Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Kishikata no Eos ❯ Trials ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: dawningfire 
Wherein Dawn goes on ship trials with the Prometheus, which turn out to be trials indeed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.09.2004 | Updated On: 04.06.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.3K | Visits: 152 | Status: Completed
Wherein Dawn goes on ship trials with the Prometheus, which turn out to be trials indeed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.09.2004 | Updated On: 04.06.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.3K | Visits: 152 | Status: Completed
Kishikata no Eos
Chapter Seven -- Trials
"Admiral on the bridge!" Science Officer Hoshiko Akemi noticed the Princess first, alerting the rest of the bridge. The entire group of officers snapped to attention and saluted, to which Rini responded with a similar salute and nod. Dawn hung back at the entrance, wearing her fuku and glancing about nervously. Lights, consoles, holoscreens, shiny buttons... the compartment simply glittered with technology that wouldn't be available for more than a thousand years. The thought boggled her mind and brought her to a complete contemplative standstill.
In front of the entire group.
Who were all staring at her.
Way to go, Dawn.
"As I was saying," Rini continued with a sideways glance at the Guardian. "This is Sailor Eos' replacement for the time being, also known as Dawn Connolly."
"Hey guys. 'Sup?"
The bridge went silent, save for the hum of technology that surrounded them. After a few seconds, a baritone chuckle came from the front of the room, as a guy with a sleek white ponytail muffled his laughter and extended a hand to Dawn. "Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Rambert, chief helm officer," he said by way of introduction. "But everyone around here just calls me Duke."
"Yeah, it's easier to yell across a bar," joked the woman behind him. "Lieutenant Commander Kissuiko En'youno, chief weapons and tactical officer. Call me Kis, everyone else does." Dirty blond hair kept back from her face in an intricate braid, she flashed a mischievous smile at Duke. "Or Sailor Ryujin. Whatever works when."
"Kissie, perhaps?" Their herald teased as she leaned against a chair.
Evidently, Kis didn't take kindly to the alternative nickname. "Hoshi, I swear, call me that again, and I'll have you wringing salt-water out of your skirt for weeks..."
"Only if you can catch me." She gave Dawn a playful salute, eyes shining. "Commander Hoshiko Akemi, also known as Sailor Cygni, science officer and second in command."
"Pleasure," Dawn finally managed to reply. Two other Senshi ... who didn't have to wear the fuku, she observed. Envying the dark jumpsuits, she wondered if she might be able to get a hold of one. The bridge was draughty.
"And this would be the ship's captain, Sorcerer Derrelli, prodigy and pyromaniac." As if on cue, he flashed a decidedly devilish smile and shook Dawn's hand.
"Welcome aboard the _Prometheus_, ma'am."
"Dawn," she corrected automatically, the words out of her mouth before she even realized it. "Oops. Um, sorry about that," she stammered. "I didn't mean to be rude, it's just-"
"Don't worry about it," he laughed. "We're not much for formality here. First time on a battle cruiser?"
"You could say that."
"We'll show you around once we actually get outta here." He glanced over at Duke. "When do they plan to let us out of here, anyway?"
Duke scratched his head thoughtfully. "They said something about fixing the wiring and core cooling system before we could leave, I think."
"You mean it's still not fixed?" Derrelli pulled up a three-dimensional diagram of the ship and swore under his breath. Green areas indicated systems ready, while yellow indicated testing procedures were still under way. Red meant that repairs were ongoing, and the entire engineering deck glowed scarlet. "Your Highness," he began. "Is there anything you could do about this?"
"Well, Dawn sometimes carries a whip, I'm sure she could be persuasive through some fairly original methods..." Rini avoided looking at Dawn, knowing all too well that the Guardian wouldn't find that comment too terribly amusing. "Or I could go talk to them," she offered.
"If you wouldn't mind, we'd appreciate it," Hoshi answered thankfully. "It's just Akiko down there, since the rest of her team is working on the rest of the ship, and the non-Navy engineers somehow think they can walk all over her."
Rini motioned for Dawn to follow her off the bridge and down the hallway. For the most part, she ignored the wave of saluted and breezed into the lift. "Engineering, please." The ship's AI responded accordingly, bringing them to a halt where a livid soprano voice could be heard on the other side. Doors hissed open to reveal a petite blonde gesturing angrily at a massive aqua cylinder, her words echoing off of the walls. Somehow, she reminded Dawn of an enraged cartoon pixie.
"Did you not hear the ensign the first time? The mean temperature for that cooling fluid should be 215 K, not 300 K. Keep it at 300 K, and this ship isn't going to leave until the next class of cruisers is built, equipped, and brought back for the first set of overhauls! You have specifications to follow, specifications which were brought to your attention four weeks ago and their importance reiterated earlier this week. What IS the issue here?"
"Look, Miss, I don't think you understand exactly what's going on here..." One of the group, a thirty-something man with a crooked smile and too-perfect black hair began in a condescending tone. "There's always going to be discrepancies between what fool designer put on the drawing, and what we wind up actually putting on the ship... "
"Miss?" The Princess finally spoke up after clearing her throat rather loudly. "First of all, I believe you should address her by her correct title. Lieutenant Commander Jittaino, as an officer in the Lunar Navy, is afforded that right."
"Your Highness!"
"And I believe that as chief engineer, in addition to being the lead designer for this ship class' engineering systems, she has the final say in the instalment." Rini folded her arms and glared at the quartet of engineers, all of whom managed to look slightly abashed.
"So, please make that cooling apparatus match the drawing and keep it within the specified safety limits," Akiko finished, thrusting a sheaf of blueprints at the group leader. "Four hours, tops."
"Nicely done," Rini whispered as she and Dawn accompanied Akiko to her office, whereupon the chief engineer shut the door and sank into her chair. Honey-blonde pigtails brushed her shoulders, and Dawn noticed for the first time that her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles had become white.
"Pardon the observation," Dawn began casually, "but you're awfully tense."
Akiko closed her eyes, still smiling. "I don't enjoy arguing over something that should have been done right the first time." She exhaled softly, fingers relaxing. "And I hate fighting, just as a general rule." Now that she wasn't having to go toe to toe with anyone regarding cooling systems, Akiko's voice took on a softer and almost childlike tone.
The tallest of the trio nodded in agreement. "Oh, by the way, I'm Dawn," she said after a moment's silence.
"Akiko ... Sailor Astraea." Her eyes were still closed. "Nice to know that there are more than two Guardians around here."
She could've swore she'd heard the comment wrong. "More than two?"
"Aki-chan's a Guardian,too," Rini laughed. "A different kind, but a Guardian all the same. She and Eos worked together for a while."
"Oh." So why didn't she get this gig, Dawn wondered. "How are you and Eos related then, if you don't mind my asking."
"We're not." Akiko opened her eyes, fully relaxed. "My being a Guardian is just a coincidence, nothing more." She pushed herself to her feet and peeked out of the office. To her delight, all four had gathered about the containment unit. "Io?"
"Yes?" The _Prometheus_ AI responded in a voice that held a spark of mischief.
"What's the temperature on the core cooling unit?"
"Current temperature is 270K, and falling at an approximate rate of two degrees per second."
Akiko grinned at the news. "Now that that's taken care of, we just might be able to get under way before dinner. In the meantime, can I interest anyone in a strawberry smoothie?"
"I'm game." Dawn watched the team in the main engineering space intently, lines forming between her eyebrows as she studied the set-up with a critical eye. "Hey... did you really design the cooling system for that, um, thing?"
The chief engineering officer giggled as she led the pair out of Main Engineering Control. "More like improved on an already existing idea." She ticked off the changes on her left hand as she spoke. "A few changes to the infrastructure, introduction of a quad-vent system to funnel supercooled nitrogen in place of a dual vent set-up, and recycling the liquid run-off to prolong the life of the phosphera crystals that run the ship's AI." She gave a humble nod as a touch to a keypad opened her quarters. "I just managed to do it first, that's all."
Unable to come up with a respond to such an explanation, Dawn followed the Princess inside while Akiko made a beeline for the kitchenette. "Don't be so modest," Rini called as she unbuttoned the white suit jacket she wore. "The only other person who might have been able to come up with a remotely comparable idea is in command of the ship."
"He's an engineer, too?" Dawn began to wonder exactly what kind of crew was in charge around here.
"No, he's a tried and true hacker who has a knack for fixing things... or blowing them up," Rini finished with a wink to Akiko.
"Which isn't a part of ship trials, thankfully." Pulling a pitcher from the refrigerator and pouring three tall glasses of icy strawberry refreshment, Akiko ducked her head to hide a mile. "I'm looking forward to some ship trials where we just run the ship and take data for other people to analyse when we get back."
"Sounds... fun," Dawn lied. Hands folded in her lap, she couldn't see why Rini had been so enthused about coming.
"You'll have fun, you'll see." Rini accepted an offered smoothie and sipped, while Akiko bobbed her head in agreement.
"Bet we could get you into one of the holotraining rooms," she offered. "Or, I could give you a tour of Engineering once we get under way." Dawn's eyes lit up at the words 'tour' and 'engineering' in the same sentence, causing Akiko to laugh. "You've never seen a ship like the _Prometheus_."
"You're right," Dawn answered with a wink to Rini. "I never have."
"Approaching Vegan space. Slowing to impulse." Duke was all business as the cruiser shuddered out of warp and assumed a comparatively lazy pace.
"Captain, incoming transmission," called the ensign monitoring the communications panel.
"On-screen." Derrelli's face showed slight shock and pleasant surprise as Lady Jupiter's image appeared. "Lady Jupiter, to what do we owe this?"
"I wanted to be the first to welcome the _Prometheus_ on her maiden voyage, of course," she replied merrily. "Everything going all right so far?"
"Yes, ma'am." Behind him, the Princess made a muffled comment about worried mothers that sent the rest of the bridge into hidden smiles and suppressed laughter. Derrelli grinned, keeping his eyes on the screen. "Again, thank you for letting us use the area for ship trials."
"Just don't blow anything up, dear." With that motherly piece of advice, she disappeared from the screen. At that point, the officers and crew erupted in a chorus of raucous laughter, with Duke doubled over in hysterics while tears streamed down Hoshi's face.
"Worried about us, ya think?" Duke righted himself in his chair, still snickering.
"Hey, they just don't want to see a wave of flame rippling across Vegan space courtesy of Pyro here," Hoshi retorted, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Derrelli shook his head. "No faith, any of you," he chuckled. "Why does everyone assume that something's going to erupt in flames when I'm around?"
"Because we know you," Hoshi teased. "And fire always comes into play, sooner or later."
