milhe, Clara, Poipoider and Yagami, come with us,” she directed. “The rest of you, get back to work!” she yelled. Swiftly, the room was empty.

-

Enora slowly moved down the street, looking around her like some tourist. This place is practically another world from Uppercity, thought the girl. Looking at the worn, run-down and somewhat neglected town around her, she found herself thinking of Gram and Vess. So, this is what made them who they are, the girl reflected. All around her, the poor were moving about their business, most of them with the grim visage she had only seen in ancient documentaries from before the Pan-Galactic war. A frown creased her face. Why didn't Gram's face have this look to it? She mentally compared the looks on the faces of Gram and Vess, realizing that Vess didn't bear this look either, though she had greater excuse not to.

Her reverie was disrupted by a bump on her side. Blinking to clear her thoughts, she spotted a young kid moving away from her. “Sorry!” she called after the young form, only to have the kid suddenly sprint off. In that instant, her data glasses reported that her PCD was moving away from her. “You thief!” she snarled, giving chase. Tapping her glasses, she activated the beacon function on her PCD and locked it remotely. Slowing to a jog, Enora followed the beacon, swiftly moving off the main streets and through twisted alleys formed by conduit and mechanical works that supported Uppercity.

“Where is that little brat going?” wondered the girl aloud, ducking under a low-hanging, thick-diameter pipe. Beneath her boots, she tried not to notice the pools of water scrummed over with rust and algae, and the occasional squishing sound or crunch. Checking her beacon arrow, she saw that she was getting closer to her PCD's location. “'Bout time,” groused the girl, turning sideways and sucking in her breath to shimmy through a narrow gap between two buildings. For once, she was glad that she was somewhat compact in the chest. Rosetta would never make it through here; hell, bet even Vess couldn't! she thought smugly.

Emerging onto a sparely-populated street, she checked her display and moved forward at a slow walk. Minutes later, she was looking at a rickety door to a room that was barely the size of her shower back on earth. Her beacon told her that her PCD was inside. Silently, she sneaked closer, peeking around the gap in the door. On a make-shift bed, a small child was trying to get the PCD to work, but the display only showed a closed padlock and flashed the display `STOLEN' over and over.

Deciding to be a little mischievous, Enora touched her data glasses, released the lock and opened one of the sound files on her PCD. From the small device, an ominous melody began to play, moans and shrieks slowly emerging, the pace picking up. Watching the small thief desperately try to stop the growing crescendo, Enora snickered to herself. That ought to teach that little thief! she thought. I never thought that my `Dutchman's Surprise' ringer would be useful, though, she recalled.

Having had her fun, she pushed the door open. “You should be careful who you steal from, kid,” she said casually, plucking the PCD from the kid's grip. “You can't tell who might be carrying a cursed phone these days.” Discreetly, she shut off the ringer, and returned her PCD to her case. Studying the kid, she found herself looking at a young…girl, she decided. Seeing the eyes shifting between her and the small gap between the door and her hip, Enora raised her hands in a calming gesture. “Easy, kid,” she said. “I'm not going to call the cops,” she assured him.

The kid didn't respond verbally, but withdrew as much as she could in the tiny space. Enora wondered what to do next. Her stomach had an idea, growling impatiently. Putting a hand on her stomach, she realized that she had no idea where she was or how to get back out of there. “Tell you what, kid,” said Enora, having hit upon an idea, “if you show me how to get back to the place where you stole this from me,” she tapped her PCD, “I'll buy you lunch. Deal?” she asked, smiling her best `nice girl' smile.

“You…will?” asked the girl quietly. Enora nodded.

“Sure I will. Why wouldn't I?” she asked rhetorically. “I mean, you have to be starving to try and steal right on the street,” she explained.

“You won't hurt me?” asked the girl. Enora frowned.

“Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?” she wondered, mostly to herself. A snippet of conversation between herself and Gram came back to her. “You're an orphan, aren't you?” she asked softly. Slowly, the girl nodded.

“I thought so,” sighed Enora. “My name's Enora,” she introduced herself. “What's your name?” she asked.

“Cass,” came the scared reply. Enora managed another smile, though it was harder than before.

“Well, Cass, it's good to meet you,” she said. “How about we go get that food?” she suggested. Carefully, Cass eased off the bed, her eyes on Enora. Glancing around the dump of a room, she spotted a small picture wedged into the corner of the crude window. Blinking, she studied it closer. “That's Gram and Vess,” she breathed, shocked. Reaching out, she plucked the picture free. Gram was standing next to Vess, who was dressed in a pair of small, tight shorts and a tee-shirt, hair pulled back in a pony tail, leaning against a bike. From the look of it, it was near the military base. Both of them looked younger than she remembered them.

