Mars Daybreak Fan Fiction ❯ Haunting Past ❯ Chapter 13

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 13

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Uppercity's premier living section was located higher than the rest of the city-ship, and was populated by a small circle of apartment buildings surrounding a small park. Supposedly, it was supposed to be a reminder of old New York City back on Earth, though none of the residents had seen New York City when it actually had living plants on the island; in fact, most of them had never even seen the place, being Mars-born natives. In the largest building, the apartment home of Mars Administrator Anna Grace occupied the top floor.

The sun had barely started to touch the top of the orbital stalk, and everyone was asleep in the building. Or, more accurately, the residents were asleep; three figures in dark uniforms slipped out of a stairwell, forgoing the elevators. Each was wearing a pair of combat goggles, urban warfare helmets, combat vests and tactical boots. In their hands were suppressed assault rifles, the tail guard's rifle equipped with a twenty millimeter smart-fused grenade launcher. Each soldier had secure radios, but they were switched off and would remain that way for the next twenty five hours.

Reaching a `T' intersection, the three stopped, the leader kneeling and carefully checking each direction before straightening and hand-signaling a quiet advance to their objective. Silently, the trio advanced down the hall, sweeping the apartments they passed with the thermal imagers built into their combat optics units. So far, their mission was going exactly as their operational plan had laid it out. Reaching the door at the end of the hall, the three did a quick, silent final check of their gear, then the leader eased the door open and the three of them disappeared behind the door.

Riding the private elevator to the penthouse apartment, the three got into a line, one behind the other, ready to move. The elevator pinged and the door slid open, the lead shooter moving immediately forward. Looking through the optic group on the rifle, the heat of their objective guided them through the lavish apartment. Reaching the bedroom door, the second trooper swung around to the opposite side of the door while the third knelt and - after a final sweep of the rest of the apartment - turned and grabbed the handle to the room. Feeling a silent slap on his left shoulder, followed a moment later by a slap on his right shoulder, he turned the latch and shoved the door open.

Immediately, the two on either side of the door pivoted around the edges of the room, taking up position on either side of the door, the third man brining his gun up. All three of the operators settled their assault rifles on the lump in the bed. An instant later, all three of them opened up, full auto. The comforter, sheets, mattress, pillows and target disintegrated under the river of slugs, the suppressed rifles making a sound not unlike three popcorn poppers going mad.

Seconds later, the gunfire ceased, the magazines empty. All three silently, swiftly locked fresh magazines in place, the leader moving forward to confirm the target's sanctioning. As the dark-clad soldier moved forward, they pulled a digital camera from their gear load, the better to confirm mission success. Behind the leader, the other two moved forward, covering their leader. Reaching the shredded bed, the leader flicked on the high-intensity LEDs that served as the tactical light under the stubby barrel of their rifle, the focused white light illuminating the wreckage.

“What the…?!” gasped the leader an instant before an excruciatingly-bright flash of light blinded the three, accompanied by a bang! that partially deafened them - even with the goggles and urban combat helmets. In the bare seconds that they were disoriented, the room was suddenly filled with wispy clouds of gas. Five seconds after the startled exclamation of the lead trooper, all three were unconscious on the floor of the bedroom of the Administrator of Mars. Thirty seconds later, a half-dozen mask-wearing figures entered, quickly spraying a counter-agent into the air before one of them knelt to give each unconscious combatant a hypo of drugs.

Once that was done, the three resting intruders were swiftly stripped of their combat gear, bundled up in what was commonly called `bind bags' and schlepped out of the room by the half dozen defenders. By the time that the other residents of the apartment complex were stirring, awakened by the dulled sound of the explosion, all nine of the black-clad soldier - the three intruders and the six defenders - were gone, leaving the sleepy building security officer to assure everyone that happened to ask that it was just a piece of furniture dropping onto a floor.

-

“Target in sight,” said the weapons officer. On the cramped bridge of the patrol ship, the captain nodded.

“Got guidance?” he asked his weapons officer. The woman nodded.

“Confirmed lock,” she reported. The captain checked his watch.

“Prepare to engage,” he said. His weapons officer disengaged the safety lock-out on the forward torpedoes.

“Preparations complete, awaiting orders,” confirmed the woman. Beside her and slightly below her, the communication and sensor officer spoke up.

“Captain,” he said, “I have an intermitted contact, closing from two three two,” reported the man.

“Odor-print?” asked the captain. His sensor man shook his head.

“Negative,” he replied. “Acoustic is intermitted as well, but there is definitely something coming in,” he insisted. “And from the partial plot, it is hauling ass, sir,” he added. The captain checked his watch.

“Time to intercept for bogie?” he asked.

“I make it just over two minutes,” said the sensor man. The captain frowned.

“Range to contact?” he asked. His sensor suite was supposed to be state of the art, after all, and should out-range anything on Mars.

“Just closing on twenty six klicks,” said the man. The captain blinked.

“How long did you say intercept was?” he asked his officer.

“Less than two minutes, sir,” said the man.

“Son, that's faster than any SHIELD ship out there,” said the captain. “It must be a torpedo,” he suggested. The man shook his head, frantically moving his hands on the controls of his station.

“No, sir,” he replied. “It's got way too much mass to be a torpedo,” he stated firmly. “It must be a SHIELD ship,” he persisted. The captain quickly ran options through his mind.

“Weapons, fire a full spread,” he snapped. “Helm, come around to zero eight zero degrees, flank speed,” he directed, hearing the four torpedoes launch.

“Aye, sir,” replied the helmsman, “zero eight zero, flank.”

“Sir!” yelled the sensor officer, “unknown ship has moved to intercept the torpedoes! Interceptors fired!”

“Will they make it?” demanded the captain.

“It will be close, but I think our fish will beat them to the mark,” the man said. An instant later, the other three on the bridge of the ship heard him gulp nervously. “Sir, the target is a cruiser, sir,” he said.

“Cruiser?” parroted the captain. “What the hell is a fucking cruiser doing way out here?” he asked rhetorically. “Is it MDF? What does the IFF say?” he snapped at his sensor man.

“No match to MDF profiles, no response on IFF,” replied the sensor man. “I'm accessing combat logs,” he added a moment later. “Gah!” he jerked a second later.

“What's wrong, sailor?” demanded the captain.

“It's the Ship of Hope, sir!” the man said. An instant later, the crew heard some faint clicks and booms.

“Our fish?” asked the captain.

“Intercepted,” replied the sensor man. “Target remains, repeat, target remains,” he said. “Pirate vessel closing on us,” he added. The captain's jaw tightened.

“Prepare to engage the enemy vessel,” he ordered his crew. “Communications, load the ship's combat data and captain's log into a relay buoy,” he directed. “Add audio-only message as follows: Ship of Hope sighted, engaging on site. Outcome in doubt, recommend re-tasking Crimson Leaf One and Two to pursue and sink Ship of Hope. Primary target missed, mission incomplete. Set buoy to release if this ship is sunk or disabled,” ordered the captain.

The three officers on his bridge stared at him. “We're going to take this patchwork ship up against a cruiser?” came the incredulous voice of his weapons officer.

“And the Ship of Hope, no less?” chimed in the sensor man.

“Sir, we might be able to evade them,” added the helmsman.

