NationStates Jolt Archive

Federal Embassy

Scinfaxi sat down on a bench in the lobby, yawning softly. Katsuma's coat was still around her shoulders; she'd been a little caught up in things to notice, really.

Georgina Bryde sat down beside her, patting her shoulder and making the avatar start a little, Georgina giggling, 'I didn't think you did that...'

Scinfaxi smiled, 'Things get a little blurry when the avatar's tired...I should probably turn in.'

Georgina grinned, 'But you know you'll regret it if you do. Besides, isn't that his jacket?'

Scinfaxi blinked, 'Oh...I completely forgot!' she stood, 'I just hope he's still there...'

Winter Palace – Exterior

Lord Katsuma hadn’t had to wait long for his ride. He’d only radioed in for dust-off 5 minutes ago, and already the dropship was touching down outside the Winter Palace. As the wind of the exhaust died away and the sound of the engines spooled to nothing, Katsuma stopped to look about him. The sky was clear above him, stars as far as the eye could see. The full moon cast a pale silvery glow about the castle.
It had been an eventful trip for Katsuma. Being the first of his planet to visit Earth in over 70 years had been the most fascinating experience of his short life, and he was saddened that it had to end so soon. He’d met so many fascinating people, had learned so much, and Scinfaxi…
Stepping up the ramp into the dropship’s interior, he reflected on the moments they had shared together in the garden. “A friend in the most unusual of places”. He was going to miss her…

“Katsumaaa!” Katsuma paused, his ears perking up at the sound of a familiar voice. Across the tarmac was Scinfaxi, hurriedly running towards him, his coat still around her shoulders. Without a second thought, Katsuma turned back down the ramp and ran out to her.

“Um, you forgot your coat…” She said softly, just a little out of breath. Katsuma blushed, having himself forgotten that he’d loaned the segonune his heavy military coat. “And I wanted to ask you… um, if it’s not too much of a problem, I’d like to tell you the rest of that story sometime… Maybe you could come to the Federation sometime?” Katsuma gave a small smile, and looked down into Scinfaxi’s eyes. It would be difficult to justify the expense of another trip to Sol, and Katsuma wasn’t too sure if High Minister Imbenarion would be pleased with such a decision, but…

“I’d love to.”

With those words, Scinfaxi drew Katsuma closer to her and gave him another hug, her head resting against his chest. Like before, Katsuma returned in kind, that moment of embrace stretching for what seemed like both too long and too short a time. Scinfaxi had just begun to slide off and return his coat when he stopped her, his hands resting on her shoulders.

“No, you keep it.” Katsuma smiled again. “It looks better on you than it does on me, and it’ll keep you warm until I return. No, before I leave, how will I be able to contact you while I’m away?”

“Oh, yeah…” Scinfaxi said as she fumbled through the pockets of the large coat. “Left inside pocket.” Katsuma offered. Scinfaxi reached in and produced a small notepad and a pen; she scribbled something down, ripped the paper off the pad, and handed it to Katsuma. “It’s communication info. You’ll be able to get in touch with Marshall Islands through these satellite channels.” Katsuma smiled a little wider when he saw the words ‘Call me!’ written below the list of codes.

“I promise I’ll come see you again. Soon.” He said as he stuffed the list into his chest pocket. With another all-too-short embrace, Katsuma turned and walked back into the holds of the dropship, turning and smiling as the engines spooled up…


Solontian Diplomatic Shuttle “Ein Rugel” – Trans-Lunar space – Sol System

“We’ve arrived at the GJ 2005 jump node, sir.”

“Excellent. drop another comm buoy at this location, “Katsuma said to the helmsman. On the underside of the sleek blue-white shuttle, a small hatch opened and a small object propelled itself from the underbelly of the ship. Tiny jets of gas emanated from the comm buoy as it stabilized itself in space.
“Comm buoy online, sir. FTL linkup with the first buoy is green. Ping zero-zero-niner.” Katsuma leaned back in the command console and sighed. Laying comm buoys all the way home was going to be tedious, but it was a welcome change from the chaos and destruction that usually accompanied the Lord Protector into space. 13 systems across 50 light years was a long way, but with a communications node set up in every system along that path, Solont would finally have near-instantaneous communication with Earth. Tedium was a small price to pay.

Katsuma sighed again. Regardless of the change of pace, it had been a long night, and his eyelids were beginning to grow heavy.
“Lieutenant Yates, you have command. I’ll be in my quarters.” Katsuma ordered as he floated out of the command console and propelled himself down the corridor at the rear of the cockpit. The order was more of a formality than anything. The shuttle only had 3 crewmen, the Lord Protector included, and the autopilot was engaged. Barring the extremely unlikely event of being ambushed by QB, the “Ein Rugel” could look forward to an extraordinarily uneventful trip back to Beta Aquilae.