While the captain grumbled good-naturedly, Dawn stifled yet another yawn and fought to keep her eyes open. She'd been given the relatively simple task of monitoring the nitrogen levels in the reactor core. Not having changed out of her fuku, she felt decidedly chilly. To make matters worse, it was the cold temperature on the bridge that was making her sleepy. Dinner had happened some time ago, and she hadn't thought at the time to ask about coffee. Tapping her fingers on the console, her thought drifted to the night before in Greynn's, and the fight with that woman... Kali, that's it... who had said she wanted to take Breandon in on contract. That made absolutely no sense...
"Shift change," Kissuiko announced, kicking her feet up on the console. "Captain, your call. Who gets first watch?"
"You do, of course." Derrelli stood, motioning to Hoshi and Duke. "We have to test the holotraining modules."
"What?" Kis' black boots hit the floor in protest. "C'mon, I was all ready to try out a surf scenario. You three, you're gonna-"
"Blow something up?" He gave her a thumbs-up, which prompted a grumble. "Of course. I loaded the newest version of Youma Siege into the holotraining module while we waited on Engineering earlier."
Kis glanced helplessly at Hoshi, who stood at the entryway. "Can't you keep him from doing that?"
Hoshi grinned broadly as Duke hurried past her. "Why would I want to? Youma Siege is one of my favourites. Weapons officer has the bridge," she called over her shoulder on the way out.
"Impossible," Kis muttered as the pair left, with two ensigns hurrying in to replace stations at the helm and at the science officer's console. "What about you?" she called to Dawn. "You a fellow destruction loving freak, or do you have some degree of sanity?"
Dawn's chin slid off her hand, the abrupt motion jerking her to consciousness. "Wha...um, sorry. What did you say?"
"Do you derive a sick and twisted pleasure from pyrotechnic-induced mayhem?" Feet back on the console, she undid the first two buttons on her collar. "If so, you picked the right ship."
Dawn shook her head, too tired to really laugh. "Nope. No fire tendencies. You?"
"Nah. Not my style." She swivelled around to check on the Princess, who had dozed off in her chair and was snoring softly. "Your Highness?"
When Rini didn't immediately answer, Dawn got to her feet and stretched languidly before nudging her shoulder. "Wake up, dear," she whispered. "Your adoring public awaits."
"My adoring public?" She wiped the corner of her mouth in a decidedly un-royal fashion and righted herself. "We're on the bridge, there's just..." Rini finally noticed that the majority of the officers had left. "Shift change?"
"Yes ma'am," Kissuiko answered. "Holotraining module tests demanded attention."
"Of course," she mused, eyelids heavy with want for sleep. "If no one needs me, I'm going to find my quarters and get some rest. Dawn?"
The Guardian checked the console, which brought a snicker from the weapons officer. "Those are pretty constant readings, sweetie," Kis called. "We just wanted to give you something to do so you wouldn't be bored."
Dawn's expression flickered from fatigue to annoyance, then back to fatigue. "Right," she muttered. "Then I think I might go and catch a few winks for now."
Kissuiko stood and saluted smartly as the pair left the bridge, then sank back into her chair. Despite what she'd heard at the spaceport from some of the guys who put in time on Palace guard, the Dawn chick wasn't too bad. Definitely cute, and she filled out that Guardian fuku nicely... she sighed and idly twirled a few strands of hair between her fingers. If all of the gossip was true, then she'd fallen into Rainault's lap and was currently out of reach for Kis' own endeavours. That would definitely be worth a conversation at some later point in time, she thought to herself. Content to watch the stars and drift among the moons of the Vegan Empire, Kissuiko bummed a cup of coffee from a passing ensign and settled in for another six hours on watch.
"Maybe this isn't all that bad," Dawn said aloud as the shuttle Hoshi piloted zipped out into the expanse of space. She'd finally acquired a standard issue Lunar Navy jumpsuit. which made her "on duty" time far more comfortable. The first morning, she'd finally realized that there was more than just the professional relationship between the captain and his science officer. Part of her thought it was rather cute, especially the little kiss Hoshi had planted on Derrelli's cheek before getting into the shuttle.
And part of her thought that it just made her miss Breandon a little bit more than she'd expected.
"Glad we can entertain you," Hoshi replied. "Mind pulling up the ship signature readout for us?"
Dawn's gloved fingers nimbly flew over the crystalline console, her efforts rewarded with a holographic image of the _Prometheus_. Grinning broadly, she waited for the next request. "That's what you wanted?"
"Exactly. Guess spending the morning with Akiko helped?" She brought up a secondary layout that illustrated the different signatures of the ship systems. Weapons, engines, vibrations, even the light that shown through the tiny windows throughout the ship, they could all be used to identify the _Prometheus_. It was the job of the cloaking system to disguise and conceal such critical information from passing vessels, tracking posts, and possibly unfriendly fleets that would not need to know that one of Serenity's ships was in their midst.
"Yeah, she taught me how to pull up maps, open a comm channel, and even make coffee." She passed one cup over to Hoshi and winked. "Not just a pretty shadow."
"Clearly not," the dark haired Senshi agreed, accepting the coffee and sipping. "Not bad... hang on. We've got to get a little bit further from the ship." A wicked glint in her eye, she set the coffee aside and gripped the controls, sending the shuttle into a graceful spiral. Dawn clutched at her cup, eyes focused on the console rather than the front window. Hoshi's face showed pure delight; her passenger's expression wavered between fright and nausea.
"Commander?" Derrelli's voice came through the comm system. "Range acquired... you can stop terrorizing the Guardian with your flying skills now."
"Acknowledged." She righted the shuttle and brought it to a lazy drift. Next to her, Dawn managed to open one eye and let go of the console. "You okay?" she asked, holding back the urge to laugh.
"I'll let you know once my stomach settles," Dawn replied, sarcasm oozing despite the recent interstellar acrobatics. Sipping her coffee to soothe her nerves, she finally managed to look out the front window. The _Prometheus_, against the backdrop of one of Vega's smaller uninhabited planets, seemed quiet, picturesque even.
And then, it simply shimmered out of existence. Hoshi winked at Dawn, who squinted at the window."She's still there, just invisible. Cloaking routines at their finest."
"See anything, Commander?" Duke called.
"That's a negative, Rambert. Nothing but space." She tapped the console in front of Dawn. "Right here, this shows our proximity to any other vessel out there. We measure it exponentially, and this," she continued, finger now on a scale of lights, "is what's used for close range."
Dawn's eyebrows furrowed as she drank her coffee and studied the controls. "And it's on?"
"Yep."
"But it says here that the nearest ship is..." Dawn paused, translating log scales in her head. "One hundred twenty six thousand kilometres away." She indicated a Vegan patrol fighter in a figure eight patter about the nearest moon and a collection of what Dawn would have termed tiny asteroids.
The science officer beamed, pleased at the quickness of her "student." "Very good. Now, watch this. Duke?"
"Ma'am?"
"Decloak to test proximity." She could hear the rest of the bridge snickering in the background.
"Aye, Commander. Decloaking in four, three, two, and..."
"DAMN IT, DUKE!" Now it was Hoshi's turn to jump back and curse. In front of them, Rini waved from the bridge, the window barely twenty meters from the tiny shuttle. Proximity alarms whistled throughout the bridge as Dawn burst out laughing, thoroughly delighted with the display.
"Boo," came Derrelli's voice over the comm.
"'S not funny," Hoshi muttered to herself.
"Is so. Now, head off again... and this time, we won't sneak up on you." The comm clicked off, and Hoshi brought the shuttle about before streaking past the patrolled moon, while the now-visible _Prometheus_ headed in the opposite direction.
"Now what?" Dawn eyed the holographic readout of the ship as parts of the lowers levels flickered, the shuttle picking up on the encrypted signals and translating them as programmed.
Hoshi slowed the shuttle, then kicked back in her chair with the coffee. "Weapons tests... don't worry, it's not target practice," she added as Dawn's face registered worry. "This is us merely monitoring and recording output as they go through the subroutines."
"Oh."
"And it'll take about thirty minutes," Hoshi continued, beginning the recording. "So, you're filling in for Eos, huh?" Dawn nodded in reply. "Whatcha think of the job so far?"
"Not bad. Better than going to class, most days."
"Oh, you're in school?" Dark eyes showed interest. "Doing what?"
Shit, she thought. Yet another thing to make her seem out of place. "Uh, engineering. Third year." Dawn pulled down one of the shorter strands of hair that had worked its way loose from the French braid and twisted it about her finger. "You?"
Hoshi shook her head. "Finished a while back. My PhD's in archaeology, but it's the Senshi background that keeps me here."
"It does explain the science officer bit, though," Dawn mused over the rim of her coffee cup. A handful of minutes slipped by in silence, before Dawn decided that she should at least try to busy herself with something. She checked the holographic readout, and noticed an orange blip that hadn't been there before. "Um, Hoshi?"
"Yeah?"
"What's that?"
"Good question." Now sitting up straight, she cracked her neck and yawned. "Know how to open a hailing channel?" Dawn grinned in reply. "Ask 'em, then."
Obediently, the Guardian brought up the correct frequency and flipped the microphone on. "This is..." She searched for an appropriate title. "Lieutenant Dawn Connolly of the Lunar Navy. Please state your intentions."
Please, Hoshi mouthed. Dawn shrugged helplessly; she'd had her mother's Southern manners drilled into her for far too long.
"Girlie, you're the only Lunar thing out here," a nasty gravelly voice came back in reply. "Don't get all cocky and official with us."
"And who might you be?"
A trio of mercenary fighters zipped past the front of the shuttle while a fourth came up on the starboard side. "Someone you don't wanna piss off, sweetcheeks. Could be your friend, though, if you're interested."
"Sorry, babe. I've already got my own special friends." She winked at Hoshi, who motioned for her to keep stalling as she fiddled with the constantly updating diagram of the _Prometheus_. "Does your momma know you're out here threatening nice girls instead of playing ball with the boys back home?"
"Don't get smart with us, girl. This ain't Lunar space, so none of Serenity's ships are gonna save you if your mouth gets you into trouble."
"Save me from what?" Hoshi gave Dawn a thumbs-up; the girl was pretty resourceful for a new recruit. "Y'all don't mean to attack li'l ol' me?"
"Well, you sound like you'd be more fun alive than dead," the voice came back. "You'd be worth quite a lot on the slave market."
Dawn's eyes widened at the term "slave market," but she kept talking while Hoshi took over the controls in front of her. "Really? I'd be worth money? But I'm barely twenty-one, with long auburn hair, big brown doe eyes, and these perfect rose pink lips that would send even the roughest toughest merc pilot such as yourself to his knees in a heartbeat." Her voice slowed at the end, the last words uttered breathily with a slight moan at the end.