“You have your orders!” yelled the captain. After a moment, the three turned their attention back to their instruments. In his seat, the captain understood all too well what they were thinking; after all, he was thinking the same thing. To go up against a ship like that is suicide, but this mission is black-ops anyway, he silently carped to himself. I can't believe that none of our agents found out that the Hope was still around! What the hell are our agents doing?! Still, he had volunteered for this mission, seeing it as a quick way to flag rank and political clout. Who would have believed that these pirates were this good? Or that the MDF was actually competent? he asked himself. Clearly, things had been overlooked in the conception of the mission.

“Sir, RB unit launched from the Hope!” yelled his sensor man. “RB is heading straight for us!” he sang out.

“Get our own RB's out, then!” snapped back the captain. His weapons officer feverishly worked on doing just that.

“Units aren't responding, sir!” she reported. “Something is jamming the controls!” she hissed.

“Use the short-range anti-RB fish,” ordered the captain, “set to minimum hold, full spread,” he ordered her.

“Loading and fusing now, sir,” came the tense reply.

“Enemy RB unit is inside arming range,” gritted out the sensor man. The bridge shook and the metal groaned. “They're attacking our RB control unit, weapons tubes, and communications systems,” reported the sensor man. Systems began to turn yellow and red in rapid order. The captain gritted his teeth.

“Launch the buoy,” he said quietly. This fight is over, he thought angrily. An instant later, he was almost knocked out of his chair by an explosion from their stern.

“Propulsion and ballast are off-line!” yelled the helmsman. “We're dead in the water, sir!” he yelled. Moments later, there was another sharp pang! from above the bridge. A few moments later, there was an electronic squeal, followed by a woman's voice.

“You are disabled and under our guns,” she said, her tone hard, inflexible and crisp. “Surrender your vessel,” she demanded. Silently, the captain accessed a sub-routine with his personal command code. Inputting his commands, he closed the interface.

“I assume you are Vestemona Lauren,” the captain said, guessing that the hull-mic would pick it up. “The infamous Earth Forces Elite traitor who turned pirate,” he accused.

“Lauren was never my name,” came the indifferent reply. “and I'd say that what you are doing here on Mars is the act of a bunch of traitors,” she counter-accused. “Without orders from the President of Earth, you came here, sunk MDF ships and city-ship full of civilians, and now, you are moving up to sneak-attacking merchant ships. Real heroes, you guys,” she snorted.

“We are patriots,” said the captain thinly. “Something you would never understand, you orphan scum,” he sneered.

“Really?” she snickered. “Who's in a busted-ass ship, hmm?” she taunted him. The captain closed his eyes.

“We'll see who laughs last, bitch,” he murmured an instant before the ship's engines and magazine exploded, the self-destruct command obliterating the ship.

-

“We've taken a hit! Aft upper armor plate is buckled!” yelled Poipoider. Elizabeth growled.

“Yagami!” she screamed, “will you please knock that god damned torpedo raft out of commission?!” she repeated her orders to the ace RB pilot.

“I've got my hands full at the moment, Captain,” came the tense reply from the young man. “Junior! Get your ass in gear!” he snarled at the rookie RB pilot. Glancing at his tac display, he saw that the Junior's Vector of Affection was almost two miles away, tangling with three corded RB units.

“Hey!” came the hot-headed response from the kid, “I'm not exactly sitting on my ass, you know?!” he complained. Yagami twisted around and cut the head off one of the five units on him.

“Useless as expected,” he muttered. His RB is aptly named! he silently bitched. Junior is `affected', all right! What I wouldn't give to have Gram here with me instead of that screwball; or better yet, Vestemona and her Buckler, he thought, his lips twitching into a small smile. He had taken a bit of a shine to the girl - taken or not. Unlike Aki, however, he had no immediate plans to try and move in on Gram's woman.

Forcing those thoughts from his mind, he began to work his way toward the two `patrol ships' that the Aurora had surprised as they lined up an attack on the MDF naval yards at Gate. They had decided to jump the gun and go straight in before the ships could launch their attack, thus sparing the naval yards. The problem, as it turned out, was that apparently no one had bothered to tell the MDF and Earth Forces fleets at anchor that the Aurora was on their side. Both fleets had scrambled, and unless the Aurora could put down the two bogus patrol ships, they would be facing the might of the combined task forces.

Even now, the remote torpedo rafts were entering the fight. So far, the fast handling of their ship, its superior armor and the combined experience and skill of the crew had allowed it to evade damage, but the most recent impact was the second one in two minutes, and there were still incoming fish from the raft, the bogus patrol ships, and the closing task forces to deal with. “Captain, we're almost surrounded,” called out Clara from what had been Ester's station. “I suggest we withdraw,” she added. A near-miss torpedo detonation punctuated the suggestion.

“Hell,” huffed Elizabeth, “I'm all for it, but we have to put those patrol ships down first, or they might use the confusion of the fight and the inevitable pursuit of us to attack the ship yards!” she argued. Clara studied the tactical display that currently dominated the bridge view screen.

“Very well,” she said, getting an idea. “How many torpedoes do you suppose are left in that raft?” she asked the Captain. Elizabeth frowned.

“Don't know,” she admitted. “Maybe a dozen or so, given the size,” she guessed. Clara nodded her furry head.

“If Yagami can draw the two patrol ships close enough, we can hit the raft with a daybreak attack, dump depth mines from the lateral launchers, and use their own torpedoes to finish those two ships off,” she suggested. The large woman studied the display intently, her green eyes narrowing as she processed the pros and cons.

“You talked me into it,” she said hurriedly, spinning the wheel. “Daybreak attack, MAKI,” she added to her AI, who configured the hull and engines for the ramming attack. “Yagami!” she yelled into the short-range radio mic, “lead those bastards toward the raft!” she directed. “Junior! Quit screwing around and get back to the ship on the double,” she added to her wayward newbie RB pilot.

“Got you, Captain,” came the reply of Yagami. He had swiftly sorted out her intent and began to work the ships into position. Junior managed to break free and ran for home, with Aki's corded units providing security as the Aurora pitched her bow up and accelerated directly at the raft, which was just under the surface of the Martian seas.

In apparent response, the raft pumped out four more torpedoes, but the battleship was too close, the heavily-armored and reinforced prow shrugging off two of the torpedoes and ignoring the other two as they detonated against the trailing edge of the ram. Elizabeth braced herself. “Once we hit, dump the charges!” she yelled at Clara, who was using her claws to maintain her position.

“Aye, Captain,” agreed the feline calmly. As a cat, she had the reputation of the feline family to uphold, and therefore she had to be calm, controlled and graceful in all conditions. Moments later, the ship lurched as it slammed into the unmanned raft, slicing the twin decks in half with the ram, and driving on through the target, the lateral defensive line scattering the depth charge mines in the middle of the sinking debris and unfired torpedoes.

“MAKI, get an odor-print decoy torpedo ready,” called the captain, pushing the ship into a dive, the conning tower and upper deck momentarily breaking surface. “Yagami back yet?” she called out to Neli.

“No! Still engaged with the two enemy ships,” shouted back Neli.

“Damn it, boy,” gritted Elizabeth, “hurry up or you'll get left behind,” she whispered. Once the ship turned to run, there was no stopping for anyone. “How's it looking, Clara?” demanded the woman.

“Looking good,” replied the cat. “Enemy ships are within the blast range of the charges and the torpedoes are sinking in a tight pattern with the mines,” she added. “All we need is Yagami to get back on board and we're out of here clean,” she noted.