Once in his quarters, Katsuma resigned himself to staring out the window into the emptiness of space. Admittedly, it wasn’t much to look at, and Katsuma found his mind wandering. Thoughts of Earth faded in his mind, but the image of Scinfaxi lingered on. Why couldn’t he stop thinking of her?


“Ein Rugel” – Hyperspace Corridor BD+02 4076 – 60 “Beta Aquilae”

“What’s happening?” Katsuma asked as he floated back into the cockpit and situated himself at the helm. He’d been awoken by the proximity alarm only moments before.

Crewman Yates piped in, “Two fighters from the Republic of Imbenar just intercepted us coming from Beta Aquilae. They’ve taken up a guard formation around us and have been hailing us ever since they appeared on our scans.” Katsuma looked out the viewport. Sure enough, silhouetted against the blue-white streaks of hyperspace were 2 black spacecraft, on either side of the Ein Rugel. He cursed, as the crystal clear voices of the lead pilot burst to life on the Ein Rugel’s PA.

“—is Flight Lead Gamma Three-Niner of the Imbenar Space Force. You are to divert from your present hyperspace heading. You will be rerouted through Fenris Gate and rendezvous with the Flagship Apeiron. I repeat, Ein Rugel this is Flight Lead Gamma Three-Niner of the Imbenar Space Force. You are to divert from your present hyperspace heading.”

Katsuma pulled a headset over his ears and keyed in a reply. “Gamme Three-Niner, this is Ein Rugel. Orders received and understood. We are standing by to receive coordinates.” As the crewman aboard the Ein Rugel handled the navigational changes, Katsuma cursed to himself yet again. Being rerouted to the Flagship Apeiron of all places could only mean that High Minister Imbenarion wanted to have a little ‘chat’ with him about his stay on Earth…

Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven, Comberth Harbour, Marshall Island

The R&D lab where Scinfaxi would say she'd been born was located a way outside the main harbour, so that the huge submarines it mainly concerned itself with wouldn't inconvenience regular shipping on test runs. Both the submarine battleships and more recently the submarine-carriers had been built and tested around this facility, before the main underwater dock had been extended for the newer Sub-Dreadnoughts.

The facility above ground was fairly large, made up of glittering glass-fronted offices and design labs, but it was below where the most impressive part of the facility was to be found.

'This is Scinfaxi, request you open the underwater door?'

The entire sheer surface of the rock wall in front of her slowly moved aside, finally locking open, leading into a massive tunnel that got wider as it went deeper. The Scinfaxi moved slowly into the dock, surfacing as the underwater doors locked closed far behind her.

Inside the dock was one of the largest enclosed spaces in the Federation, an immense man-made cavern carved out of the rock, two miles long to the exit tunnel and almost as wide. It had a high armoured ceiling, heavy netting strung across below to protect the pens from earthquake bombs.

Ahead the five new wet / dry docks with their flashing pathfinding lights loomed, each big enough to accommodate a finished submarine like the Scinfaxi or even to build one in. It had been an immense challenge to build the two completed submarines, shifting huge amounts of materials down to the drydocks being accomplished with a series of diagonal lift-platforms at the back of the dock area.

In two of the docks rested hulls; in two, the completed Hrimfaxi, and in three the partially built Sleipnir. Beside them, docks four and five were empty, the last two ships in her series, Alsvid and Arvak, not yet started. Dock one was currently empty too, and was her own.

As the Scinfaxi slowly pulled into the dock, gangways extending from the dockside to the massive submarine's deck, Scinfaxi smiled; she'd noticed that, as was often the case, almost two dozen little white birds were flying around inside the dock. Glancing over as she walked down onto the concrete of the pier beside the Scinfaxi, she could make out one of her sisters asleep on the ground by Dock 4.

Alsvid liked sleeping by the dockside, for some reason; maybe because the sound of water and the relatively open space was comforting to the Cervidine avatar; she knew herself that AIs had a tendency to develop traits close to their avatar, especially if there was only one. It was still kind of strange to see her curled up in the middle of the walkway in her pyjamas with a blanket and pillow as if this was a perfectly normal thing for someone to do, though.

Alsvid yawned softly and sat up, smiling, 'Heya...Welcome home.'

Scinfaxi smiled cheerily, though in truth she was a little preoccupied, remembering how nice it had felt to hug Katsuma under the stars and wondering if he felt the same way, 'Um, where's Hrimfaxi? She usually comes down to meet me...'

Alsvid shrugged, 'Haven't seen her since yesterday.' She yawned, 'Ni ni' and went back to sleep. Scinfaxi sighed, and went to look for her sister, holding the little basket of muffins she'd picked up as a lil' surprise for her. They'd shared a room for as long as they'd had avatars, but looking inside Scinfaxi was disappointed to see her sister wasn't there.