An audible gulp and sigh came through, sending both Dawn and Hoshi into fits of laughter that they quickly hid in their hands. "Maybe, well, uh, we'll just see about keeping you for ourselves," the reply finally came back.
"Actually, we'd like to keep her for ourselves." Derrelli's voice resonated through both the shuttle and the merc fighter in question. "Why don't you boys run along and find another pretty girl to kick your ass?"
"Says who?" According to the console, the _Prometheus_ was nowhere to be found, despite the transmission. "You got someone else on that shuttle, girlie?
A white-orange streak shot out of nowhere, expertly grazing the bow of the lead fighter. "Says me. Back off, boys," Kis barked from her station. "That shuttle's property of the Lunar Navy. Your sorry carcasses will be, too, if you don't turn around and leave my girl alone."
The offending pilot responded by targeting the shuttle with a low-level pulse that brought the shields down. "Not likely," he snarled. "Unless you cowards see fit to show yourselves, I think we'll take her with us."
"Oh, that's it," Kis snapped, leaping to her feet. "Captain, permission to fry this arrogant sonuvabitch with the TPA?"
Derrelli shook his head. "Not now. We'll just use the regular plasma shots." Showing only a fraction of his concern, he called down to Engineering. "Akiko?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"What's the status on the tractor beam? We're gonna have to tow Hoshi and Dawn in," he answered.
A pause, then a confident reply. "Two minutes and it should be completely charged."
"Good to hear." Derrelli slowly shook his head at Kis, whose fingers literally itched with the want to use the _Prometheus_' most powerful weapon on the quartet of fighters. "Not now, Kis. Easy."
She sat back, scowling darkly at him. "First Youma Siege over surfing, now this. You're getting to be no fun at all, Pyro."
He shook his head before re-establishing communication with the merc fighter pilot. "You sure about that fight challenge?"
"For the love of... OW!" Hoshi jumped back as sparks flew from the console with a second volley from the fighter behind them. With communications now off-line and shields down, she could do little but grit her teeth and cradle her burnt left hand.
Dawn caught her as she stumbled backwards, the two of them landing on the floor. Dawn broke the fall for both of them, her posterior providing a meagre cushion. Wincing, she turned to Hoshi. "You gonna be okay?"
"Sure, once I get to sick bay. This friggin' hurts..." She bit her lip. "Those guys had better do something soon. I don't think those mercs wanna play with you any more." The shuttle lurched as the tractor beam locked on, pulling them closer to the position of the still-cloaked _Prometheus_.
Having witnessed the second attack on the shuttle, an enraged Derrelli signalled to the weapons officer. "To hell with 'em, Kis. Go for it."
"Damn straight, sir." Sliding into the TPA, she fitted both hands into the device. Created less than five years ago, the TPA allowed for Senshi and Sorcerers to magnify their own attacks, drawing upon the weapons power of the ship as well as their own abilities. For their captain, it would have meant a wave of flame; in Sailor Ryujin's case, it meant one very nasty and deadly water dragon.
"TPA powered," Akiko's voice sounded over the bridge.
"And this is why you don't fuck with the Lunar Navy, boys. Tidal Dragon STRIKE!" Kissuiko's voice resonated as the exterior plasma nodes of the _Prometheus_ began to glow a bright indigo, silver sparks growing to encase the bulging energies. In a split second, they shot ahead of the ship to form the semblance of an enormous water dragon, scales undulating with white-hot plasma as it streaked towards the offending fighters. With deadly accuracy, Ryujin's attack avoided the shuttle entirely, coming up underneath the targeted spacecraft and piercing the metal in a shower of silver fire. A capsule ejected from the fighter, escaping with the other three.
"See ya later, boys!" Kis crowed from the TPA. "Come back soon and play, if you ever feel like it."
Derrelli laughed while she continued to gloat. "How's the retrieval going, Akiko?"
"They're in sick bay, sir," she answered. "Bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Going there right now."
"On my way. Kis, you've got the bridge.
Four days out in deep space were beginning to wear on Dawn. There was only so much Akiko could have her do in Engineering with systems testing or monitoring core coolant output. Dawn was, for all intensive purposes, bored. Bored with recording numbers and watching readouts. Rini had been perfectly content to sit on the bridge and gaze out at the stars with a sort of dreamy wistfulness. That had driven Dawn nuts after a grand total of fifteen minutes. She'd spent the morning walking about the ship in jeans and a tank top, simply nosing about as her CD player wailed Aerosmith through the headphones. A quick trip back to her quarters for a snack and a wasted attempt at a nap, and then, more wandering about the ship. She knew that the batteries would wear out sooner or later, and Steven Tyler would be silenced until she managed to get back to school.
That seemed such a far away reality at the moment. It'd be at least a month before Eos could think about getting around on her own, much less try to follow Rini on a day to day basis. So, two months... maybe three. By then, she'd have lost the entire semester. That would mean that she and Breandon would have been together for...
"Damn, you think that hard all the time?" Kissuiko stood in the hallway, wet blonde hair caught back in twin braids and a white bandanna. Ragged shorts and a beat up hooded sweatshirt were complimented by flip-flops that had probably seen better days. "C'mon, let's get you a drink."
Not in the mood to protest, Dawn followed the now-incredibly casual weapons officer to the main galley. Her CD player in hand and headphones hanging about her neck, she stopped just inside the door, eyeing the half-full room warily. Kis noticed this and chuckled. "What?" Dawn wriggled the end of her nose, the aroma of coffee waking her senses. "And what do you mean by drink, anyway?"
"My, my... somebody's awfully suspicious," Kis teased. "Chip on your shoulder, baby girl? You can have just water, if that's what you'd want." She blew a kiss to the ensign behind the counter, who slid a beer her way in return.
"I'd go for a coffee, actually." Once she had her mug, she followed Kis to an out of the way table near a corner window. Sinking in the chair, Dawn wrapped her fingers around the base of the coffee cup and sighed.
Kis laughed again. "Well, aren't we the unhappy little girl? You don't like ship trials?"
Realizing how unpleasant she must have appeared, Dawn forced a somewhat happier expression on her face. "Oh, they're not bad," she lied. "I just feel kind of useless."
The blonde woman nodded sagely. "Yeah, watching someone stare out of a window all day can't be all that exciting." Feet up on a chair, she knocked back a third of her lager and set the bottle back on the table. "Aw, hell. I'm lousy at small talk..."
"Same here."
"...So I'll just get to the point." Another pull on her drink, and she pointed the bottle at Dawn as she spoke. "Rumour around the palace is that you've got a certain clothing designer who's been seen in your company on a number of occasions, and that you got back quite late from a night out. There's been some talk, baby girl... I just want to know what's true and what's not."
Dawn blinked, fighting for a coherent reply. "I, um, well, he's... we've, um..."
"Three possibilities, hon. One, you're one of his groupies and that late night was a wild and torrid exploration of Bren's bedroom prowess. Two, you're a client who's getting a dress made, who just happened to stay a little too late. Three, you've managed to seduce him and have therefore gained the upper hand on the most notorious of bachelors in the Lunar kingdom." She flipped a blonde braid over her shoulder before leaning back. "Which is it?"
"It's most certainly not the first two," she retorted, defences completely up. Her relationship - could she really call it that - with Breandon was not meant for gossip, and most certainly not at this level. "And as for being lousy at small talk-"
Kis reached over and put a hand on Dawn's wrist. "Easy, baby girl. Bren's a friend of mine... and I've been known to ask for a dress or two every so often. I'm not out for blood, just honesty." Dawn frowned down at the swirls of cream in her coffee. "Although... I've always wondered... is he really as fantastic as his reputation claims him to be?"
Dawn's head snapped up. Even Rini had tact; this woman was teetering on the brink of downright rudeness. Well, she could do the same thing. "Why, jealous?"
The snooty comeback sent Kis into a fit of laughter and table-pounding. "Oh, hell no..." she choked out. "You're so far from the truth..." Swallowing, she leaned closer to Dawn with a flirtatious smile. "Breandon's a little too scrawny, a little too formal, and most importantly, a little too male for my tastes."
Kis' explanation sunk in slowly, Dawn feeling like a fool. "Oh. I, um, see."
"So 'm I," she winked, leaning back and patting Dawn's hand. "If he hadn't gotten to you first, then I might have been inclined to show you a far more exciting time on trials."
Her reaction ill-hidden by her coffee mug, Dawn supposed she should be flattered. "Aha. Well... thanks, I guess."
"Don't mention it. So, about Breandon ..." She tapped short but well-kept fingernails against the table. "You know you're like, the envy of every social snot between fifteen and fifty, right?" Dawn shook her head. "I have it on the best authority that you're causing thousand of women to cry themselves to sleep at night."
To Kis' surprise, Dawn simply shrugged. Other women might have taken the chance to gloat over their new-found social status; Dawn seemed embarrassed by it.. "Right. So, what's your warning on him?"
"Warning?"
"That I'll just be another one-night stand, that he's trouble, that I shouldn't be distracted. that sort of thing." She waved a hand to emphasize that more existed. "C'mon, I'm collecting."
"Oh, Dawn." It came out in a motherly tone. "Hon, I'm not gonna say anything like that."
The most grateful of smiles came over Dawn's face, and she immediately let down her defences towards Kis. "Really?"
The blonde nodded, patting her hand. "Yep, I like ya... you're real. You're not fake like the others he's brought home." She frowned slightly. "You do know about..."
"Yeah. It's been mentioned. Often. By him and others."
"And?"
She sighed. "Part of who he is. I'll accept it."
This evening, it was Duke's turn to have the bridge. Next to him, Akiko had curled up with a book on Terran mythology. Their dinner plans pre-empted by Duke's mandatory shift, Akiko was content to pass the time in silence.
Unfortunately, Duke saw fit to distract the petite blonde with a carefully aimed wad of paper that bounced off of the end of her nose. "Thought you were here to keep me company."
She lifted her head, amusement in her eyes. "Monsieur Rambert," she began in one of her favourite Terran languages, "t'es si méchant ce soir."
"I am not being mean," he protested, having known Akiko long enough to recognize the simple playful phrase. "You're just being boring."
She sighed and closed her book, her thumb marking her page. "And is it my fault you asked me to dinner, forgetting that you had first shift tonight?" Duke grumbled in reply, to which Akiko giggled. "Oh, stop. It's okay, I'm just teasing you." Setting her book on the seat, she circled the chair and placed both hands on Duke's shoulders.