“And where is the boy?” wondered Elizabeth, the ship nearing flank. His RB was fast, but if he didn't hurry up, he would not be able to catch them to dock with them.

“Still working on the corded RB units,” replied Clara. “Oh! Wait, he's breaking contact,” she continued. “Now on an intercept course for docking,” said the cat, relieved. Elizabeth sighed in relief.

“Once he's aboard, we'll head for the hills and shake these bozos,” she directed them. “As soon as we're clear, let's find some hiding place and check the damage,” she added.

“Aye, aye, Captain,” came the reply from her crew.

-

A burst of rifle-fire crackled down the hallway, vying with the klaxons and alarms filling the air to be heard. Down the corridor, the lights were blow, the back-up emergency lamps flickering and failing as the defenders made ready their Alamo. Overturned metal desks and crates were piled in front of the door to the command center. “Did we get him?” demanded the now-ranking officer.

“Dunno, Sarge,” came the reply from the specialist crouched next to the bloodied sergeant. “He didn't shoot back just then,” noted the specialist. Fumbling around, the sergeant tried to find a fresh magazine for his assault rifle.

“How's the ammo for that scattergun?” he asked his specialist.

“Last mag,” replied the man, “and it's half gone; at least,” added the soldier.

“Corporal?” he called out, seeing the third soldier wedged into the corner. “You alive, Pasil?” demanded the Sarge.

“I think she passed out from blood loss, Sarge,” answered the specialist.

“Shit!” spat the man, finding a loaded magazine at last and slamming it home. “Her gun loaded?” he asked. The specialist reached over and carefully pulled the submachine gun from the third soldier's hands, ignoring the sticky red blood on it. Pulling the mag free, he found himself looking at the magazine follower.

“Bone dry,” sighed the specialist, dropping the gun. “You?”

“Last mag,” said the Sarge. “Grenades?” he wondered. The specialist shook his head. “Great,” muttered the sergeant. How the hell could pirates - let alone just one! - take us out like this?! he asked himself.

“Any luck with the failsafe?” he yelled into the command room, where another specialist lay flat on his back under the command console, desperately working on the circuits.

“Nothing happening, Sarge!” came the frustrated reply. “Whatever the hell they did, it's frozen up the system, scrambled the scuttle command sequence, and is shredding our security measures,” he complained. The sergeant peeked over the lip of their barricade. In the patches of smoke intermittently lit by the failing emergency lighting, he thought he saw something move. Jerking his rifle up, he fired a three-round burst at it, getting some sparks, but nothing else.

“Bastard,” spat the Sarge, ducking back down. “Guess his reputation as the most dangerous pirate on Mars was well-earned,” he allowed. Well, Kuberness, come see what Earth Forces Elite can do! he thought savagely.

“Think any of the others made it?” wondered the specialist. The Sarge stared at the man for a moment. From deeper in the complex, they heard a muffled thump! which was followed quickly by the emergency lighting going down. What was left of the ventilation system also failed, the air turning thick and cold very quickly. Behind their barricade, the three surviving members of the Special Forces team that had been sent to Mars hunkered down and waited for the last attack to come.

Instead of the expected attack, a voice came down the pitch-black corridor. “Surrender, and I will spare your lives,” came a rich baritone voice, dark with the kind of dangerous edge that practiced killers have. “I have what I came for, and I am going to be turning this entire base into flotsam,” the voice went on. “If you surrender, I will spare your lives,” he repeated.

“What do you think, Sarge?” whispered the specialist. “Play along, then ambush him later? Three on one?” he suggested.

“Yeah!” seconded the second specialist, who had crawled up to the barricade face when the power went out. “We might even be able to use his ship to help clean up the mess he made,” pointed out the second specialist. The sergeant closed his eyes.

“Check on Pasil; see if she has a pulse,” said the soldier. A few moments later, the first specialist answered his question.

“She's dead, Sarge,” said the man. The non-com sighed.

“Well, that's that,” he said to himself. “Hey! Kuberness!” he yelled out.

“What's it to be?” the pirate cut directly to the chase.

“See you in hell, motherfucker!” yelled the sergeant, sweeping his assault rifle in an arc, killing the two specialists before tucking the barrel under his chin and firing.

-

“Where are we?” asked Anna as she and Poe climbed out of the stealthy recon sub and onto the military dock at Ardena's MDF main port. Doolittle saluted her.

“We're doing fairly well, Administrator Grace,” said the thick Captain. “We got the three poison pills, and I managed to locate the shunt, by the way,” he added quietly. “I've got them on ice somewhere safe for the moment,” he returned to the original thread. “Bad news is that not all of our teams got their targets in time.” He paused to glance at his small portable terminal. “We lost eleven men, two enemy units escaped, there is damage in three prime city-ships, though nothing that can't be fixed in reasonable time.”

“Which three got tagged?” asked Poe. Anna grimaced at the interruption.

“Ligaoga had its banking and tourism center bombed, but they were able to evacuate everyone in time. Minor injuries to a half-dozen people, but the data system and a lot of data were lost or corrupted. It will take a couple of weeks to get it all sorted out. Gate had sapper charges placed in the weapons depots, which were found and disarmed, but when the sweep found the team there, they were planting charges in the environmental section of the ship,” Doolittle paused, “when cornered, they detonated the charges, killing themselves and damaging the sewage, fresh water and electrical grids enough to mandate a temporary shut-down of close to half the city-ship's utilities. I'm told that it will be five days before it comes back on-line over there.”

“And the third?” asked Anna. Doolittle sighed.

“Planis Meridia's team managed to assassinate the administrator, take out the police station and destroy the ballast system before our troops got to them,” said the Captain. “The city-ship is sunk on the bottom, but is structurally sound and should be raised by the end of the week. Other than the administrator, the casualties include the sheriff, six deputies, four assistant deputies, two secretaries and one drunk,” he finished his report.

“A drunk?” wondered Anna. Doolittle nodded.

“Early reports say that a man was arrested for public disorder when he stripped naked, climbed up on the bar, and began to pee in everyone's beer,” said the Captain. “He was locked up in the holding cell to dry out,” he explained the casualty.

“He peed in people's beer?” wondered a stunned Poe. He knew some crazy and wild people, but that was something he had never heard of.

“Yes,” confirmed Doolittle. “It wasn't until someone noticed that the cops were called, though,” he added dryly.

“That's all well and good,” snapped Anna impatiently, “but can we stick to the topic?!” she hissed. Both men glanced at her with bland expressions.

“Certainly, Administrator Grace,” said Doolittle.

“Such Grace under pressure,” sniped Poe snarkily. Anna scowled at the former leader of the Mars Independence Front.

“It's your head on the line now too, you know,” she reminded him. Niall bowed his head in acknowledgement of her point. Turning back to Doolittle, she got back on track. “Where do we stand with Earth?” she asked him quietly as the three of them piled into a sedan with MDF plates. The driver barely waited for the doors to close before accelerating away from the dock area.

“Honestly, I'm not sure,” admitted Doolittle. I haven't been able to establish contact with our ace in the hole, and no one from Earth has been calling the shunt, either, so my best guess is that President Taft is not yet ready to act.”

“What is he waiting for?!” growled Anna. “The polls open in three days!” her frustration was clearly heard. “Poe, has any of your contacts reported sighting the Aurora or the Hope?” she asked the man. Poe shook his head.