'Wonder where she could be...?' she murmured, mentally flicking up the door ID security records.

It made sense where Hrimfaxi was; she was a good friend of the young technician, Eva, and they spent a lot of time together. Probably sharing a drink together or watching a film...Hopefully nothing they'd mind her intruding on to give Hrimfaxi her gift.

She smiled brightly, a spring in her step as she headed back down the corridor.

Onboard Medical Ship SFM “Sydenham”. Three days later…

Once more, Katsuma found himself staring out that same window onto that same blue-green planet below. From low orbit, he could see the glittering reflection of the sun on the ocean below, wispy clouds tracing thin, elegant patterns across the otherwise clear sky. If he squinted, he could just make out the long thin shape of a huge luxury MegaLiner. Such a short period of time had passed since the cataclysmic final battle over those very seas, and already the lives of the inhabitants of the fragile planet below had begun to return to normal. Katsuma’s mind wasn’t focused on the reconstruction efforts, however. Not a single thought of the death and destruction 4 months ago, or of the harrowing rescue attempts just after, entered his mind. No, his thoughts were 50 light years away…

“Katsuma.”

As the ship orbited, the golden fields of the Celes Plains came into view. Again, the planet shimmered as the sun’s light reflected off the seemingly infinite fields of grain below. That golden shimmer… just like the eyes the one who’d captured Katsuma’s thoughts and dreams, and perhaps… perhaps even his heart. Scinfaxi…

“Katsuma!”

Still the planet spun below, the gigantic, majestic floating ice mountains of the North Sea coming into view, but no longer glittering. Dawn had not yet broken on that part of the planet, the sun yet a few minutes from rising. And still further, the harsh and black northern mountains where his ancestors had first made planetfall, less than a century ago. Black and white. Just like her… He sighed wistfully.

“KATSUMA!”

Katsuma jumped! Suddenly, he was aware of who he was, where he was, and who had been shouting at him for the past minute. “Yes, Dr. Jyun’ko?” The short, bespectacled Asian-looking man before him was tapping his foot impatiently and wearing a scowl on his face. Clearly, the man did not like to be kept waiting.

“Ever since you returned from Earth, you have been nigh oblivious to everything around you! I’m THIS CLOSE to ordering a psych eval and ANOTHER full pathogen scan! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I’ve been… thinking.” Katsuma said. The doctor had the uncanny ability to make people feel his angry stare, and Katsuma felt it now.

“What? What could you possibly be thinking about that would occupy your mind so much?”

“… The war.” Katsuma lied. Dr. Jyun’ko just stared him, obviously not buying it. But as soon as it had entered, the fight left him, and Dr. Jyun’ko’s normal, businesslike disposition returned.

“Whatever. Regardless, it’s time to remove some of those bandages. Specifically, your left arm and torso. Unfortunately, the bandage around your head has to remain.” Dr. Jyun’ko said as he tapped Katsuma’s head with the end of his pen. “As you know, due to the size and nature of that GARGANTUAN crack in your skull, it’s going to take the biomechanical compounds in the bandage another month to finish repairing it.” Clearly, the Dr. still retained his sense of exaggeration. The fracture was only a few inches, after all…

“Anyways. Once we finish this routine procedure…” Dr. Jyun’ko went on as he picked up his scalpel. “You’ll be fit to return to active service, despite your leaky head. In fact…” the Dr. cut loose the bandage around Katsuma’s arm, and as it fell to the floor, Katsuma could see the tiny wiring and circuitry laced into it. “I understand you have a meeting with President Churchill later today.”

“Indeed. I wonder what he wants.” Katsuma flexed his freed arm as the bandages around his torso dropped away. Looking down at himself, he couldn’t see the slightest sign of muscle atrophy, despite his extended time spent out of action. The jagged scars still remained, though. Not even the miracle of biomechanic compounds could fix those.

“You mean you don’t know?” Jyun’ko looked a little surprised.

Then, it was Katsuma’s turn to look surprised. “No… Should I?”

“You’d know better than me, Kats. I just figured a meeting between the most important military leader in recent history and the leader of the civilian sector would have been premeditated, or something…” Dr. Jyun’ko shrugged, and continued about his business of disposing of the used bandages.

“You’re right. It is unusual that such a meeting would be called without all parties knowing what was up. I haven’t the faintest clue of what the President wants of me…” Katsuma again stared out the window. Dr. Jyun’ko took that opportunity to dismiss himself from the room, leaving Katsuma to his own devices once again. As Solont rotated below, Katsuma saw it. The one sight that could shake his thoughts. The sight he had seen almost every day for the past 4 months.

There, in the southern hemisphere, were the ruins of Sanctuary City. Nothing remained except a hideous black scar upon the planet, more than two hundred kilometers in diameter. Though that side of the planet was bathed in night, Katsuma could still see the exposed mantle layer, glowing dimly at the center of that terrible crater. No matter how much time passed, that planetary scar would be an eternal reminder of the horror that had come to that lonely planet at the edge of space.