“Cass, do you know who this is?” she asked the girl, who had frozen when she reached for the picture.

“No,” came the reply. “It was here when I found this place,” she offered nervously. Enora slowly tucked the picture into her pack. Giving the small girl another smile, she assured her that it was ok.

“So, how long have you lived here?” she wondered as Cass led her through a maze of narrow passages.

“A few months,” came the disinterested reply. “No one was using it, so I thought I would live there,” added the girl. Minutes passed, then she actually got up the nerve to ask Enora a question for a change. “Are they friends of yours?”

“Yes,” said Enora. “In fact, I came back here to find them,” she said. Moments later, she and Cass emerged to find themselves not too far from where they had first met. “Well, Cass, where is a good place to get some food around here?” she asked the younger girl. Silently, Cass headed down the street in the direction that Enora had been going.

When she saw the girl stop in front of a tight little shop, Enora glanced at the sign. “'Anna's Nippory Shop'?” she read aloud. That sounds so familiar, she thought to herself. Where did I hear about this place from? Suddenly it hit her. “Gram and Vess!” she blurted, all but carrying Cass into the shop.

Behind the counter, an older woman looked up as Enora burst through the doorway. Due to the time of day, there were only a couple of people in the narrow, shallow shop. “What can I get for you, miss?” she asked cheerfully. “And is that for here, or to go?” she added by rote.

“Do you know a man named Gram River?” blurted out Enora excitedly. “Or Vestemona Lauren?” she added hurriedly, still holding Cass. The woman blinked.

“Why, yes, I do…” she began.

“Give me two of whatever they usually get!” demanded Enora, finally releasing Cass. The young orphan scrambled onto a stool and avidly watched the woman quickly make the food on the small grill.

“If you don't mind my asking, young lady,” said the cook, “but what might your name be, and why the interest in Gram and Vess?” she asked.

“My name is Enora. I'm a friend of theirs,” explained Enora, watching as the woman sliced the thick roll of nippory into chunks and covered the stack with sauce of some kind. Setting a plate in front of each of the two, Anna watched Cass devour the food almost as fast as she breathed air. Enora was more cautious about it.

“So, you're a friend of theirs, you say?” prompted Anna. “Hate to tell you this, but they up and moved off somewhere nearly a year ago. Every so often, I hear from them, but nothing more,” said the woman, watching Enora slowly eat the food. Enora nodded.

“I know. I have to find them, though,” said the girl, finding that this `nippory' stuff was good, if not what she was expecting. “It's…personal business,” she said. Anna leaned back against the counter.

“Vess and Gram go back a long way, Enora,” she said casually. “Not many here about will be interested in helping you find them,” she warned the girl. Enora considered that.

“The bulletin,” she realized a moment later. “I'm not looking for them for the reward!” she denied hotly. “I was with Gram on the Ship of Aurora, you know!” she snapped angrily. Anna turned to look at Enora, surprised.

“You're a pirate?” she asked, disbelieving. Enora considered that.

“Well, I guess I am, technically, since I was on the crew, but originally, I was kidnapped by some crazy students,” she shared. Anna found herself nodding.

“I remember something about that,” she said. “I seem to recall that someone said that you couldn't come back to Mars,” she added. Enora's lips tightened.

“They tried, but here I am,” she said quietly. Beside the girl, Cass was watching Enora's plate with a predatory eye. Seeing the look, Enora smiled. “Give her another, will you?” she said, Anna quickly making up another. Cass inhaled that as well.

“About those two,” began Anna, only to stop when the small chime above the door rang. Looking over, she saw two policemen enter the shop. Beside Enora, Cass tensed. Enora reached over and put her hand on Cass's shoulder.

“Can I help you?” asked Anna, her tone distant.

“We're looking for a small child that has been stealing things around her lately,” said the cop. “Someone reported seeing one come in her a bit ago,” added the cop. Spotting Cass, he stepped toward her. “That one looks like the reported criminal.”

“If you have something to say to my sister, you'll have to say it to me first,” said Enora, blocking the man. The cop stared at her.

“Let's see some ID, girl,” he barked. Enora reached into her pocket for her PCD, but her fingers brushed the data card instead. Blinking once, she pulled out the data card instead and handed it to the cop. Swiping it through his scanner, he read the data. As he read, his face turned pale.

“Sir! So sorry to disturb you, sir!” he said, snapping to attention and saluting her before offering her card back. Enora plucked it from his grip. The man saluted her again before all but running out of the shop. Glancing at the card, Enora frowned.

“That was odd,” she muttered. I mean, my Earth Forces military ID should have just backed them off, but they seemed almost scared that they had questioned me, the girl wondered. “What the hell is going on around here?” she wondered.