“They disappeared a week ago, and no one has seen them since,” he said. “I tried to find them through my contacts at Liberty, but no one is answering,” he added. Doolittle frowned.

“Strange, I thought that they would have contacted us by now,” he muttered.

-

“How are you feeling, Vess?” asked Enora, carefully removing the bandage from the side of Vess's head. The blonde grimaced.

“Like I hit my head on something hard, Enora,” she replied crossly. Enora finished removing the bandage and began to carefully check the scalp wound.

“Well, it looks like it's going to heal up just fine, Vess,” said the girl, gingerly probing the wound. “And it's far enough back that any scar will be hidden by your hair,” she added, hoping to cheer up the blonde. Vess sighed.

“Is it healed enough that I can take a bath now?” she asked the girl. Enora considered the wound.

“Well, as long as you don't get your head wet, the wound should be fine,” she said. Vess hadn't been able to take more than a cursory shower since the incident. When the vessel had unexpectedly exploded under her RB, it had tossed her around in the cockpit, bruising her body up and giving her the gash on her head and another on her side from slamming into edges of the control panels.

“Good,” grunted Vess, swinging her legs off the bed and standing, catching her balance as she did so, her head throbbing incessantly. “Ugh,” she shared with Enora. The younger Earthling took Vess's arm in her own.

“I think I better go with you,” said Enora, the two moving toward the door to the captain's cabin.

“Gram? Ester?” wondered Vess.

“Ester's on watch, Gram's working on the Flick,” said Enora. “They both came by earlier, but you were sleeping, so they didn't wake you,” she added. Vess hummed.

“What did Gram say about the damage to Flick?” asked the blonde, turning into the bathroom. She reflected that it was fortunate that she was already naked, since she seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and bending over was likely to be an iffy deal. Beside her, Enora swiftly shrugged out of her vest, top and shorts before stepping out of her ship-board boots. Steadying Vess with one hand, she turned on the shower and adjusted it before helping keep Vess in the spray while keeping the spray away from Vess's healing wounds.

“Gram said that it looked like he could repair it with just the BALLS on board and some materials that he stockpiled,” Enora relayed, grabbing the body wash and beginning to carefully scrub Vess down. Vess said nothing, deciding to just hold onto the hand-holds in the tile and let Enora help her.

“And Ester?” wondered Vess as Enora worked her way methodically down her body from her face and neck toward her toes.

“Ester said that we would be docking at Ligaoga tomorrow morning so I can call grandpa,” said the girl. Vess blinked.

“Ligaoga,” she breathed. Enora nodded.

“Um, I'm going to be going into the settlement alone, Vess,” said the girl. “Ester and Gram think that it is dangerous to remain there, so they are going to dock, let me off, then ship off.”

“We're going to leave you there?” asked Vess, confused. Enora shook her head.

“No,” she said, “well, not for long, anyway. I'm going to call granny Garma from the dock, and meet up with her and some of her friends, who will be looking out for me. Gram said he would make a run to that spot where the satellite misses once a month to leave a message capsule for the Aurora, just in case, then come back.”

“That leaves you alone for too long, Enora,” insisted Vess. Gram and I were born and raised on Mars, but Enora is an Earthling - and she's only been on Mars twice now! What is Gram and Ester thinking, leaving her alone in a possibly hostile city?! she wondered. “What if someone recognizes you? Or if there is an attack?” wondered the girl out loud.

“Gram said that the Hope will make the run at full power, so I will only be alone for about a day,” said the girl. “Besides,” she said slowly, “I volunteered for this, Vess,” she admitted. Vestemona turned to look into Enora's brown eyes.

“Why would you do that, Enora?” asked the blonde. Enora glanced away from the girl for a moment.

“Well, because I'm the only one who can, Vess,” she said. “Besides, there is something I want to ask Granny Garma about,” she added. Vess's eyes told her that the blonde wanted to know more about the second part.

“It's just something that she was talking to be about before Gram and you found me,” she said. Vess didn't say anything, and her expression told Enora that she was still looking for more details. “It…kind of has to do with…well, you know…us,” she hinted.

“Do you mean `us' as in `we' or `us' as in `us'?” asked Vess, holding the girl's gaze.

“The second one,” whispered Enora, feeling color on her face. Vess hummed.

“Well, if you're sure,” said the blonde. “I still think that we shouldn't leave you there alone,” she said. Enora worked her way past Vess's knees.

“I've got to pull my weight, Vess,” she said quietly. “I…I just do,” she added. She felt Vess's hand pat her head before sliding across her cheek.

“I'm glad to hear that, Enora,” said the blonde, her tone warm and supporting. “Now, how about you finish up and let's soak for a bit?” she suggested.

-

“Administrator Grace, it is a pleasure to speak with you directly,” came the voice from the secure video conferencing link. Anna Grace smiled professionally. Seated next to her - but outside the immediate camera angle - was Niall Poe. Guarding the door was Doolittle.

“President Taft,” she replied. “To what do I own this honor?” she danced. Everyone knew why they were talking on the eve of the election back on Earth. The race for President of Earth was teetering in favor of Lauren, who had run hard in the weeks before the election on a platform of Martian security and development, attacking Taft's stance of `hands off' governance.

“It has come to my attention that a renegade faction of Earth Forces has been captured on Mars while involved in irregular activities, and I wanted to contact you directly to enquire if you need any assistance in quelling this disturbance, Administrator Grace,” the man said in his `professional politician' tone.

“Why, President Taft!” cooed Anna, “you must have read my mind, because I was about to contact you myself about this matter,” she said. “As it happens,” she went on with the script, “we were able to quell this incident our selves by resolving our differences with the other political party on Mars, as well as through the gallant efforts of the Mars Defense Force,” she said.

“Well, I must say that is quite an accomplishment, Administrator Grace,” applauded the President. “Tell me, what have you learned about this situation?” he asked the woman. Anna kept the smug smile off her face as she and the President of Earth delivered a performance worthy of their political standing.

Poe was brought in half-way through, and in due course, the Administrator `suggested' that Mars was ready for independence from Earth, contingent upon admittance into the general assembly as a nation. During the staged debate on that, it was suggested that at the minimum, Earth should recognize that Mars was not a colony any longer, and should be recognized as a separate entity.

Eventually, the talk turned to such things as ambassadors and embassies and the like. During this phase, the issues of the pirate factions came up. Anna assured the President that Mars could handle the pirate problem - as he called it - by offering an amnesty if they gave up their pirate lifestyle. When challenged about how many would accept such a thing, Anna had assured him that the ones doing most of the damage would be willing to discuss it, after the recent troubles.

As the conference wound down, Anna graced eloquent about the intelligence of Taft's `hands off' policy toward Mars, and recounted the trouble that the involvement of `business men from Earth with political aspirations' had caused. She went on with a spiel about the organisms that were slowly bringing life to Martian seas, and the upturn in tourism since the Aurora incident. By the time that they signed off, she was all but singing his praises.

After the transmission has ended, Anna exhaled and flopped back into the couch. “Tell me that we got what we need,” she said to Doolittle, who had a small unit in his hand. A few moments later, he smiled at the woman.

“Oh, I think it safe to say that it was received,” he assured her. “I have our friend monitoring the shunt, so we should have a reaction pretty quick,” he added. Anna turned to Poe, who was staring out the window, his face vaguely troubled.