But… there was no helping it. Katsuma had replayed the incident over and over in his mind, and every result was the same. That destruction was necessary. The alternative was… too terrifying to think about. And as Katsuma watched, the ruins fell from view, and daylight returned to the planet below. Katsuma’s mind returned to more productive thoughts as he remembered what he’d been intending to do.

”First, I need to meet with President Churchill. I understand he’s been in touch with the Federation of Marshall Islands. Perhaps that’s what he wants to see me about… Anyways, I need to consult SIN regarding the integrity of the sensor relay network… Review the report on the disruption of communication with Elmsylvannia RO-009, and at last…”

Katsuma removed the small note from his pocket, the reminder he’d written the day he returned to the Sydenham.

“Everything else can wait. This takes precedence.”

Command Corvette SFCv “Moonlit Wilderness” – Docked with SFM “Sydenham”

Now fully dressed, Katsuma situated himself into the pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the “Moonlit Wilderness”. The ship was dark, the only power available being directed to the computer systems and life-support. Normally crewed by 10, the sleek black corvette was eerily silent, but the lack of noise suited Katsuma just fine. Excessive noise always made him a little uncomfortable.

Katsuma removed the note he’d kept in his pocket, the list of access codes. He smiled as he saw the elegantly written note at the bottom.

‘Call me!’

The glow of the console lit up his face in the otherwise dark command deck as Katsuma typed out his message, and appended the appropriate access codes. With the newly established relay network, he was assured almost instantaneous delivery to Earth.

Scinfaxi,
Over the few days I’ve been gone, I’ve come to miss you. But I have reason to believe that I’ll be returning to Earth soon. If at all possible, may I see you again?

Love,
Katsuma

Katsuma looked over his message once more, and decided to make a single change. He’d never said that to someone before. Was he really sure of his own feelings? With a few keystrokes, the change was made.

Scinfaxi,
Over the few days I’ve been gone, I’ve come to miss you. But I have reason to believe that I’ll be returning to Earth soon. If at all possible, may I see you again?

Your friend,
Katsuma

Without hesitation, he hit ‘send’.

Scinfaxi,
Over the few days I’ve been gone, I’ve come to miss you. But I have reason to believe that I’ll be returning to Earth soon. If at all possible, may I see you again?

Your friend,
Katsuma

Scinfaxi smiled as she read the printout again, lying on her bed in her pyjamas. She yawned, reaching over for her keyboard.

The device was small and folded open, looking like a laptop computer with no screen. Normally she'd just dictate the reply to the Scinfaxi's communication systems and leave it at that, but she'd always found it more personal to type something out with the avatar's hands...More like she'd actually put effort into it rather than creating it in a fraction of a second.

She thought for a moment, not wanting to sound too forward. She still remembered that night together with him under the moon and the stars, and really wanted to be close to him again.

She yawned again, rubbing her eyes and beginning to type.

Katsuma,

Thank you for thinking of me; nothing would make me happier than to see you again. Please, if you're visiting the Federation, contact me to tell me when you'll be arriving and where I should be waiting for you...I'll be there.

Yours,
[Serial number cannot be transmitted]-001 Scinfaxi.

She smiled, and sent it across to the Scinfaxi's communications array.

Zone 14, Waterfront City – Planet Solont – 23:47

Katsuma yawned once more, and turned back to the window. He’d only been to Waterfront once before, and he’d never seen the city like this. The dazzling soft green, red, and blue lights of the city played out across the tranquil waters of the harbor and reflected their soft tones on the clouds above. Through a breach in the cloud layer, Katsuma saw Solont’s moon, Selene. The entire night was beautiful, and from his vantage point at the top of the Administrative Tower, Katsuma could see everything. He wished he could be less fatigued in order to appreciate the view a little more…

The faint smell of cigar smoke piqued his senses. “President Churchill. It’s good to see you again.” Katsuma said as he whirled around and snapped a salute.

“Stow the formalities, General.” President John Churchill, a tall unshaven human in his mid-forties, strode into the room, chewing a cigar. “I’m sure you’re well aware of the fact that I’ve been maintaining open communication with Sol ever since you got back.” Katsuma nodded. “You did us a real favor laying that comm relay. Woulda taken weeks had we hired a civilian contractor.” John walked up to the window and took another puff of his cigar. “Anyways, I’ve been keeping in touch with this Federation you befriended. Nice people, them. Anyways, I’ve got some big news. I put the idea of some sort of Cultural exchange program to those Marshall Islanders, and they’re pretty enthused with the whole prospect. So, I’m going to Sol personally to meet with their leaders, make a public gesture of goodwill or something, and hammer out the details of said treaty. I’ll be letting the public know tomorrow morning via press conference, and we ship out that evening.”