"What, you think that some innocent backrub is going to make up for teasing me?" Grumpy for lack of dinner, the Sycoraxi folded his arms across his chest.
"Oui." Two small hands began a slow massage on either side of his neck, a knowing smile gracing her lips. "I know you, remember?"
"Mm-hmm." Weakness revealed, Duke relaxed and observed the main screen as the neckrub worked out the day's knots and kinks sustained from hours at navigation control. He'd offered to return the favour once before, but it wasn't his fault that he had an overly ticklish girlfriend. Akiko's carefully trained eyes checked the console to her left as she pressed her thumb into a particularly tight muscle. Even though she had left Engineering in the care of her hand-picked team, it didn't keep her from checking in every so often. All readings in perfect order, she turned her attentions back to Duke.
"Lemme get this straight." Kis was on her third beer, Dawn enjoying a second cup of coffee. "You got rid of the Arronné girl by posing as a dominatrix?"
"Leather fuku and everything," she snickered.
Kis clapped and hooted. "Atta girl," she chortled. "I like your style, hon. What're you doing after your gig with the Princess is finished?"
"Well, I'm not entirely..."
"'Cause I'd have you on my ship like /that/." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Of course, that means I'll need to make Commander first, but..."
The entire ship heaved, sending platters of food and drink flying. People lost footing and slid out of chairs, Dawn landing in an ungraceful heap at Kis' feet. Alarms rang throughout the ship, and Dawn felt herself hauled up by the back of her shirt.
"C'mon, baby girl," Kis barked. "We got problems. Io?"
"Yes, Lieuten-"
"Where's the Princess?"
A slight pause. "Princess Serenity is attempting to leave her personal quarters."
"Engage lockdown, authorization Ryujin four one eight two five." Grabbing Dawn's arm, she pulled her into the nearest lift. "She'll be pissed as anything, but she's gotta stay put."
Dawn extracted her arm from Kis' grip and rubbed the reddened skin. "She's not gonna like that, but hey, you're in charge of that sort of thing."
"Damn straight." Kis ran out of the lift onto the bridge. "I've got security and weapons detail, so Pyro'll have to override me if she wants out." Motioning for Dawn to follow, she slid into Hoshi's seat at the science console. "Duke, she okay?"
He nodded, holding the sleeve of his uniform to Akiko's forehead. Blood from a nasty gash above her eye stained the fabric, but she was conscious. "Yeah, it'll stop in a bit." He grimaced at the holoscreen, which showed a pair of souped-up freighters outfitted with plasma weaponry and heavy exterior plating. Half the size of the _Prometheus_, they flanked the battle cruiser and targeted another salvo at the lower decks. Shields holding, the ship shuddered under the dual impact. Derrelli ran in, uniform scorched along his upper back and shredded from shoulder to wrist.
"Status?" He took Duke's usual seat, re-routing systems to compensate for additional propulsion. "Kis, shields working?"
"For now." Keying in commands furiously, she brought forcefields around a damaged cargo bay. "Dawn, open a comm. channel. That console, there," she pointed. "Find out what those bastards are doing."
Duke propped Akiko against the side of the compartment before trading places with Derrelli. "Evasive manoeuvres," the captain instructed. "Get us out of range. Dawn?"
She looked up frantically, fingers on the console. "They're not responding... or I'm not doing it right..."
"Or there's no power to the exterior communications grid," her answered as Kis fired a round in self-defence. The _Prometheus_ lurched forward, Duke able to guide the crippled ship to open space and bring her about.
"Re-routing power to communications grid." Akiko had pulled herself up to lean against a chair so she could manage power distribution from the bridge.
"Hail ‘em, Dawn," Derrelli instructed. "Let's see if they'll talk."
Praying silently that she wouldn't mess up, she keyed in the appropriate commands and tried to think what one of Gene Roddenberry's cool, calm, and collected heroines would have said. "This is Sailor Eos of the Lunar battle cruiser _Prometheus_. What the hell's going on around here?"
"You're far from home, and we need replacement parts." The image of a grizzled red-skinned man appeared on the screen. "Lower shields and prepare to be boarded."
"This is Captain Derrelli, and I'll be damned if you're going to board my ship," he snarled.
"Then jettison your core system and we'll be on our way," the other captain replied.
"Can't do that."
An ugly laugh served as the sole reply before the screen went blank. "Then we'll do it the hard way." Another explosion threw Kis to the floor, the weapons console smoking. Akiko rushed over, pulling the dazed Senshi away from her post.
"Io? Engineering status?"
"Engineering core is off-line. Shield integrity at fifty-two percent and falling. Ruptures on decks nine, eleven, twelve, and fifteen. Cargo bay has been sealed off due to coolant least. Plasma weaponry is off-line."
"Cloaking?" She managed to sit Kis up.
"Cloaking subroutines are off-line." A pause, and Io spoke again. "Commander Akemi is requesting override of Ryujin four-"
"Permission granted," Derrelli snapped. "Duke, propulsion?"
"Not responding. She's sluggish," he called. "RIFT system is completely fried. I can bring her underneath one of the freighters to buy some time..."
"Do what you have to do," Derrelli nodded. "I trust ya. Wouldn't have you here if I didn't." The ship swung hard to starboard, sensors shrieking as the _Prometheus_ passed within meters of the enemy ship. "Io? TPA status?"
"TPA is functional, but must be charged. Power currently routed to secondary weaponry is insufficient to enable TPA console."
A fist slammed into the side of the chair. "Fuck. Io, send distress signal to Vegan patrols in area, reroute power to shields, and seal off engineering."
"Pyro!" Kis pointed a hand at Dawn. "Put her in the TPA. Let her feed off of what they're throwing at us."
He frowned at the terrified young woman. "Guardian, right? Like Akiko?"
"Yeah," she squeaked, hurrying to the chair next to Duke. "I mean, I think so..."
"Just do what he says, baby girl," Kis interrupted.
"Hands here," he began, tapping the polymer sleeves. "Hold this... and this..." He waited as her fingers closed about the bars within the TPA. Chest pressed to the console, she swallowed hard. "This amplifies your Senshi abilities, and allows you to use the ship to target. Got it?" She nodded again. "All right. Io, bring shields down once Duke brings us up between those freighters." He turned at the hiss of the bridge doors, Rini following Hoshi inside.
"Status?" Rini stepped over glass and metal to look over Kis' shoulders.
"We're fucked at the moment, your Highness." Not one to waste words, Kis rerouted power to port shields as they swung out from beneath the freighter. "Sound alarms and brace for impact!"
As the rest of the crew on the bridge clung to whatever was convenient, Dawn squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Palms sweating, she tightened her grip inside the TPA and swallowed hard, her mouth dry. This thing amplified Senshi powers, it wouldn't be anything she hadn't done be...
Oh, shit. They're going to fire on the...
The forward half of the _Prometheus_ erupted in a wave of blue and white plasma as both freighters unleashed full spreads of torpedoes on the cruiser. Metal groaned as the plasma coursed through it, finding the shortest paths to the TPA circuitry. White hot sparks rained from above, panels bursting into flame due to sheer overload. In a flash of rose-tinged light, the TPA sprang to life. Dawn cried out in both surprise and pain at the massive energy influx. The metal bars to which she clung glowed bright with heat, searing the skin on both palms. Still, she hung on, allowing herself to channel the energies absorbed via the ship.
A lavender mist had begun to gather about Dawn's figure, density increasing each second she allowed the charge to build. Her breathing shallow and rapid, she broke out in a cold sweat. The TPA began to hum, first with a single low tone, then growing louder as multiple harmonics resonated in the tiny space. Rini clapped her hands over her ears. Others on the bridge did the same, wincing at both noise and the visible energy flux. The cacophony drowned out Dawn's whimpering as she struggled to hold on to the charge.
"TPA charged and ready for imple-, imple-, imple-" An arc of violet plasma escaped the console, catching Dawn in her shoulder. She shrieked, back arched and blood streaming down her arm. Hands spasmed, and the Guardian unleashed the torrent of pent-up energy through the ship's systems. A rose and lavender aura surrounded the _Prometheus_, blinding light encasing the embattled cruiser. The aura pulsed once, light fading slightly before shooting outwards violently in a rapidly growing sphere of superheated plasma and debris. The ship's plating threatened to tear under the combined stresses, but the ship's AI compensated with carefully placed forcefields to keep the _Prometheus_ in one piece.
The same structural integrity didn't apply to the two freighters. Dawn's amplified attack encountered the exterior weapons systems, the torpedo tubes collapsing and detonating their charged payloads. The plasma orb continued to press outwards, forcing the hull of the port side ship to cave in and expose the lower decks. The crippled ship attempted to turn, but that only allowed the untouched areas to experience the unforgiving attack that Dawn continued to channel. Its sister ship also turned, but managed to manoeuvre itself out of the attack radius. Engaging a fractured warp drive, it lurched into deep space. In its wake lay the remains of the other freighter, and the still-glowing /SLS _Prometheus_.
It took Duke and Kis to carry Dawn's unconscious figure to sick bay. Rini and Hoshi remained on the bridge as their captain was needed in Engineering. The task of nurse fell to the petite blonde, whose own injuries were minor in comparison to Dawn's.
"Get her out of those clothes," Akiko instructed, handing Kis a pair of scissors. "Find me the thermal wraps, Duke. She might go into shock if we're not careful." Uncapping a tube of salve, she began to coat Dawn's hands and forearms.
Carefully, Kis peeled away Dawn's burnt clothing and ran her fingers lightly over the injured shoulder. A horrendous plasma burn stretched from one elbow to the centre of her back, a field of blisters rising over her entire upper body. "Damn," she breathed. "Aki-chan, we're gonna need a lot more of that stuff."
Emerging from the med supply closet with a bag of thermal bandage, Duke stopped at the sight of Kis cutting through the fabric of Dawn's jeans. Turning, he dropped the bag on the counter. "I'll be outside, if you need me..."
Both women nodded, too busy with their patient to notice his embarrassment at the nearly naked Guardian. As the doors shut, Dawn's expression darkened and she began crying softly. Akiko patted her forehead gently while Kis ripped open the bag of bandages and began to wrap Dawn's torso.
"I can't feel my fingers," she moaned softly, eyes struggling to open. "Or my arms, or my shoulders..."
Akiko gently lifted Dawn's gel-covered hand so she could see. "It's the medicine working. It's helping to heal the burnt tissue, so it numbs your nerve endings. You'll feel better once we get the thermal wraps on you."
"And you get some rest," Kis added. "Good job, baby girl, although I think you might have fried my TPA." Before the apology could be made, Kis rushed ahead. "Just means another post-trial repair, and we've got too many for one more to make a difference. Nothing to be sorry for."