“What's your problem, Poe?” she asked him sourly. “You got what you wanted, right?” she accused him. Poe blinked at her, his mask falling back into place.

“Why, yes, Administrator Grace,” he replied. “I was just thinking about the future, that's all,” he said. Anna watched him suspiciously.

“What about the future?” she asked him. He grinned at her.

“I believe that I will throw my hat into the ring in the up-coming election for President of Mars,” he said silkily. Anna's smile was as fake as press-on nails.

“Oh?” she replied. “I wish you good luck, then - seeing as how you will need it to run against me!” she added harshly. Doolittle quietly let himself out of the room. There was still work to be done, after all.

-

Beneath the dark blue oceans of Mars, the Ship of Hope sliced along, running at cruising speed toward a rendezvous with the Ship of Aurora and Kuberness at a specific sea mount on the frontier of Mars. Gram noticed that it was half-way between Morgan Drift and Taklen, in fact. Aboard the ship was the crew of four: himself, Vess, Enora and Ester. This meeting would, if things went according to plan, mark the final stage of their plan. It could very well end the age of piracy on Mars, as well.

Since the fast run through Ligaoga, they had been operating blind in regards to how the plan was working, though when they met up with the other two ships, they would use whip antennas to scavenge for news; the better to make their choices. Gram reflected on this as he and Vess reclined in their comfortable command chairs. He had relieved Ester on watch, and the Naval Witch was grabbing a few hours of sleep while Enora was supposed to be making some food in the galley.

“Hey, Vess?” he said quietly, knowing that Vess would hear him.

“Hmm?” came her reply from next to him.

“Do you realize that if this goes right, we will be back in the `normal' world again?” he asked her. Vess nodded.

“Yes, Gram,” she said, reaching over to catch his hand in her own. “What about that?” she asked him.

“Do you think we'll miss it?” he asked her. She was silent for a few moments while she considered that question.

“While we might miss the excitement of it, I think we will be fine being normal people again, Gram,” she said quietly. “Won't we?” she asked him, a touch of worry in her voice. Gram knew what she was thinking.

“We will be fine, Vess,” he assured her. In silence, the two of them held hands on the bridge. Several minutes after their first exchange, Gram spoke up again.

“Hey, Vess?”

“Yes, Gram?” she answered, turning her head to find him looking at her intently.

“What would you say to becoming Vess River?” he asked her. Vestemona blinked. Is he…? she wondered. Gram was watching her, a small smile on his face and a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“I…what are you saying, Gram?” she breathed, her heart rate kicking up as the implications of what he had said bounced around in her mind.

“Well, it's just that you aren't Vestemona Lauren any more, and since we're together, I though you might like to take my last name,” he said innocently. “I am an aboriginal chief, after all,” he grinned at her. Vess's luminous green eyes blinked at him.

“Gram…” she breathed.

“So, you don't want to?” he asked her innocently. “And here I am, finally thinking about tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that…” he went on evilly. “You always said that I should be thinking of the future, right?” he said. Unwillingly, Vess found herself giggling.

“Well, you certainly are thinking about the future now,” she admitted, smiling at him. “But I don't know,” she teased him. “What if some younger girl catches your eye?” she asked him. It's not like I'm specifically referring to Enora, now is it? she told herself. Gram squeezed her hand gently.

“You'll just have to trust me, I guess,” he said. Vess could understand that.

“I see,” she said softly, wiggling her fingers so they interlaced with his fingers. “I trust you, Gram,” she breathed softly to him. “But I think I should ask you if you trust me,” she said quietly. Gram blinked at her.

“Of course I trust you, Vess,” he said immediately. “Why wouldn't I?” he asked her. She smiled at him, but didn't address that issue in her reply.

“I think I will wait to answer that question until this is all over, Gram River,” she said firmly. Seeing his uncertain look, she smiled at him, stretching over to kiss him. “Trust me?” she breathed.

“Ok, Vess,” he said, stealing another kiss from the girl. Re-situating themselves, the two kept their hands joined.

While this was happening on the bridge, Enora was finishing up the dinner preparations, her mind on other issues. She had, in fact, talked with granny Garma about what was on her mind. And at the first chance she had gotten, she had taken Vess aside and talked with her about what Garma had told her. She had gotten the impression that Vess wasn't caught off guard by the topic; in fact, it seemed to the Earthling that Vess had almost expected it.

Their secret meeting had ended without a firm decision from Vess about the issue Enora was obsessing over, though Enora hoped that that was a good sign. As the ship raced from spot to spot in search of any straggler enemy faction ships, Enora had wondered if - and how - to broach the subject with Ester. After all, she's mixed up in this as well, the girl thought. Strange, but I have a closer relationship with Ester than I do with Vess because of what happened on the Aurora during my first visit here, mused the girl.

It occurred to her that Ester had opened herself up to her more than she had realized during that phony mutiny. Thinking about the alien, she came to the conclusion that she should just up and say it the next time that she was relatively sure that they were alone and not likely to be interrupted. Smiling, she realized the absurdity of what she was doing. “Talking with Vess and Ester, when it's Gram at the core of the issue,” she muttered to herself. Guess we girls are more comfortable with each other when it comes to things like this, she thought idly, finishing the last of the prep of the food.

“NAMI,” she called out, the icon of the ship's system popping up on the communication panel. “Food's ready; where are they?” she asked the AI.

“Vestemona and Gram are on the bridge, and Ester is resting in the cabin,” said the AI. Enora pursed her lips. “Should I call them for you, Enora?” prompted the AI. Enora shook her head.

“No, NAMI - I'll get them myself,” she said, quickly packing the food into the cooler. Dropping her apron over the back of the nearest chair, she swiftly moved out of the galley and to the master cabin. Reaching the Captain's cabin, she let herself in, finding the small form of Ester resting in the middle of the bed.

Moving over to the bed, Enora carefully climbed over to Ester and gently shook her shoulder. “Ester,” she called softly. Almost instantly, the red eyes of the Naval Witch opened, the girl sitting up, the sheet falling to her hips.

“What is it, Enora?” asked the girl, hiding a yawn. “Is something wrong?” she asked the young girl.

“Not exactly,” said Enora, tucking her legs under her. Ester studied her in the dim light.

“I see,” she replied tonelessly. Enora licked her lips.

“Dinner is ready,” Enora began, “but before we eat, I wanted to talk to you in private,” she said. Ester studied her.

“In private?” Ester parroted the girl. Enora nodded.

“Ester, can you tell me about the customs of your people?” Enora asked obliquely. Ester frowned.

“Customs?”

“Yeah,” confirmed Enora.

“What customs, exactly?” wondered the small woman.

“Well, I was curious about…family structures,” Enora hinted, feeling her cheeks color. Ester was silent as she considered the girl.

“This is about Gram,” stated the Naval Witch. “Isn't it, Enora,” she prodded.

“Umm, well, yes,” admitted the girl. “But more than that, Ester, it's about…the future,” she said softly.

-

“Well, well,” came Captain Elizabeth's voice as the communication cable locked on. “Look who's here,” she said, grinning at Gram over the link. Gram grinned back. On the bridge of the Hope, he and Vess were in their chairs, and Ester and Enora were in the sub-stations.

“Good to see you, Captain Elizabeth,” he replied. “Seen Kuberness?” he asked the older woman. Elizabeth shook her head.