“’We’, sir?” At this, Katsuma perked his ears.

“You an’ me, General! You’re coming along for the ride!” Katsuma felt his heart surge into his throat! He was going back, sooner than he’d expected!

“Well, it’s… its and honor, sir! But, I have to ask. Why?” Katsuma asked. Wheeling about on his heels, President Churchill turned away from the window and looked into Katsuma’s eyes, his own burning with a fierce intensity. For a long moment, neither of them spoke, but the silence was broken when John erupted into a roar of laughter and threw an arm over Katsuma’s shoulders

“Ha! Don’t question a good thing, General! I know you had a great time last time, and besides, without you, this whole thing never woulda started! Anyways, you won’t be returning to a combat role for a while now.”

“But the doctor said this morning that—“

“Goddamnit, General! I know! I fucking know everything! That’s why I’m the President! And just because you’re ready for the Fleet, doesn’t mean the Fleet’s ready for you! Now get outta here and get some sleep. We need you rested for tomorrow.” With that, the President shoved Katsuma towards the elevator and strode back into his office, as briskly as he’d entered.

As the elevator made its long descent down the side of the huge administrative tower, Katsuma excitedly tapped a message into his PDA.

Scinfaxi,

I’ve just received some wonderful news! The President of Solont will be visiting the Federation, and I’ve been asked to accompany him. I doubt I’ll have many diplomatic responsibilities upon our arrival, and I would love to spend my time on Earth with you.

While I don’t know where we’ll be arriving yet, I do know that we will be arriving within 24 hours from now.

I can’t wait to see you again…

Love,
Katsuma

In his enthusiasm, he forgot to check his sign-off before he hit ‘send’.

Meanwhile, in his office high above, John Churchill looked out upon the city. Gone was the jovial mood he expressed to Katsuma. He was worried. Though the upcoming Cultural Exchange was a Solontian issue, he knew the rest of the Beta Aquilae coalition would be most interested. He only hoped it would be for the same reasons as he was. Turning to his personal terminal, he opened a comm line direct to High Minister Imbenarion…

Naval Staging point, 2 kilometers off-shore of Sanctuary City, 17:24
4 months ago…

Even inside the bridge of the North Star, Captain Katsuma could hear the wail of the warning sirens as the citizens of Sanctuary fled into the bunkers. It was all happening so fast. Panicky, confused reports were still coming over FLEETCOM.

“God, where did they all come from?!”
“—unknown number of hostiles! Still tracking incoming warp vectors!”
“Lunar Perimeter has been breached. Repeat, Lunar Peri—”
“Oh, god. There’s nothing! There’s nothing between them and Solont!”
“This is the Chief Secretary! All Army forces on alert! Defense line 2 has been breached! All ships are to scramble immediately! Repeat, All Army forces on alert! Defense line 2—”
“Scramble all bomber wings!”
“Planetary defense grid standing by…”
“Neo-Greizon standing by. Fleet, be advised, targets are beyond the horizon. Current orbit will bring targets into range in 24 minutes.”

“This is the Battleship North Star. Now launching and moving to defend Defense Line Zero,” Katsuma spoke into his helmet mic. At the rear of the ship, the massive nuclear engine array flared to life, and the ship surged out of the sea and into the sky. On the FLEETCOM channel, Katsuma hear the reports of other squadrons, captains, and admirals as their ships lifted off the planets surface.

“This is the Cruiser Doenau. Lifting off and making best speed to Defense Line Zero.”
“Squadron SF-707 lifting off. Setting course for intercept.”
“Destroyer Phobos lifting off. Making best speed to DL-0.”
“Frigate group XB-13, now airborne and moving to reinforce Defense Line Zero.”

That was all. Fleet Command had just reported over a thousand enemy organisms entering the system. The situation was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, hopeless.

“All ships, be advised, reinforcements are inbound. ETA: 4 minutes.”

Katsuma swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He’d just recovered from the disaster on board the Saffron. God, he thought. This couldn’t be happening. It’s got to be a dream…
Pulling back on the control array, he angled the ship upwards. Around the North Star, the blue-green sky faded to the star-speckled blackness of space.

And then he saw them. Tiny points of red light, thousands of kilometers distant. Whatever hope he still held evaporated as his stomach turned to lead. Over the com, the captain of the Phobos put voice to the sentiment they all shared:

“My god. We’re finished.”

Katsuma gripped his ships controls tighter, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. He couldn’t hear the range reports from Fleet, he couldn’t hear his crew tell him that the main cannon was charged and ready. He couldn’t see the enemy target information on the HUD in front of him. All he could hear was his own heart pounding in his chest.

“Enemy’s coming into range. They’re firing!”
“All ships, take evasive action!”