Dawn managed a woozy nod before Akiko pressed a hypospray to her neck. "This'll help you sleep," she explained soothingly. "You'll feel better in the morning."
Chapter Seven -- Trials
"Admiral on the bridge!" Science Officer Hoshiko Akemi noticed the Princess first, alerting the rest of the bridge. The entire group of officers snapped to attention and saluted, to which Rini responded with a similar salute and nod. Dawn hung back at the entrance, wearing her fuku and glancing about nervously. Lights, consoles, holoscreens, shiny buttons... the compartment simply glittered with technology that wouldn't be available for more than a thousand years. The thought boggled her mind and brought her to a complete contemplative standstill.
In front of the entire group.
Who were all staring at her.
Way to go, Dawn.
"As I was saying," Rini continued with a sideways glance at the Guardian. "This is Sailor Eos' replacement for the time being, also known as Dawn Connolly."
"Hey guys. 'Sup?"
The bridge went silent, save for the hum of technology that surrounded them. After a few seconds, a baritone chuckle came from the front of the room, as a guy with a sleek white ponytail muffled his laughter and extended a hand to Dawn. "Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Rambert, chief helm officer," he said by way of introduction. "But everyone around here just calls me Duke."
"Yeah, it's easier to yell across a bar," joked the woman behind him. "Lieutenant Commander Kissuiko En'youno, chief weapons and tactical officer. Call me Kis, everyone else does." Dirty blond hair kept back from her face in an intricate braid, she flashed a mischievous smile at Duke. "Or Sailor Ryujin. Whatever works when."
"Kissie, perhaps?" Their herald teased as she leaned against a chair.
Evidently, Kis didn't take kindly to the alternative nickname. "Hoshi, I swear, call me that again, and I'll have you wringing salt-water out of your skirt for weeks..."
"Only if you can catch me." She gave Dawn a playful salute, eyes shining. "Commander Hoshiko Akemi, also known as Sailor Cygni, science officer and second in command."
"Pleasure," Dawn finally managed to reply. Two other Senshi ... who didn't have to wear the fuku, she observed. Envying the dark jumpsuits, she wondered if she might be able to get a hold of one. The bridge was draughty.
"And this would be the ship's captain, Sorcerer Derrelli, prodigy and pyromaniac." As if on cue, he flashed a decidedly devilish smile and shook Dawn's hand.
"Welcome aboard the _Prometheus_, ma'am."
"Dawn," she corrected automatically, the words out of her mouth before she even realized it. "Oops. Um, sorry about that," she stammered. "I didn't mean to be rude, it's just-"
"Don't worry about it," he laughed. "We're not much for formality here. First time on a battle cruiser?"
"You could say that."
"We'll show you around once we actually get outta here." He glanced over at Duke. "When do they plan to let us out of here, anyway?"
Duke scratched his head thoughtfully. "They said something about fixing the wiring and core cooling system before we could leave, I think."
"You mean it's still not fixed?" Derrelli pulled up a three-dimensional diagram of the ship and swore under his breath. Green areas indicated systems ready, while yellow indicated testing procedures were still under way. Red meant that repairs were ongoing, and the entire engineering deck glowed scarlet. "Your Highness," he began. "Is there anything you could do about this?"
"Well, Dawn sometimes carries a whip, I'm sure she could be persuasive through some fairly original methods..." Rini avoided looking at Dawn, knowing all too well that the Guardian wouldn't find that comment too terribly amusing. "Or I could go talk to them," she offered.
"If you wouldn't mind, we'd appreciate it," Hoshi answered thankfully. "It's just Akiko down there, since the rest of her team is working on the rest of the ship, and the non-Navy engineers somehow think they can walk all over her."
Rini motioned for Dawn to follow her off the bridge and down the hallway. For the most part, she ignored the wave of saluted and breezed into the lift. "Engineering, please." The ship's AI responded accordingly, bringing them to a halt where a livid soprano voice could be heard on the other side. Doors hissed open to reveal a petite blonde gesturing angrily at a massive aqua cylinder, her words echoing off of the walls. Somehow, she reminded Dawn of an enraged cartoon pixie.
"Did you not hear the ensign the first time? The mean temperature for that cooling fluid should be 215 K, not 300 K. Keep it at 300 K, and this ship isn't going to leave until the next class of cruisers is built, equipped, and brought back for the first set of overhauls! You have specifications to follow, specifications which were brought to your attention four weeks ago and their importance reiterated earlier this week. What IS the issue here?"
"Look, Miss, I don't think you understand exactly what's going on here..." One of the group, a thirty-something man with a crooked smile and too-perfect black hair began in a condescending tone. "There's always going to be discrepancies between what fool designer put on the drawing, and what we wind up actually putting on the ship... "
"Miss?" The Princess finally spoke up after clearing her throat rather loudly. "First of all, I believe you should address her by her correct title. Lieutenant Commander Jittaino, as an officer in the Lunar Navy, is afforded that right."
"Your Highness!"
"And I believe that as chief engineer, in addition to being the lead designer for this ship class' engineering systems, she has the final say in the instalment." Rini folded her arms and glared at the quartet of engineers, all of whom managed to look slightly abashed.
"So, please make that cooling apparatus match the drawing and keep it within the specified safety limits," Akiko finished, thrusting a sheaf of blueprints at the group leader. "Four hours, tops."
"Nicely done," Rini whispered as she and Dawn accompanied Akiko to her office, whereupon the chief engineer shut the door and sank into her chair. Honey-blonde pigtails brushed her shoulders, and Dawn noticed for the first time that her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles had become white.
"Pardon the observation," Dawn began casually, "but you're awfully tense."
Akiko closed her eyes, still smiling. "I don't enjoy arguing over something that should have been done right the first time." She exhaled softly, fingers relaxing. "And I hate fighting, just as a general rule." Now that she wasn't having to go toe to toe with anyone regarding cooling systems, Akiko's voice took on a softer and almost childlike tone.
The tallest of the trio nodded in agreement. "Oh, by the way, I'm Dawn," she said after a moment's silence.
"Akiko ... Sailor Astraea." Her eyes were still closed. "Nice to know that there are more than two Guardians around here."
She could've swore she'd heard the comment wrong. "More than two?"
"Aki-chan's a Guardian,too," Rini laughed. "A different kind, but a Guardian all the same. She and Eos worked together for a while."
"Oh." So why didn't she get this gig, Dawn wondered. "How are you and Eos related then, if you don't mind my asking."
"We're not." Akiko opened her eyes, fully relaxed. "My being a Guardian is just a coincidence, nothing more." She pushed herself to her feet and peeked out of the office. To her delight, all four had gathered about the containment unit. "Io?"
"Yes?" The _Prometheus_ AI responded in a voice that held a spark of mischief.
"What's the temperature on the core cooling unit?"
"Current temperature is 270K, and falling at an approximate rate of two degrees per second."
Akiko grinned at the news. "Now that that's taken care of, we just might be able to get under way before dinner. In the meantime, can I interest anyone in a strawberry smoothie?"
"I'm game." Dawn watched the team in the main engineering space intently, lines forming between her eyebrows as she studied the set-up with a critical eye. "Hey... did you really design the cooling system for that, um, thing?"
The chief engineering officer giggled as she led the pair out of Main Engineering Control. "More like improved on an already existing idea." She ticked off the changes on her left hand as she spoke. "A few changes to the infrastructure, introduction of a quad-vent system to funnel supercooled nitrogen in place of a dual vent set-up, and recycling the liquid run-off to prolong the life of the phosphera crystals that run the ship's AI." She gave a humble nod as a touch to a keypad opened her quarters. "I just managed to do it first, that's all."
Unable to come up with a respond to such an explanation, Dawn followed the Princess inside while Akiko made a beeline for the kitchenette. "Don't be so modest," Rini called as she unbuttoned the white suit jacket she wore. "The only other person who might have been able to come up with a remotely comparable idea is in command of the ship."
"He's an engineer, too?" Dawn began to wonder exactly what kind of crew was in charge around here.
"No, he's a tried and true hacker who has a knack for fixing things... or blowing them up," Rini finished with a wink to Akiko.
"Which isn't a part of ship trials, thankfully." Pulling a pitcher from the refrigerator and pouring three tall glasses of icy strawberry refreshment, Akiko ducked her head to hide a mile. "I'm looking forward to some ship trials where we just run the ship and take data for other people to analyse when we get back."
"Sounds... fun," Dawn lied. Hands folded in her lap, she couldn't see why Rini had been so enthused about coming.
"You'll have fun, you'll see." Rini accepted an offered smoothie and sipped, while Akiko bobbed her head in agreement.
"Bet we could get you into one of the holotraining rooms," she offered. "Or, I could give you a tour of Engineering once we get under way." Dawn's eyes lit up at the words 'tour' and 'engineering' in the same sentence, causing Akiko to laugh. "You've never seen a ship like the _Prometheus_."
"You're right," Dawn answered with a wink to Rini. "I never have."
"Approaching Vegan space. Slowing to impulse." Duke was all business as the cruiser shuddered out of warp and assumed a comparatively lazy pace.
"Captain, incoming transmission," called the ensign monitoring the communications panel.
"On-screen." Derrelli's face showed slight shock and pleasant surprise as Lady Jupiter's image appeared. "Lady Jupiter, to what do we owe this?"
"I wanted to be the first to welcome the _Prometheus_ on her maiden voyage, of course," she replied merrily. "Everything going all right so far?"
"Yes, ma'am." Behind him, the Princess made a muffled comment about worried mothers that sent the rest of the bridge into hidden smiles and suppressed laughter. Derrelli grinned, keeping his eyes on the screen. "Again, thank you for letting us use the area for ship trials."
"Just don't blow anything up, dear." With that motherly piece of advice, she disappeared from the screen. At that point, the officers and crew erupted in a chorus of raucous laughter, with Duke doubled over in hysterics while tears streamed down Hoshi's face.
"Worried about us, ya think?" Duke righted himself in his chair, still snickering.
"Hey, they just don't want to see a wave of flame rippling across Vegan space courtesy of Pyro here," Hoshi retorted, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Derrelli shook his head. "No faith, any of you," he chuckled. "Why does everyone assume that something's going to erupt in flames when I'm around?"
"Because we know you," Hoshi teased. "And fire always comes into play, sooner or later."