“Not yet, Gram,” she said. “I would bet he's near-by, though,” she added. “I've gotten occasional faint pings that I think are him playing spooky again,” she said dryly. “How are you liking crewing on the Hope, Ester?” she asked her former First Officer. Ester's cheeks warmed up slightly.

“I'm loving it, Captain,” she said quietly. “In fact, I'm staying on the Hope,” she added, looking up to meet Elizabeth's eyes. The large woman gave her a single nod.

“I knew you would, Ester,” said the Captain warmly. “How are you, Enora?” she asked the grand daughter of the President of Earth.

“I'm great, Captain Elizabeth!” the girl responded happily.

“That's good to hear,” replied Elizabeth, “and you Vess?” she asked the blonde. Vess smiled at her.

“I'm ready to get this over and done with,” she said simply. Elizabeth nodded.

“I think we all are,” she began, only to have MAKI and NAMI interrupt.

“Torpedoes closing fast from behind, starboard and port,” the two AI's reported as the alarms sounded on both ships. “Contact with unknown vessels to port, starboard and dead ahead,” the two added.

“Fire decoys, bring the engines up to full!” snapped Gram. “We'll take the ones dead ahead and to port, Captain Elizabeth,” he said. “You go after the one to starboard,” he added.

“New contact from behind,” chimed in NAMI.

“Signature of ship dead ahead suggests it is Kuberness,” shared MAKI.

“How about our three friends?” asked Elizabeth.

“Profile is not on file,” came the reply.

“The destroyers,” breathed Gram and Vess in perfect synch with each other.

“That's right,” came the voice of Kuberness, interspersed with the sounds of detonating torpedoes. “They've been chasing me for hours now,” he growled. “Three of them, three of us,” he continued. The other two captains understood where he was going.

“Let's give them a proper greeting from the pirates of Mars,” smiled Elizabeth, her smile the scary kind.

“We've got the one to port,” said Vess.

“Starboard is mine,” added Elizabeth.

“The last one is mine,” confirmed Kuberness, the ships roaring away toward their respective targets. This time, they knew, they were facing ships-of-the-line from the Earth Forces Navy, not some lightly-armed merchant ship or city-ship. As the three ships split up and began to hammer on the intruders, they discovered that they were in for a fight like they had never seen before.

Gram and Vess found that their Heavy Fast Cruiser-class ship was an over-match for the destroyers, though it was by no means a turkey shoot. Maneuvering and shooting, evading and defending, the ship had its hands full. “Vess, the Aurora is going to be at a disadvantage to these ships,” Gram noted.

“Yes, though Kuberness should fair better,” replied Vess. Neither had to ask where their thoughts were going.

“Once we get them, we go help Elizabeth, and then Kuberness,” they decided as one.

-

“A new day has dawned for Mars!” Anna Grace's voice pulsed forth from monitors, radios and public broadcast kiosks in every city-ship on Mars. All channels were carrying this broadcast, as well as several off-Mars affiliated media groups. “After a surprising turn in the closing hours of voting, President Taft has once more been elected by the constituents of Earth to the office of President of Earth,” she continued.

“One of his first re-election acts was to recognize Mars as an independent nation!” Anna crowed. “It has been a long, hard road, my fellow Martians,” she went on, “but finally, we are a sovereign nation!” She paused, anticipating that there would be a lot of audience reaction to this announcement. After what she felt was an appropriate pause, she once more spoke.

“Not only are we finally independent, but after strenuous efforts and arduous negotiations, we have found a solution to the issue of piracy, as well,” the woman went on. The camera panned back, revealing Niall Poe standing next to Anna Grace. “Though it was not easy, Mister Poe and I have resolved our differences, and together, we have made possible an amnesty for any pirate vessel and crew who comes forward and renounces their pirate ways,” the woman explained.

“I urge the captains and crews of pirate vessels to accept this offer,” Niall stepped in smoothly. “The recent situation is a warning of things to come. As happened on Earth so long ago, the age of piracy on Mars is ended!” he declared. “I am not promising an easy transition, nor am I offering you a life of ease,” he cautioned the entire audience. “Sacrifices will still be necessary, though hopefully, that, too, is nearing an end. However, for the betterment of all citizens, there must be changes; and one of the most important changes is an end to the piracy that has raged for so long on Mars. With our change in status, new businesses and opportunities are going to be coming to us,” he paused, focusing on the camera lens. “There will be no room for pirates in Mar's future,” he said solemnly.

Anna took her turn as Poe finished his brief section. “Another of the changes in our future is the re-organization of our government,” said Anna. “Even now, I have requested the assistance of Earth's Voting and Polling Administration in organizing the very first Martian Elections.” Once more, she paused, anticipating audience reaction to that news.

“You might wonder why we are going to be holding elections,” she guessed after several moments, “and the answer is that we - Mars - have requested membership in the National Federation, which mandates that member governments be elected. Over the course of the next two years, the entire governmental structure will be overhauled. Some positions that currently exist will be done away with, while other positions will come into existence. In accordance with the guidelines set fourth for membership in the NF, there will be a check-and-balance structure of government, as well as a national constitution within the next five years.” Anna paused, consulting her notes. “Further information and details will be made available to the public within the month, as the VPA representatives and monitors begin their work.” she added.

Niall Poe picked up where Anna left off. “During this transition period, there will be a major re-shuffling of Earth Forces and Mars Defense Force duties. We ask for the patience of the citizens and governing bodies of the city-ships as we begin the recovery from the events of the last few months,” he said. “Captain Doolittle of the Mars Defense Force is in over-all charge of the MDF, as well as acting commander of the Earth Forces currently on Mars. Captain Doolittle?” he said, motioning to the side of the podium that he shared with Anna Grace.

Dutifully, the camera turned to focus on the portly man, dressed in his flashy, ornate dress uniform. “Um, yes,” he said, seemingly a little out of his league, “with the unfortunate destruction of numerous city-ships by terrorists and renegades, as well as the damage done by the heavy anti-piracy campaign of the last two months, we face a daunting task of reorganizing, recovering and rebuilding. While all possible efforts to speed this process along will be made, I ask for the understanding of the citizens, as even the very best efforts will take some time.” he said, absently brushing his gold braid. “I have been promised the full cooperation of Earth Forces by President Taft, so our rather depleted resources will be augmented by those personnel,” he said, then seemed to realize something needed to be added. “I assure the citizens that any and all Earth Forces will be under the command and jurisdiction of Mars Defense Force, rather than the reverse,” he explained.

The camera swung back to the two at the podium, almost catching them physically fighting over the center spot behind the podium. No sooner had the camera returned to them than they both were suddenly calm, collected and polite politicians. “Uh, not only have we received emergency use of all Earth Forces resources on Mars,” Anna regained her script place, “but I have the personal assurance of President Taft that Mars will be receiving economic and humanitarian aid from the Nation Federation to assist our recovery after such devastating fighting. Already, several shuttles worth of supplies are bound for Mars, loaded with food, medicine, tools and materials,” she explained.

As Anna and Niall began to wax eloquent about the future, a group of people stood watching the broadcast. Standing at a food stall in the central dome of Harras city-ship, food in hand, they watched and listened to the pitch that was so crucial in anchoring their future. A young woman sipped her drink before speaking. “Man, you'd think that it was all their doing!” she groused. Next to her, a young man chuckled, glancing at the shorter girl fondly.

