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“Cut the communications line.”
“Eh?”
“I said, Lisa, cut the communications line.”
Starship Roselia had just received a threat from a pirate ship three times their size, armoured with cutting-edge heat and impact resistant plates, and a plasma cannon that could turn them to stardust in an instant. They would enter said cannon’s range in a minute. And their captain’s decision? Ignore the enemy.
“You know they’re gonna attack us. For real,” Lisa couldn’t help saying that, just in case Yukina had been idealistic enough to think space pirates would take pity on them. Obviously, even Yukina wasn’t that gullible.
“So?”
“My gosh, Yukina. What I’m saying is we’re gonna die! We should just give them money…”
“No.”
Fucking stingy childhood friend she got there. Throw in their fire control officer, Hikawa Sayo, too. Those two would rather brave it against space pirates with the piece of junk they were flying just to keep some Galactic Alliance credits to upgrade their goddamn observatory. Sure, Roselia’s goal was to aim for the greatest heights as modern astronomers, exploring uncharted space on the outermost reaches of the Alliance’s control (which was what got them in this piracy mess in the first place), but what was the use of fancy telescopes when you were dead?
“Imai-san, if we give them money, they would still blast us to oblivion. I do not have more time to explain, but if you or anybody else are afraid, then take the safety shuttle and leave. Minato-san and I will shield your escape.”
“That is not what I meant!” Lisa yelled at Sayo, but it went unanswered when Ako and Rinko made their reports.
“I am staying!” Ako called between fervent typing in an effort to hack the enemy ship’s systems.
“…Me too. I am still working on the warp. Should be ready in five.”
“Excellent. We will be moving behind that asteroid.”
Did Lisa hear Yukina right? “You what!?”
She was answered by Yukina switching off auto-pilot to manually move them into the shadow of a huge-ass rock. They were flying a spaceship here. Not a bicycle. This thing moved at a third the speed of light without counting the warp drive. And their ship came so close to said rock Lisa could literally see it in their window, illuminated by the light that radiated off their engine. The actual fuck, Yukina!?
Something then splintered from the other side of the asteroid. Yukina zipped them through the debris. She was regarded as the best pilot in the galaxy, but this was practically suicide!
“Damage report?” Yukina called.
Lisa was the only one with empty hands. She brought up the ship’s sensors. “None detected” – a miracle. “That was the enemy’s plasma cannon blasting a hole through the asteroid, huh?”
“Blasting a hole into the asteroid, you mean, Imai-san. We would have perished if it had gone all the way through.”
Lisa rolled her eyes, “Right, Smart-ass.”
“We will be coming out the asteroid’s shadow in a minute. Sayo, are you ready?” Yukina’s calm voice spoke above Lisa.
“You aren’t trying to shoot down that pirate ship with our ancient laser cannons, right? They’re hardly better than hand pistols…”
“I am ready to disable a pirate ship with ‘hand pistols’, yes.”
This was insane. Why did Lisa sign up for this?
They came out the asteroid. Yukina made an evasive manoeuvre that, owing to her crazy skills and the small size of their ship, managed to narrowly avoid the blinding plasma that shot above them. Yukina kept flying their ship directly towards the enemy to bring Sayo’s hand pistols – err…laser cannons – within range. Lisa was sure the enemy was charging up their plasma and this time it wouldn’t miss.
Sayo pressed down on her controls. Darts of light shot into the space ahead. Lisa tracked them on the sensors.
“You aimed for the literal opening of their plasma cannon!?”
“Did I hit or miss?”
Lisa looked at the image reconstruction from their sensors. The target was a couple meters in diameter. It was puny compared to the size of a spaceship, and hitting anywhere else would be futile with the enemy’s armour plates, but…
“Hit, hit, hit, hit. Thermal radiation detected. Explosions from enemy ship. Plasma likely damaged.”