While the captain grumbled good-naturedly, Dawn stifled yet another yawn and fought to keep her eyes open. She'd been given the relatively simple task of monitoring the nitrogen levels in the reactor core. Not having changed out of her fuku, she felt decidedly chilly. To make matters worse, it was the cold temperature on the bridge that was making her sleepy. Dinner had happened some time ago, and she hadn't thought at the time to ask about coffee. Tapping her fingers on the console, her thought drifted to the night before in Greynn's, and the fight with that woman... Kali, that's it... who had said she wanted to take Breandon in on contract. That made absolutely no sense...
"Shift change," Kissuiko announced, kicking her feet up on the console. "Captain, your call. Who gets first watch?"
"You do, of course." Derrelli stood, motioning to Hoshi and Duke. "We have to test the holotraining modules."
"What?" Kis' black boots hit the floor in protest. "C'mon, I was all ready to try out a surf scenario. You three, you're gonna-"
"Blow something up?" He gave her a thumbs-up, which prompted a grumble. "Of course. I loaded the newest version of Youma Siege into the holotraining module while we waited on Engineering earlier."
Kis glanced helplessly at Hoshi, who stood at the entryway. "Can't you keep him from doing that?"
Hoshi grinned broadly as Duke hurried past her. "Why would I want to? Youma Siege is one of my favourites. Weapons officer has the bridge," she called over her shoulder on the way out.
"Impossible," Kis muttered as the pair left, with two ensigns hurrying in to replace stations at the helm and at the science officer's console. "What about you?" she called to Dawn. "You a fellow destruction loving freak, or do you have some degree of sanity?"
Dawn's chin slid off her hand, the abrupt motion jerking her to consciousness. "Wha...um, sorry. What did you say?"
"Do you derive a sick and twisted pleasure from pyrotechnic-induced mayhem?" Feet back on the console, she undid the first two buttons on her collar. "If so, you picked the right ship."
Dawn shook her head, too tired to really laugh. "Nope. No fire tendencies. You?"
"Nah. Not my style." She swivelled around to check on the Princess, who had dozed off in her chair and was snoring softly. "Your Highness?"
When Rini didn't immediately answer, Dawn got to her feet and stretched languidly before nudging her shoulder. "Wake up, dear," she whispered. "Your adoring public awaits."
"My adoring public?" She wiped the corner of her mouth in a decidedly un-royal fashion and righted herself. "We're on the bridge, there's just..." Rini finally noticed that the majority of the officers had left. "Shift change?"
"Yes ma'am," Kissuiko answered. "Holotraining module tests demanded attention."
"Of course," she mused, eyelids heavy with want for sleep. "If no one needs me, I'm going to find my quarters and get some rest. Dawn?"
The Guardian checked the console, which brought a snicker from the weapons officer. "Those are pretty constant readings, sweetie," Kis called. "We just wanted to give you something to do so you wouldn't be bored."
Dawn's expression flickered from fatigue to annoyance, then back to fatigue. "Right," she muttered. "Then I think I might go and catch a few winks for now."
Kissuiko stood and saluted smartly as the pair left the bridge, then sank back into her chair. Despite what she'd heard at the spaceport from some of the guys who put in time on Palace guard, the Dawn chick wasn't too bad. Definitely cute, and she filled out that Guardian fuku nicely... she sighed and idly twirled a few strands of hair between her fingers. If all of the gossip was true, then she'd fallen into Rainault's lap and was currently out of reach for Kis' own endeavours. That would definitely be worth a conversation at some later point in time, she thought to herself. Content to watch the stars and drift among the moons of the Vegan Empire, Kissuiko bummed a cup of coffee from a passing ensign and settled in for another six hours on watch.
"Maybe this isn't all that bad," Dawn said aloud as the shuttle Hoshi piloted zipped out into the expanse of space. She'd finally acquired a standard issue Lunar Navy jumpsuit. which made her "on duty" time far more comfortable. The first morning, she'd finally realized that there was more than just the professional relationship between the captain and his science officer. Part of her thought it was rather cute, especially the little kiss Hoshi had planted on Derrelli's cheek before getting into the shuttle.
And part of her thought that it just made her miss Breandon a little bit more than she'd expected.
"Glad we can entertain you," Hoshi replied. "Mind pulling up the ship signature readout for us?"
Dawn's gloved fingers nimbly flew over the crystalline console, her efforts rewarded with a holographic image of the _Prometheus_. Grinning broadly, she waited for the next request. "That's what you wanted?"
"Exactly. Guess spending the morning with Akiko helped?" She brought up a secondary layout that illustrated the different signatures of the ship systems. Weapons, engines, vibrations, even the light that shown through the tiny windows throughout the ship, they could all be used to identify the _Prometheus_. It was the job of the cloaking system to disguise and conceal such critical information from passing vessels, tracking posts, and possibly unfriendly fleets that would not need to know that one of Serenity's ships was in their midst.
"Yeah, she taught me how to pull up maps, open a comm channel, and even make coffee." She passed one cup over to Hoshi and winked. "Not just a pretty shadow."
"Clearly not," the dark haired Senshi agreed, accepting the coffee and sipping. "Not bad... hang on. We've got to get a little bit further from the ship." A wicked glint in her eye, she set the coffee aside and gripped the controls, sending the shuttle into a graceful spiral. Dawn clutched at her cup, eyes focused on the console rather than the front window. Hoshi's face showed pure delight; her passenger's expression wavered between fright and nausea.
"Commander?" Derrelli's voice came through the comm system. "Range acquired... you can stop terrorizing the Guardian with your flying skills now."
"Acknowledged." She righted the shuttle and brought it to a lazy drift. Next to her, Dawn managed to open one eye and let go of the console. "You okay?" she asked, holding back the urge to laugh.
"I'll let you know once my stomach settles," Dawn replied, sarcasm oozing despite the recent interstellar acrobatics. Sipping her coffee to soothe her nerves, she finally managed to look out the front window. The _Prometheus_, against the backdrop of one of Vega's smaller uninhabited planets, seemed quiet, picturesque even.
And then, it simply shimmered out of existence. Hoshi winked at Dawn, who squinted at the window."She's still there, just invisible. Cloaking routines at their finest."
"See anything, Commander?" Duke called.
"That's a negative, Rambert. Nothing but space." She tapped the console in front of Dawn. "Right here, this shows our proximity to any other vessel out there. We measure it exponentially, and this," she continued, finger now on a scale of lights, "is what's used for close range."
Dawn's eyebrows furrowed as she drank her coffee and studied the controls. "And it's on?"
"Yep."
"But it says here that the nearest ship is..." Dawn paused, translating log scales in her head. "One hundred twenty six thousand kilometres away." She indicated a Vegan patrol fighter in a figure eight patter about the nearest moon and a collection of what Dawn would have termed tiny asteroids.
The science officer beamed, pleased at the quickness of her "student." "Very good. Now, watch this. Duke?"
"Ma'am?"
"Decloak to test proximity." She could hear the rest of the bridge snickering in the background.
"Aye, Commander. Decloaking in four, three, two, and..."
"DAMN IT, DUKE!" Now it was Hoshi's turn to jump back and curse. In front of them, Rini waved from the bridge, the window barely twenty meters from the tiny shuttle. Proximity alarms whistled throughout the bridge as Dawn burst out laughing, thoroughly delighted with the display.
"Boo," came Derrelli's voice over the comm.
"'S not funny," Hoshi muttered to herself.
"Is so. Now, head off again... and this time, we won't sneak up on you." The comm clicked off, and Hoshi brought the shuttle about before streaking past the patrolled moon, while the now-visible _Prometheus_ headed in the opposite direction.
"Now what?" Dawn eyed the holographic readout of the ship as parts of the lowers levels flickered, the shuttle picking up on the encrypted signals and translating them as programmed.
Hoshi slowed the shuttle, then kicked back in her chair with the coffee. "Weapons tests... don't worry, it's not target practice," she added as Dawn's face registered worry. "This is us merely monitoring and recording output as they go through the subroutines."
"Oh."
"And it'll take about thirty minutes," Hoshi continued, beginning the recording. "So, you're filling in for Eos, huh?" Dawn nodded in reply. "Whatcha think of the job so far?"
"Not bad. Better than going to class, most days."
"Oh, you're in school?" Dark eyes showed interest. "Doing what?"
Shit, she thought. Yet another thing to make her seem out of place. "Uh, engineering. Third year." Dawn pulled down one of the shorter strands of hair that had worked its way loose from the French braid and twisted it about her finger. "You?"
Hoshi shook her head. "Finished a while back. My PhD's in archaeology, but it's the Senshi background that keeps me here."
"It does explain the science officer bit, though," Dawn mused over the rim of her coffee cup. A handful of minutes slipped by in silence, before Dawn decided that she should at least try to busy herself with something. She checked the holographic readout, and noticed an orange blip that hadn't been there before. "Um, Hoshi?"
"Yeah?"
"What's that?"
"Good question." Now sitting up straight, she cracked her neck and yawned. "Know how to open a hailing channel?" Dawn grinned in reply. "Ask 'em, then."
Obediently, the Guardian brought up the correct frequency and flipped the microphone on. "This is..." She searched for an appropriate title. "Lieutenant Dawn Connolly of the Lunar Navy. Please state your intentions."
Please, Hoshi mouthed. Dawn shrugged helplessly; she'd had her mother's Southern manners drilled into her for far too long.
"Girlie, you're the only Lunar thing out here," a nasty gravelly voice came back in reply. "Don't get all cocky and official with us."
"And who might you be?"
A trio of mercenary fighters zipped past the front of the shuttle while a fourth came up on the starboard side. "Someone you don't wanna piss off, sweetcheeks. Could be your friend, though, if you're interested."
"Sorry, babe. I've already got my own special friends." She winked at Hoshi, who motioned for her to keep stalling as she fiddled with the constantly updating diagram of the _Prometheus_. "Does your momma know you're out here threatening nice girls instead of playing ball with the boys back home?"
"Don't get smart with us, girl. This ain't Lunar space, so none of Serenity's ships are gonna save you if your mouth gets you into trouble."
"Save me from what?" Hoshi gave Dawn a thumbs-up; the girl was pretty resourceful for a new recruit. "Y'all don't mean to attack li'l ol' me?"
"Well, you sound like you'd be more fun alive than dead," the voice came back. "You'd be worth quite a lot on the slave market."
Dawn's eyes widened at the term "slave market," but she kept talking while Hoshi took over the controls in front of her. "Really? I'd be worth money? But I'm barely twenty-one, with long auburn hair, big brown doe eyes, and these perfect rose pink lips that would send even the roughest toughest merc pilot such as yourself to his knees in a heartbeat." Her voice slowed at the end, the last words uttered breathily with a slight moan at the end.