All Katsuma could see were the thousands of tiny points of light in the distance. Without warning, each one flared briefly as the QB fleet opened up with their twisted weapons. And still, with thousands of deadly bolts of energy bearing down on him, Katsuma couldn’t move, frozen by fear.

And before anyone could react, they were upon them. Thousands of red bolts of head and energy fell upon the meager defense fleet like a tidal wave upon a smattering of pebbles. A single bolt blasted through the frigate Barrows, blowing it to pieces in less than a second.

Several bolts glanced the North Star's hull, until one found a direct hit on one of the port ballistic shields. The entire ship rocked and was shunted violently to the side, and then… it happened. Almost as though someone had flicked a switch, Katsuma awoke from his trance, and saw everything. The HUD came alive with images and data on the QB fleet, and without even being aware of it, he could see the pattern in their actions, the subtle movements of their fleet. And, deep within him he felt something new, something he’d not felt in his 17 years of life. Hatred.
All thoughts of the fleet, of the planet behind him, of the people he had taken an oath to protect… all swept away. Only that burning hatred remained.
“Helm,” he spoke, his voice even. “Boost the reactor to 100% power and take us to the enemy.”

Without even hearing the panicked response of his crew, Katsuma looked towards the QB.

Laughing…


Zone 13, Waterfront City, 04:31
Present

Katsuma awoke with a start, his sheets drenched in cold sweat. Another nightmare…
Without delay, he stumbled into the apartment’s small bathroom and threw up into the toilet. It’d been the same dream almost every night for the last 4 months. All of them varied somehow, but they all recounted that… that Hell.
Getting up, Katsuma shakily walked over to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. 4 months, and still he needed that bandage.

“I don’t know how I’m ever going to get to sleep again…”

Katsuma shuddered. He just wanted to forget all of it. The battle, the destruction, the way he’d lost control… all of it. But the nightmare’s kept coming back. And so, for that morning, he’d forsaken bed, dressed in his uniform, and stepped out onto the balcony of the towering apartment complex. The early morning light was just visible enough to see the see beyond the sprawl of buildings to the ocean, and the stars above had not yet faded. Up this high above the city, Katsuma could only hear the wind. It was… calming. His mind slowly eased, and Katsuma looked to the sky, watching the stars slowly dim with the morning light. As he eyed Sol, he smiled.

“Things will get better. They always do…”

Onboard Command Cruiser Aepiron

Imbenarion flicked off the comm. channel and gazed listlessly across the display screen of the Aepiron. If Katsuma was as deeply involved as he suspected…no. He couldn’t think of things like that. Katsuma was a responsible and knowledgeable leader…but Churchill was so certain…
Suddenly the holographic projector fizzled into life.
“I know what you’re thinking, I’m worried too.” Imbenarion started at his personal AI’s sudden appearance. “He is a teenager and after all, only human.”
“What does this mean for us Eve?”
“You are the human, why don’t you tell me.”
Imbenar once again gazed over the view screens searching for the right words. “The Coalition still needs him as a military leader, everyone needs a tried and tested hero to fight beside. We can’t afford to lose him before…” He stopped himself mid-sentence. Eve inclined her head slightly, obviously thinking as hard as the onboard computer would let her.
“How much time do we have?”
“Long enough, get this message to my contacts on Earth…”

The rapid pulsating of the nodes throughout the ship would be enough to drive any human insane for lack of sleep. Eve, however, not needing sleep generally found the images pushing through her consciousness soothing. From the graceful sweeps of the sensor arrays to the dark staccato burst transmissions being flung through the central mainframe; she always enjoyed the task of monitoring the vessels Imbenar brought her aboard. The events of the last hour though had shaken her to the core. She herself had lived through the second Great War, and had seen the devastation the alien invaders had wrought upon the Coalition she had been created to defend first hand. Not only the guilt and the feeling of inadequacy were enough penance for what she was in no position to halt. The vague possibility of a resurgence of their most hated enemy had to be overwhelmingly crushed in her eyes, or the CBA would not survive. In retrospect, Eve would have rather letting Lord Katsuma relax a little in peace-time though. Her existence was almost as chaotic as the commander’s, but infinitely more fulfilling.

Now, graced with some free time to herself, she let herself wonder whether their plan would have much hope in actually working. She had, once before, admitted that she didn’t need to put such stringent loyalty programs in place on new AI’s when she wanted to serve him and the failing CBA, and the AI’s were constructed to serve the superior program; however, for the current situation the existing programs would be ideal for the task at hand, and have proved themselves in those earlier, tasked programs were so inefficient though and in the end the plan would implode if Katsuma was removed from the picture. Eve reflected wryly that so much could depend on one person, and so much on one choice. She had never doubted human capacity for lateral thinking in combat situations, if only AI’s were as skilled combatants as their meat-bag counterparts. To think, that all of this wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t seek help when she didn’t need it.