“Did you really expect them to tell everyone the truth, Enora?” asked Gram. Enora Taft shook her head.

“No, not really,” she replied. “But it was our work and our plan; you'd think that we'd at least get some of the credit!” she carped. Gram patted her shoulder.

“We'll get our due, Enora,” he assured her. On the other side of the young woman, a taller blonder woman nodded.

“That we will, Gram,” Vess assured her lover. “But not right now,” she directed at Enora. “Doling out the praise would complicate things, and it will be hectic enough for the next few years without adding any wrinkles to the mix,” she cautioned her young friend.

“I know, Vess,” Enora sighed, “but it's just not very fair, you know?” she asked. Gram and Vess both nodded.

“Believe me, Enora,” said Vess quietly, squeezing the girl's shoulder, “we know.”

On the other side of Gram, a red-eyed, black-haired woman was finishing off her food. Gram sent her an amused look. “Nothing to add, Ester?” he asked her. She shook her head as she swallowed the last of her food.

“No,” said the Naval Witch. “This is the expected outcome of the plan, after all,” she reminded the other three. Glancing around, she saw that the people around them were raptly watching the public address screens. “It seems to be going over well,” she added. Gram opened his mouth to answer, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement down the street. Waving his arm, he called out.

“Over here, guys!” he called, standing. Once he saw that they had spotted the group, he sat back down, finding that Vess had taken his drink, having finished her own, while Enora had stolen the last of his sandwich off his plastic plate. Chuckling, he offered his last couple of breaded vegetable sticks to Ester, who, after a moment of thought, took the offered food.

“Hey, guys,” came the cheerful voice of Neli. With her were Sala, Milhe, Junior, Aki, Yagami and Megumi. Perched on Neli's shoulder, Clara offered the foursome a toothy smile. “I see they have broken the news,” said the chief engineer of the Aurora as Clara daintily, skillfully, hopped off her shoulder and landed on Gram's shoulder.

“Yeah, the cat's out of the bag,” he said, scratching Clara's jaw gently. Clara purred. “Captain Elizabeth?” he asked the crewmen from the Aurora.

“Talking with Doctor,” shrugged Yagami.

“How is the Aurora faring?” asked Ester. The fight with the three Earth Forces destroyers had damaged the ship heavily, though not enough to sink her. After some minor repairs, Gram and the Hope had escorted the damaged battleship to the docks at Harras city-ship. Kuberness, true to his nature, had disappeared the instant that the last destroyer was sent to the bottom.

“Well, she's pretty beat up,” sighed Neli, seeing Milhe, Aki and Yagami getting food for their group at the vendor's stall. “Elizabeth and Doctor are debating rather or not to retire her,” said the woman, her tone low. Gram frowned.

“I see,” he said. “And Captain Elizabeth is really ok with that?” he pressed her. She shrugged.

“I'm not really sure,” admitted the woman. “Since we got here, she's spent every waking moment either discussing the ship with Doctor, or locked in his bedroom,” she grinned briefly, “but if I had to guess,” she whispered, “I think she's warming to the notion of retiring here with Doctor.”

“Captain Elizabeth is retiring?” gaped Enora, shocked. Neli shrugged once more.

“Just my gut feeling, Enora,” she reminded the girl. “She seems to have had a change of heart about it all since this last incident,” reflected the engineer.

“If she does retire,” asked Vess, “what are you all going to do?” By this time, the rest had squeezed into whatever space they could find at the table that the original four had taken. Ester was pressed to his side by Milhe, and on the other side, Enora was sitting in Vess's lap to make room for Aki.

“Well,” said Neli, “it's not like we have to make up our minds this instant,” she answered him, “since it will be a few years before anything is decided for good. But,” she went on, her tone warming, “I've got a line on a machine shop here in Harras that looks promising; and Doctor can get the very latest and best in equipment for me. This is probably the best mechanical city-ship on Mars, so what better place to set up that shop I was thinking about when we were after the gods stone?” she asked him. Gram nodded.

“Sounds good,” he responded. “What about you, Sala?” he asked the woman.

“With the recent fighting, medical professionals are in high demand,” the woman shrugged. “I have offers from hospitals and doctor's offices from Ardena to Ligaoga to Lowell to Gate and then some,” she said, smiling. “I think I can find a place that needs a good - if small - hospital,” she said.

“I have decided to be a nurse,” said Megumi, unsolicited. “I think I have the temperament for it, and I can use my gift that way without it becoming a problem,” she explained. Sala smiled at the young psychic. “But I'll only work with Sala,” she added, smiling back at her closest friend.

“Good for you, Megumi!” cheered Enora. “What are you going to do, Pinky?” she asked Junior, smirking at him. He scowled at Enora.

“I'm going to become a cordless RB instructor!” he bragged. Seeing the looks of the others, he blushed. “Well, after I get some more experience, anyway,” he modified his previous answer. Sensing the general trend the talks had taken, Yagami spoke up next.

“I have been offered a spot in the Mars Defense Forces,” he said. “I don't know that I am ready to wear a uniform again, though,” he expressed his doubts. And there is some unfinished business to take care of before that, he left unsaid.

“I plan on buying a house and plot of agricultural land in a frontier city-ship and raising crops,” said Milhe in his deep voice. “Maybe do some work with guidance systems on the sides,” he added thoughtfully.

“I'm going to go into business,” said Aki confidently. The others waited in silence. Aki didn't elaborate, so Vess just asked him flat out.

“What kind of business, Aki?” she asked him bluntly.

“Oh! I know!” tittered Junior, “you'll be a third-wheel-for-hire!”

“No,” interjected Enora, “more likely he'll be a call-boy for older, wealthy women,” she sniped.

“Better yet,” giggled Neli, “he'll become a `man of the seas' and search for damsels in distress - who already have husbands, of course!” she mocked him. Aki winced.

“Hey!” he complained. “I plan to go into the video business, if you must know!” he stated.

“You're going into porn films?” asked Yagami.

“He isn't equipped for that, Yagami,” scoffed Vess. Aki turned beet red.

“Maybe I should sell that video of you, then?” he gritted out, not thinking about what he was saying.

“What?” came Vess's sharp voice, her green eyes on him.

“Uh, I said `maybe I should shoot video of you, then',” he covered. Vess's eyes narrowed, clearly not believing his cover story.

“Not if you value your life, Aki,” she warned him ominously.

“Poipoider?” wondered Gram. Neli shrugged.

“He said something about a vacation to Earth,” said the engineer. “Apparently, he desires an all-you-can-eat buffet of fish,” she explained.

“How about you all?” came Megumi's voice, her eyes on Gram and his group. “What are you all planning?” she asked, her tone reflecting a certain prior knowledge; no doubt gained from subconsciously using her gift. Gram exchanged glances with the girls in his group.

“Well, we haven't really thought about it,” hedged Vess. “Where Gram goes, I go, but beyond that,” Vess trailed off, shrugging.

“I'm staying on Mars with Gram and Vess,” said Enora. “In fact, I am going to talk my grandpa into giving me either ambassadorial status, or getting my citizenship changed to Martian,” she smiled at no one in particular. Clara studied the smallest of the group.

“Heading back into space, Ester?” she asked, locking gazes with the Naval Witch. Color touched Ester's cheeks faintly.

“Not immediately,” replied the bi-pedal woman. “I think I will remain on Mars for the immediate future,” she said. I have time, after all, and I can always go back to space afterwards, she told herself.