An audible gulp and sigh came through, sending both Dawn and Hoshi into fits of laughter that they quickly hid in their hands. "Maybe, well, uh, we'll just see about keeping you for ourselves," the reply finally came back.
"Actually, we'd like to keep her for ourselves." Derrelli's voice resonated through both the shuttle and the merc fighter in question. "Why don't you boys run along and find another pretty girl to kick your ass?"
"Says who?" According to the console, the _Prometheus_ was nowhere to be found, despite the transmission. "You got someone else on that shuttle, girlie?
A white-orange streak shot out of nowhere, expertly grazing the bow of the lead fighter. "Says me. Back off, boys," Kis barked from her station. "That shuttle's property of the Lunar Navy. Your sorry carcasses will be, too, if you don't turn around and leave my girl alone."
The offending pilot responded by targeting the shuttle with a low-level pulse that brought the shields down. "Not likely," he snarled. "Unless you cowards see fit to show yourselves, I think we'll take her with us."
"Oh, that's it," Kis snapped, leaping to her feet. "Captain, permission to fry this arrogant sonuvabitch with the TPA?"
Derrelli shook his head. "Not now. We'll just use the regular plasma shots." Showing only a fraction of his concern, he called down to Engineering. "Akiko?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"What's the status on the tractor beam? We're gonna have to tow Hoshi and Dawn in," he answered.
A pause, then a confident reply. "Two minutes and it should be completely charged."
"Good to hear." Derrelli slowly shook his head at Kis, whose fingers literally itched with the want to use the _Prometheus_' most powerful weapon on the quartet of fighters. "Not now, Kis. Easy."
She sat back, scowling darkly at him. "First Youma Siege over surfing, now this. You're getting to be no fun at all, Pyro."
He shook his head before re-establishing communication with the merc fighter pilot. "You sure about that fight challenge?"
"For the love of... OW!" Hoshi jumped back as sparks flew from the console with a second volley from the fighter behind them. With communications now off-line and shields down, she could do little but grit her teeth and cradle her burnt left hand.
Dawn caught her as she stumbled backwards, the two of them landing on the floor. Dawn broke the fall for both of them, her posterior providing a meagre cushion. Wincing, she turned to Hoshi. "You gonna be okay?"
"Sure, once I get to sick bay. This friggin' hurts..." She bit her lip. "Those guys had better do something soon. I don't think those mercs wanna play with you any more." The shuttle lurched as the tractor beam locked on, pulling them closer to the position of the still-cloaked _Prometheus_.
Having witnessed the second attack on the shuttle, an enraged Derrelli signalled to the weapons officer. "To hell with 'em, Kis. Go for it."
"Damn straight, sir." Sliding into the TPA, she fitted both hands into the device. Created less than five years ago, the TPA allowed for Senshi and Sorcerers to magnify their own attacks, drawing upon the weapons power of the ship as well as their own abilities. For their captain, it would have meant a wave of flame; in Sailor Ryujin's case, it meant one very nasty and deadly water dragon.
"TPA powered," Akiko's voice sounded over the bridge.
"And this is why you don't fuck with the Lunar Navy, boys. Tidal Dragon STRIKE!" Kissuiko's voice resonated as the exterior plasma nodes of the _Prometheus_ began to glow a bright indigo, silver sparks growing to encase the bulging energies. In a split second, they shot ahead of the ship to form the semblance of an enormous water dragon, scales undulating with white-hot plasma as it streaked towards the offending fighters. With deadly accuracy, Ryujin's attack avoided the shuttle entirely, coming up underneath the targeted spacecraft and piercing the metal in a shower of silver fire. A capsule ejected from the fighter, escaping with the other three.
"See ya later, boys!" Kis crowed from the TPA. "Come back soon and play, if you ever feel like it."
Derrelli laughed while she continued to gloat. "How's the retrieval going, Akiko?"
"They're in sick bay, sir," she answered. "Bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Going there right now."
"On my way. Kis, you've got the bridge.
Four days out in deep space were beginning to wear on Dawn. There was only so much Akiko could have her do in Engineering with systems testing or monitoring core coolant output. Dawn was, for all intensive purposes, bored. Bored with recording numbers and watching readouts. Rini had been perfectly content to sit on the bridge and gaze out at the stars with a sort of dreamy wistfulness. That had driven Dawn nuts after a grand total of fifteen minutes. She'd spent the morning walking about the ship in jeans and a tank top, simply nosing about as her CD player wailed Aerosmith through the headphones. A quick trip back to her quarters for a snack and a wasted attempt at a nap, and then, more wandering about the ship. She knew that the batteries would wear out sooner or later, and Steven Tyler would be silenced until she managed to get back to school.
That seemed such a far away reality at the moment. It'd be at least a month before Eos could think about getting around on her own, much less try to follow Rini on a day to day basis. So, two months... maybe three. By then, she'd have lost the entire semester. That would mean that she and Breandon would have been together for...
"Damn, you think that hard all the time?" Kissuiko stood in the hallway, wet blonde hair caught back in twin braids and a white bandanna. Ragged shorts and a beat up hooded sweatshirt were complimented by flip-flops that had probably seen better days. "C'mon, let's get you a drink."
Not in the mood to protest, Dawn followed the now-incredibly casual weapons officer to the main galley. Her CD player in hand and headphones hanging about her neck, she stopped just inside the door, eyeing the half-full room warily. Kis noticed this and chuckled. "What?" Dawn wriggled the end of her nose, the aroma of coffee waking her senses. "And what do you mean by drink, anyway?"
"My, my... somebody's awfully suspicious," Kis teased. "Chip on your shoulder, baby girl? You can have just water, if that's what you'd want." She blew a kiss to the ensign behind the counter, who slid a beer her way in return.
"I'd go for a coffee, actually." Once she had her mug, she followed Kis to an out of the way table near a corner window. Sinking in the chair, Dawn wrapped her fingers around the base of the coffee cup and sighed.
Kis laughed again. "Well, aren't we the unhappy little girl? You don't like ship trials?"
Realizing how unpleasant she must have appeared, Dawn forced a somewhat happier expression on her face. "Oh, they're not bad," she lied. "I just feel kind of useless."
The blonde woman nodded sagely. "Yeah, watching someone stare out of a window all day can't be all that exciting." Feet up on a chair, she knocked back a third of her lager and set the bottle back on the table. "Aw, hell. I'm lousy at small talk..."
"Same here."
"...So I'll just get to the point." Another pull on her drink, and she pointed the bottle at Dawn as she spoke. "Rumour around the palace is that you've got a certain clothing designer who's been seen in your company on a number of occasions, and that you got back quite late from a night out. There's been some talk, baby girl... I just want to know what's true and what's not."
Dawn blinked, fighting for a coherent reply. "I, um, well, he's... we've, um..."
"Three possibilities, hon. One, you're one of his groupies and that late night was a wild and torrid exploration of Bren's bedroom prowess. Two, you're a client who's getting a dress made, who just happened to stay a little too late. Three, you've managed to seduce him and have therefore gained the upper hand on the most notorious of bachelors in the Lunar kingdom." She flipped a blonde braid over her shoulder before leaning back. "Which is it?"
"It's most certainly not the first two," she retorted, defences completely up. Her relationship - could she really call it that - with Breandon was not meant for gossip, and most certainly not at this level. "And as for being lousy at small talk-"
Kis reached over and put a hand on Dawn's wrist. "Easy, baby girl. Bren's a friend of mine... and I've been known to ask for a dress or two every so often. I'm not out for blood, just honesty." Dawn frowned down at the swirls of cream in her coffee. "Although... I've always wondered... is he really as fantastic as his reputation claims him to be?"
Dawn's head snapped up. Even Rini had tact; this woman was teetering on the brink of downright rudeness. Well, she could do the same thing. "Why, jealous?"
The snooty comeback sent Kis into a fit of laughter and table-pounding. "Oh, hell no..." she choked out. "You're so far from the truth..." Swallowing, she leaned closer to Dawn with a flirtatious smile. "Breandon's a little too scrawny, a little too formal, and most importantly, a little too male for my tastes."
Kis' explanation sunk in slowly, Dawn feeling like a fool. "Oh. I, um, see."
"So 'm I," she winked, leaning back and patting Dawn's hand. "If he hadn't gotten to you first, then I might have been inclined to show you a far more exciting time on trials."
Her reaction ill-hidden by her coffee mug, Dawn supposed she should be flattered. "Aha. Well... thanks, I guess."
"Don't mention it. So, about Breandon ..." She tapped short but well-kept fingernails against the table. "You know you're like, the envy of every social snot between fifteen and fifty, right?" Dawn shook her head. "I have it on the best authority that you're causing thousand of women to cry themselves to sleep at night."
To Kis' surprise, Dawn simply shrugged. Other women might have taken the chance to gloat over their new-found social status; Dawn seemed embarrassed by it.. "Right. So, what's your warning on him?"
"Warning?"
"That I'll just be another one-night stand, that he's trouble, that I shouldn't be distracted. that sort of thing." She waved a hand to emphasize that more existed. "C'mon, I'm collecting."
"Oh, Dawn." It came out in a motherly tone. "Hon, I'm not gonna say anything like that."
The most grateful of smiles came over Dawn's face, and she immediately let down her defences towards Kis. "Really?"
The blonde nodded, patting her hand. "Yep, I like ya... you're real. You're not fake like the others he's brought home." She frowned slightly. "You do know about..."
"Yeah. It's been mentioned. Often. By him and others."
"And?"
She sighed. "Part of who he is. I'll accept it."
This evening, it was Duke's turn to have the bridge. Next to him, Akiko had curled up with a book on Terran mythology. Their dinner plans pre-empted by Duke's mandatory shift, Akiko was content to pass the time in silence.
Unfortunately, Duke saw fit to distract the petite blonde with a carefully aimed wad of paper that bounced off of the end of her nose. "Thought you were here to keep me company."
She lifted her head, amusement in her eyes. "Monsieur Rambert," she began in one of her favourite Terran languages, "t'es si méchant ce soir."
"I am not being mean," he protested, having known Akiko long enough to recognize the simple playful phrase. "You're just being boring."
She sighed and closed her book, her thumb marking her page. "And is it my fault you asked me to dinner, forgetting that you had first shift tonight?" Duke grumbled in reply, to which Akiko giggled. "Oh, stop. It's okay, I'm just teasing you." Setting her book on the seat, she circled the chair and placed both hands on Duke's shoulders.
"What, you think that some innocent backrub is going to make up for teasing me?" Grumpy for lack of dinner, the Sycoraxi folded his arms across his chest.
"Oui." Two small hands began a slow massage on either side of his neck, a knowing smile gracing her lips. "I know you, remember?"