JC Denton International Airport, Marshall City

Scinfaxi shivered a little as she stood to one side of the runway, pulling her winter coat tighter around herself. Even with warm clothes and fur it was still a bitterly cold morning, mostly due to the strong wind that meant she kept having to blink snow out of her eyes. Still, she waited patiently for Katsuma, having been promised this was where he'd be arriving.

Glancing around, things were finally starting to return to normal after the war on Grafton's Isle; there were only four of the airport's black-painted SDF fighters outside their hangars, two taxiing onto the runway as she watched to escort their visitor in.

Scinfaxi smiled to herself, holding the gold foil covered box in her hands tightly, hoping Katsuma liked chocolate.

The reentry had been smooth, the fiery trail of superheated atmosphere having long since dissipated as the SFCv “Moonlit Wilderness” descended in a long, lazy spiral high above the Federation of Marshall islands. Still high in the stratosphere, well above the swirling clouds, Katsuma Analocke could see the stars on the distant horizon to the west as the sun rose in the east, casting a beautiful golden shimmer over the ocean and sky. Katsuma had seen views like this so many times before, but he never ceased to be awed by their natural beauty. It felt so serene, to be so high in the sky, and yet so close to the world. For him, it was like being in a tranquil dream, and for a precious few moments, the terrible weight on his shoulders simply evaporated, like the wisps of clouds below. And in that time, he contemplated what was awaiting him below. While it had only been two weeks, it felt like a lifetime since he’d seen Scinfaxi. Perhaps, he mused to himself, they would be able to share much more than a single night under the stars this time around. As he watched the winter storm below rise up to meet him, he patted the small felt box in his pocket, reassuring himself that yes, it was still there.

“Coming up on 50’000 feet, sir.” The pilot reported. The white storm below loomed closer. “Looks like high winds at our landing site sir. Shouldn’t be a problem though.” The black corvette dipped lower in the sky, just as two Federation fighters broke through the cloud layer below, rising rapidly to meet their guest.

“SFCv Moonlit Wilderness, this is JC Denton control. You are cleared to commence final approach on runway 24.”

As the sleek black ship continued its lazy descent, the two SDF fighters joined formation with the two Solontian SA-77 J escort fighters. Looking towards the rear of the Moonlit Wilderness, Katsuma could see the Solontian pilot and the Marshall Islander trading hand gestures, and he smiled. It was a good sign, the first bonds of friendship forming between people so similar, but so far removed from one another.

Katsuma lost sight of the fighters as the Moonlit Wilderness plunged into the icy storm, flecks of falling snow spattering against the massive bubble canopy of the corvette, continuing its downward spiral before straightening out as they neared the runway. The ship shuddered, as the four massive sets of landing gear extended, and directly ahead, Katsuma could see the bright lights of the runway, perfectly aligned.

As the landing touched down on the runway, the snowflakes whipping past the corvette reminded Katsuma of his home, his real home in Narshe, on the north continent of Solont. The winter storms were just the same. As the Moonlit Wilderness taxied to a halt, Katsuma looked out into the blizzard. And then, he saw her, the sight sweeping away every other thought in his head.

Standing at the edge of the runway, wearing a black Solontian military coat with the gold trim unique to the uniform of the Lord Protector, was Scinfaxi, shivering in the wind, blinking the torrent of snowflakes from her eyes, and looking absolutely beautiful.

And no sooner had the corvette come to a stop that Katsuma pushed open the door, climbed out into the freezing blizzard, and ran to her, smiling.

JC Denton International Airport, Marshall City

Scinfaxi smiled softly as ISON's satellites tracked the Moonlit Wilderness down, singing softly to herself as she watched the sleek vessel pass through the atmosphere.

'...Gakeppuchi ni tatasareta toki
Kunan mo boku no ude o tsukami
Jibun jishin no arika ga hajimete mietanda...'

She crossed her arms and shivered slightly, her fingers tracing the insignia on the shoulders of Katsuma's jacket. Now, with the ship coming closer, she could see and track it all across the electromagnetic spectrum, hundreds of battery fire control and search radars, phased arrays, satellite IR and real-time video...And finally, she saw it with her own eyes, too.

'...Motto hiroi field e motto fukai ohki na dokoka e
Yosou mo tsukanai sekai e mukatte yuku dake...'

As the corvette settle to a halt, Scinfaxi glanced back at the others; Speaker Rachel Knight was waiting a respectful distance back from her with a couple of bodyguards and miscellaneous diplomats, having trusted her to greet Katsuma herself. Scinfaxi smiled a she saw Katsuma running to her, and hugged him as her reach her, the Segonune making a soft little purring-cooing sound.

She closed her eyes, snuggling against him and saying 'I missed you' softly.