“Crewing on the Hope?” purred Clara. Ester nodded silently.

“What about you, Gram?” asked Clara. Gram smiled, looking up at the dome of the city-ship.

“Well, I am the aboriginal Chief,” he said, “so I will have to tend to my duties there; mostly at Ligaoga, but other places as well,” he explained. “We're still planning to finish our world cruise on the Hope, but we have given some thought to getting a city-ship home in addition to the Hope; for relaxing between cruises or for while the ship is in dock,” he explained. Enora, Ester and Vess exchanged covert glances amongst themselves. Across the table, Megumi's cheeks colored slightly.

“How about you, Clara?” he asked the cat. Clara nudged the edge of her jaw against his jaw.

“Need another crewman, Gram?” she purred in his ear seductively.

-

 

“Vess? Gram?” called out Enora as she entered their house in the aboriginal settlement of Ligaoga. “You two home?” she yelled.

“Sorry, Enora,” came Ester's voice from the bathroom, “they are still in that meeting with the tribal elders and the city-ship's administration,” the shorter woman explained. “How was your day?” she asked the teen. Enora moved through the house to the bedroom, stripping off her clothes as she did so. Pausing only to grab a towel, she entered the bathroom finding Ester in the shower.

“Not too bad,” said Enora, “but those stupid `independent business group' people were making it their job to disrupt the hearings,” she complained, stepping into the shower behind Ester, who made room for her. “I can't wait till the year after next, when I can quit this ambassadorial shit,” she complained. Ester hummed, handing the teen the body wash.

“It was your choice to ask your grandfather for that, you know,” the first officer of the Hope reminded her playfully. Enora grimaced.

“I know,” she sighed, “but I had no idea it was so irritating!” she protested. Ester just smiled, absently rubbing Enora's side.

“Just hold on for a little longer, Enora,” she soothed the younger woman. Enora gave her a swift, warm smile.

“Sure, Ester,” said the teen. “Besides, we have that party tonight!” she burbled in anticipation. “When do you think they will arrive?” she asked the shorter girl, accepting the offered hand in scrubbing her back.

“Well, I have already been called by Sala,” answered the girl, “she arrived with Megumi and Junior in tow. Earlier this week, I heard from Milhe, who said he would be arriving on the inter-city-ship supply ship this evening. Captain Elizabeth and Doctor are due sometime this evening, though I haven't been able to find out when,” she filled in Enora. “Poipoider is already here somewhere; he said something about seeing a girlfriend before the party.”

“I guess he really does have one in every port,” mused Enora, recalling something that the Beluga whale had said during her very first visit to Liberty city-ship. Ester nodded.

“He seems to,” she agreed. “Neli is here, too,” she added. “She arrived to give a demonstration of her new actuator system later this week, and is already working on getting her gear checked and making sure that the demonstration hall has been booked, set up and prepared to her liking.” Enora used her hands to turn Ester around, beginning to reciprocate the back-washing Ester had given her.

“What about Clara?” wondered the girl.

“She is coming back from closing the spokesperson deal with that gourmet fish importer in Gate,” said Ester. “She called me from the dock, where she was about to depart with her agent for here; she'll be back home in plenty of time,” Ester answered her. “I haven't heard from Aki since that incident with Vess six months ago,” she added, her tone cooling significantly. Enora frowned in distaste.

“I can't say that I don't want to see him,” said the girl slowly, “but I might slap him myself,” she admitted. Ester nodded.

“I will definitely be…thanking him personally for that bit of stardom,” said Ester tightly.

“I think Vess might thank him again,” noted Enora, not entirely upset at the notion. “How long was he in the hospital last time?” she wondered.

“Three weeks,” said Ester happily. Reliving fond memories of the last year and a half, the two finished up and moved into the bedroom, where they began to dress for the party that night. As she finished drying her hair, Ester paused, debating what to wear. Her uniform hung neat and clean on the wall.

Seeing a naked Ester staring at her uniform, Enora guessed what she was thinking. Draping an arm over Ester's shoulder, she hugged the smaller woman. “You can wear your uniform if you want, Ester,” she said. “It's been more than a year since you wore it last, hasn't it?” she asked. Ester nodded.

“Yes,” she said quietly. Her lips tightened slightly, and she turned to pull out a fresh top and skirt. they were not unlike what Vess wore when she was in town: a mid-thigh-length skirt in dark color, a sleeveless top - also in a dark color - and a vest. Enora almost exclusively wore skirts in town and shorts on shipboard, with Ester following her lead. Vess wore her one-piece suit when on shipboard, and alternated between skirts and blue jeans when in town.

“Good choice,” grinned Enora, seeing Ester's choice for the evening. An idea occurred to her, and she swiftly dug into the large underwear drawer that the women shared. Finding what she was looking for, she spun to face Ester, displaying her selected items. “Ester, what do you say we wear these tonight?” she asked, grinning at the girl. Ester saw what was in Enora's hands, her heart rate kicking up.

“Sure,” she agreed, taking the panties from Enora, who wiggled into the other pair before stepping into a skirt as well. The two were pulling on their shoes when Gram and Vess returned. After a quick shower, the four of them headed for restaurant where they would be having the meal. As they neared the gate to the settlement, they ran into Shie, Bon and Varona. Looking at his shorter friend, he smiled at the young man.

“So, you found a baby-sitter,” he said. Bon nodded.

“Varona's sister decided to help us out,” Bon said. Vestemona looked at Varona, who was wearing her traditional aboriginal clothing. Her belly was clearly swollen with their next child.

“You're looking healthy, Varona,” said Vestemona. Varona blushed.

“Due next month,” she said happily, rubbing her stomach. “When are you going to have some?” she asked Vestemona in a stage whisper. Vess's cheeks colored, the blonde swiftly pressing her fingertip against Varona's lips, silencing her.

“When we get around to it,” deflected Vess. With the small talk out of the way, the group moved to the restaurant.

Over the course of the next few hours, the reunion reaffirmed their bonds to each other. Elizabeth and Doctor showed off their wedding pictures, while Junior boasted that he was getting good enough to challenge Yagami or Gram. Sala asked him why he hadn't given Megumi a ring yet, which sucked the ego out of him. Tight on the heels of that attack, Vess suggested that he try his hand against her and her Flick, which caused him to re-think his readiness. Yagami was a senior instructor and squadron leader in the Mars Defense Force these days, and had even found the time to find a girlfriend.

When he had arrived with his girlfriend, Vess had been completely taken by surprise to find Rosette on his arm. The two former comrades had exchanged hugs and by the time the deserts were being served, Rosetta had been thoroughly charmed by Gram; during a group visit to the ladies' room, she had told Vess that she was envious of Vess's catch. Vess had smiled a content smile, telling her that she hadn't done so bad herself. Rosetta had immediately, eagerly, asked about the details of her love life and the place that Enora and Ester filled.

After dinner, the group had moved to the bar, where drinks had been shared as the group gradually broke up. Shie, Bon and Varona were first to go, followed by Megumi and Sala, and so forth until Captain Elizabeth and Doctor bid their good nights to Gram, Vess, Enora and Ester at the gate to the settlement. Promising to meet up the next day, the two groups sought their beds for the night. As she settled in with her loved ones, Vess reflected that the future looked good, and said as much to Gram.

“Yes,” he agreed, kissing her and the other two. “Our future is good.”