"Mm-hmm." Weakness revealed, Duke relaxed and observed the main screen as the neckrub worked out the day's knots and kinks sustained from hours at navigation control. He'd offered to return the favour once before, but it wasn't his fault that he had an overly ticklish girlfriend. Akiko's carefully trained eyes checked the console to her left as she pressed her thumb into a particularly tight muscle. Even though she had left Engineering in the care of her hand-picked team, it didn't keep her from checking in every so often. All readings in perfect order, she turned her attentions back to Duke.
"Lemme get this straight." Kis was on her third beer, Dawn enjoying a second cup of coffee. "You got rid of the Arronné girl by posing as a dominatrix?"
"Leather fuku and everything," she snickered.
Kis clapped and hooted. "Atta girl," she chortled. "I like your style, hon. What're you doing after your gig with the Princess is finished?"
"Well, I'm not entirely..."
"'Cause I'd have you on my ship like /that/." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Of course, that means I'll need to make Commander first, but..."
The entire ship heaved, sending platters of food and drink flying. People lost footing and slid out of chairs, Dawn landing in an ungraceful heap at Kis' feet. Alarms rang throughout the ship, and Dawn felt herself hauled up by the back of her shirt.
"C'mon, baby girl," Kis barked. "We got problems. Io?"
"Yes, Lieuten-"
"Where's the Princess?"
A slight pause. "Princess Serenity is attempting to leave her personal quarters."
"Engage lockdown, authorization Ryujin four one eight two five." Grabbing Dawn's arm, she pulled her into the nearest lift. "She'll be pissed as anything, but she's gotta stay put."
Dawn extracted her arm from Kis' grip and rubbed the reddened skin. "She's not gonna like that, but hey, you're in charge of that sort of thing."
"Damn straight." Kis ran out of the lift onto the bridge. "I've got security and weapons detail, so Pyro'll have to override me if she wants out." Motioning for Dawn to follow, she slid into Hoshi's seat at the science console. "Duke, she okay?"
He nodded, holding the sleeve of his uniform to Akiko's forehead. Blood from a nasty gash above her eye stained the fabric, but she was conscious. "Yeah, it'll stop in a bit." He grimaced at the holoscreen, which showed a pair of souped-up freighters outfitted with plasma weaponry and heavy exterior plating. Half the size of the _Prometheus_, they flanked the battle cruiser and targeted another salvo at the lower decks. Shields holding, the ship shuddered under the dual impact. Derrelli ran in, uniform scorched along his upper back and shredded from shoulder to wrist.
"Status?" He took Duke's usual seat, re-routing systems to compensate for additional propulsion. "Kis, shields working?"
"For now." Keying in commands furiously, she brought forcefields around a damaged cargo bay. "Dawn, open a comm. channel. That console, there," she pointed. "Find out what those bastards are doing."
Duke propped Akiko against the side of the compartment before trading places with Derrelli. "Evasive manoeuvres," the captain instructed. "Get us out of range. Dawn?"
She looked up frantically, fingers on the console. "They're not responding... or I'm not doing it right..."
"Or there's no power to the exterior communications grid," her answered as Kis fired a round in self-defence. The _Prometheus_ lurched forward, Duke able to guide the crippled ship to open space and bring her about.
"Re-routing power to communications grid." Akiko had pulled herself up to lean against a chair so she could manage power distribution from the bridge.
"Hail ‘em, Dawn," Derrelli instructed. "Let's see if they'll talk."
Praying silently that she wouldn't mess up, she keyed in the appropriate commands and tried to think what one of Gene Roddenberry's cool, calm, and collected heroines would have said. "This is Sailor Eos of the Lunar battle cruiser _Prometheus_. What the hell's going on around here?"
"You're far from home, and we need replacement parts." The image of a grizzled red-skinned man appeared on the screen. "Lower shields and prepare to be boarded."
"This is Captain Derrelli, and I'll be damned if you're going to board my ship," he snarled.
"Then jettison your core system and we'll be on our way," the other captain replied.
"Can't do that."
An ugly laugh served as the sole reply before the screen went blank. "Then we'll do it the hard way." Another explosion threw Kis to the floor, the weapons console smoking. Akiko rushed over, pulling the dazed Senshi away from her post.
"Io? Engineering status?"
"Engineering core is off-line. Shield integrity at fifty-two percent and falling. Ruptures on decks nine, eleven, twelve, and fifteen. Cargo bay has been sealed off due to coolant least. Plasma weaponry is off-line."
"Cloaking?" She managed to sit Kis up.
"Cloaking subroutines are off-line." A pause, and Io spoke again. "Commander Akemi is requesting override of Ryujin four-"
"Permission granted," Derrelli snapped. "Duke, propulsion?"
"Not responding. She's sluggish," he called. "RIFT system is completely fried. I can bring her underneath one of the freighters to buy some time..."
"Do what you have to do," Derrelli nodded. "I trust ya. Wouldn't have you here if I didn't." The ship swung hard to starboard, sensors shrieking as the _Prometheus_ passed within meters of the enemy ship. "Io? TPA status?"
"TPA is functional, but must be charged. Power currently routed to secondary weaponry is insufficient to enable TPA console."
A fist slammed into the side of the chair. "Fuck. Io, send distress signal to Vegan patrols in area, reroute power to shields, and seal off engineering."
"Pyro!" Kis pointed a hand at Dawn. "Put her in the TPA. Let her feed off of what they're throwing at us."
He frowned at the terrified young woman. "Guardian, right? Like Akiko?"
"Yeah," she squeaked, hurrying to the chair next to Duke. "I mean, I think so..."
"Just do what he says, baby girl," Kis interrupted.
"Hands here," he began, tapping the polymer sleeves. "Hold this... and this..." He waited as her fingers closed about the bars within the TPA. Chest pressed to the console, she swallowed hard. "This amplifies your Senshi abilities, and allows you to use the ship to target. Got it?" She nodded again. "All right. Io, bring shields down once Duke brings us up between those freighters." He turned at the hiss of the bridge doors, Rini following Hoshi inside.
"Status?" Rini stepped over glass and metal to look over Kis' shoulders.
"We're fucked at the moment, your Highness." Not one to waste words, Kis rerouted power to port shields as they swung out from beneath the freighter. "Sound alarms and brace for impact!"
As the rest of the crew on the bridge clung to whatever was convenient, Dawn squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Palms sweating, she tightened her grip inside the TPA and swallowed hard, her mouth dry. This thing amplified Senshi powers, it wouldn't be anything she hadn't done be...
Oh, shit. They're going to fire on the...
The forward half of the _Prometheus_ erupted in a wave of blue and white plasma as both freighters unleashed full spreads of torpedoes on the cruiser. Metal groaned as the plasma coursed through it, finding the shortest paths to the TPA circuitry. White hot sparks rained from above, panels bursting into flame due to sheer overload. In a flash of rose-tinged light, the TPA sprang to life. Dawn cried out in both surprise and pain at the massive energy influx. The metal bars to which she clung glowed bright with heat, searing the skin on both palms. Still, she hung on, allowing herself to channel the energies absorbed via the ship.
A lavender mist had begun to gather about Dawn's figure, density increasing each second she allowed the charge to build. Her breathing shallow and rapid, she broke out in a cold sweat. The TPA began to hum, first with a single low tone, then growing louder as multiple harmonics resonated in the tiny space. Rini clapped her hands over her ears. Others on the bridge did the same, wincing at both noise and the visible energy flux. The cacophony drowned out Dawn's whimpering as she struggled to hold on to the charge.
"TPA charged and ready for imple-, imple-, imple-" An arc of violet plasma escaped the console, catching Dawn in her shoulder. She shrieked, back arched and blood streaming down her arm. Hands spasmed, and the Guardian unleashed the torrent of pent-up energy through the ship's systems. A rose and lavender aura surrounded the _Prometheus_, blinding light encasing the embattled cruiser. The aura pulsed once, light fading slightly before shooting outwards violently in a rapidly growing sphere of superheated plasma and debris. The ship's plating threatened to tear under the combined stresses, but the ship's AI compensated with carefully placed forcefields to keep the _Prometheus_ in one piece.
The same structural integrity didn't apply to the two freighters. Dawn's amplified attack encountered the exterior weapons systems, the torpedo tubes collapsing and detonating their charged payloads. The plasma orb continued to press outwards, forcing the hull of the port side ship to cave in and expose the lower decks. The crippled ship attempted to turn, but that only allowed the untouched areas to experience the unforgiving attack that Dawn continued to channel. Its sister ship also turned, but managed to manoeuvre itself out of the attack radius. Engaging a fractured warp drive, it lurched into deep space. In its wake lay the remains of the other freighter, and the still-glowing /SLS _Prometheus_.
It took Duke and Kis to carry Dawn's unconscious figure to sick bay. Rini and Hoshi remained on the bridge as their captain was needed in Engineering. The task of nurse fell to the petite blonde, whose own injuries were minor in comparison to Dawn's.
"Get her out of those clothes," Akiko instructed, handing Kis a pair of scissors. "Find me the thermal wraps, Duke. She might go into shock if we're not careful." Uncapping a tube of salve, she began to coat Dawn's hands and forearms.
Carefully, Kis peeled away Dawn's burnt clothing and ran her fingers lightly over the injured shoulder. A horrendous plasma burn stretched from one elbow to the centre of her back, a field of blisters rising over her entire upper body. "Damn," she breathed. "Aki-chan, we're gonna need a lot more of that stuff."
Emerging from the med supply closet with a bag of thermal bandage, Duke stopped at the sight of Kis cutting through the fabric of Dawn's jeans. Turning, he dropped the bag on the counter. "I'll be outside, if you need me..."
Both women nodded, too busy with their patient to notice his embarrassment at the nearly naked Guardian. As the doors shut, Dawn's expression darkened and she began crying softly. Akiko patted her forehead gently while Kis ripped open the bag of bandages and began to wrap Dawn's torso.
"I can't feel my fingers," she moaned softly, eyes struggling to open. "Or my arms, or my shoulders..."
Akiko gently lifted Dawn's gel-covered hand so she could see. "It's the medicine working. It's helping to heal the burnt tissue, so it numbs your nerve endings. You'll feel better once we get the thermal wraps on you."
"And you get some rest," Kis added. "Good job, baby girl, although I think you might have fried my TPA." Before the apology could be made, Kis rushed ahead. "Just means another post-trial repair, and we've got too many for one more to make a difference. Nothing to be sorry for."
Dawn managed a woozy nod before Akiko pressed a hypospray to her neck. "This'll help you sleep," she explained soothingly. "You'll feel better in the morning."