Same Location

Katsuma couldn’t describe it. When his arms met hers, the embrace he and Scinfaxi shared filled him with a feeling of the utmost contentedness, as everything was and had always been right with the world, and would be forevermore. And yet, even these words that Katsuma turned around in his head were insufficient to describe the feeling he felt, a feeling that doubtless Scinfaxi was feeling as well. He felt not the biting cold against his face, nor heard the howling wind whipping past. Looking down into Scinfaxi’s golden eyes, he only felt the warmth of her embrace, and only heard the soft purring of her contentment. As he opened his mouth to speak, a flood of words and emotions poured into his mind. He wanted to tell her so much…

But all he could say was “I missed you, too”, and strangely, he felt as though those four words had conveyed everything he needed to express. He drew her closer, letting her head rest against his chest as she continued to purr, the both of them wishing the moment could last forever. But the sound of boots on metal stairs brought reality back for the two of them. Behind him, Katsuma could hear President Churchill and his personal bodyguards descend to the tarmac. He listened to each footstep, his ears perking up when he heard John Churchill and his entourage greeting Speaker Rachel Knight and hers, but he couldn’t discern the words above the wind, and nor did he care. Doubtlessly, he’d be filled in when it came time to deal with the important aspects of his visit to Sol. But for those precious few moments, Katsuma only looked into Scinfaxi’s eyes, letting the world without vanish.

Though only a few seconds had passed, it felt like an eternity before they broke their embrace. With a little hesitation, the two turned and began to walk across the bleak, windswept tarmac to their companions. As his finger brushed hers, Katsuma turned to Scinfaxi and asked a question that had been on his mind since he left.
“Did my coat keep you warm?”

Scinfaxi gave him a bright smile, looking up into his eyes, 'Yes...Thank you for leaving it with me.' She smiled gently, 'And thank you for coming to see me again.' She blinked, 'Oh...Would you like it back now?'

Rachel Knight stood straight and saluted to President Churchill, wearing her black military dress uniform, 'Welcome to Marshall Island, Sir.' She smiled, 'Speaker Rachel Knight, for and on behalf of the Supreme Commander.'

She took a moment to glance past him, at the corvette and the two Solont escort fighters on the runway behind. Certainly impressive pieces of engineering, and the diplomat in her noted that such an advanced nation would make a valuable ally; they certainly seemed friendly enough. Still, first and foremost she was here to greet President Churchill, and lead him to the more official reception in Comberth Harbour.

She did wonder why Comberth had been chosen; the Grand Fleet and Supercruisers were in Hammer Bay, and far more likely to impress their visitors; she guessed Scinfaxi had requested it herself. Well, no matter; Comberth had more than enough vessels to give the President a suitable greeting.

‘I wouldn’t dare miss it.’ Katsuma replied. Scinfaxi’s smile had yet to fail to put a warm feeling in the Lord Protector’s heart, and it reminded him of someone. Someone who’s face he remembered fondly…
‘And I wouldn’t dare deprive you of your coat in a storm,’ he added, his smile as bright and warm as hers. Ahead of the two, President Churchill returned Rachel Knight’s salute. The cold didn’t seem to bother the portly man, who wore only his blue three-piece suit and red tie, the typical unassuming dress of Solont political figures.

‘Miss Knight, I am President John Churchill, for and on behalf of the people of Solont. The pleasure...’ he said, his voice gruff but friendly. ‘… is all mine. And this is Ambassador Arden Helmer.’ Churchill went on, motioning to the tall man to his left. On that note, Arden himself stepped forward and snapped a quick salute. Arden Helmer was a tall, muscular, and black skinned man, middle-aged and bald, though one couldn’t tell underneath his beret, who would have looked quite intimidating were it not for the wide smile on his face. ‘At your service, Miss Knight.’ He said. Ambassador Helmer’s voice was deep, but sincere and friendly despite.

‘And this, as I’m sure you are aware, is Lord Protector Katsuma Analocke,’ President Churchill finished, motioning to the half-kitsune at Scinfaxi’s side. Katsuma stood up straight and saluted. Though he carried himself with an air of self-confidence and unwavering resoluteness, Rachel couldn’t help but find herself surprised at how young the Lord Protector was.

‘And visibly wounded, at that…’ She thought to herself as she returned his salute, her eyes wandering to his bandages, which provided a stark contrast to the dizzying assortment of medals on the chest of his uniform.

‘At your service, Miss Knight.’ Though Katsuma’s words mirrored Arden’s, they were no less genuine. With the return of Rachel’s salute, he dropped his arms and relaxed his stance, his hand once again finding Scinfaxi’s.

As the delegation from Solont were led away from the freezing, windswept tarmac, Katsuma couldn’t help but look up into the cloudy sky, into the freezing wind, and across the landscape. It was his first real look at Marshall Island, and yet, with Scinfaxi’s warm hand squeezing his own, he couldn’t help but feel welcomed…