“It is no longer shooting at us and that is the important thing,” Yukina noted casually, evading the enemy’s secondary lasers with ease. How she did it? Lisa had no idea. Laser beams travelled at the speed of light. Human reaction wasn’t that fast. Yukina had to move their ship out of the way before the shot. How in the galaxy did she do that?
“Bam! Got it!” Ako shouted, her hands flying up. A window popped up on all their screens – a copy of the enemy’s bridge controls. Ako had disabled even their secondary armament.
“…I have also programmed the warp. Ready when you are, Yukina-san.”
“Eh, RinRin? But I want a last word with those big bad…umm, what does the President of the United Planets call them? You know, that old man who looks sort of orange?”
“Ombres, Ako-chan.”
“Ombres! Yes! I want to have a last word with the bad ombres! May I, Yukina-san?”
“Make it quick,” Yukina said, stretching her back and neck. “The remainder of you, prepare for warp.”
“Yes, Minato-san.”
“Alright, Yukina.”
Lisa made sure she was strapped tightly to her seat. She ran a system check. Everything was stable. Rinko had already programmed in the coordinates. They were flying back home with a crate of blue ice melons from Plutonia – at least Lisa was sure her girlfriend would enjoy making some novelty cakes out of the exotic fruit.
“Bad Ombres from Deep Space, I am your lady, Udagawawesome Akoh-my-god-amazing,” Ako spoke into the mic that would undoubtedly broadcast her speech over the enemy ship’s audio, “Your systems are now under my full control and I can fly you into that…that…hell-fire blazed rock of…of…”
“Too long, Ako.”
Yukina cut the line off and authorized the warp. The lights dimmed. The space around them whirled and disappeared. They were now alone in a world where none would find them, safe from their enemy’s pursuit. Some people would take a nap now. Ako probably would, after she stops whining about her cut-off speech anyway. Rinko was still consoling her. But Lisa liked to keep her eyes open, not because she was secretly scared of warps the way Sayo was, nor was she just over-vigilant like Yukina. She just liked to reflect on what their last space had offered them – the goods, the bads, the novel adventures and the near-misses like what they just had with the pirate ship. Lisa was glad they managed to pull through each time. She didn’t know how long she could continue with Starship Roselia. She wasn’t a fanatic astronomer like the rest of the crew, but for now she was contented to see the galaxy with them.
…………………
The warp took them back to their star system. It would still be a few hours before arrival at their home planet. Rinko and Ako offered to take the navigation shift while the others took a break – Yukina and Sayo especially needed one as they had worked far more hours during this trip than everybody else. Lisa went to their small kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone. Yukina insisted on helping. “Your help is worse with than without, okay?” Lisa chided, passing her the first two set of sandwiches she had prepared along with two coffees, one of which was heavily sweetened and half filled with milk. “Here, for you and Sayo.”
“Oh.”
Yukina looked dumbly at the extra meal Lisa set in her hands. Lisa sighed. She felt like a mom around Yukina and Sayo. Seriously, those two. They were so capable in certain things and helpless in others.
“Yukina, you can’t always have your girlfriend cater to your every need and not do the same in return. Even Sayo would want somebody to do nice things for her occasionally. Understand?”
Yukina nodded and finally pattered down the hall towards the observatory. Being the busybody Lisa was, she couldn’t help but peek into the observatory later to make sure the two were doing okay. They were always so awkward. When Lisa first heard from Yukina that Sayo had confessed to her and the two had started dating, Lisa was not only surprised, she got a headache. How the hell would those two form a relationship when they seemed like they could hardly ever express themselves to anyone without provoking a fight? Yukina was especially bad with understanding people, but somehow…somehow she seemed to understand Sayo, and be understood by Sayo in return.
Watching them now made Lisa feel relieved. Yukina and Sayo were seated by the window, gazing at the stars. Sayo was pointing excitedly at something in the distance lighted by faraway nebula, Yukina smiling in response, bright and beautiful. It was like how Yukina had been back when she was a child, before the incident with her father and all that. With Sayo, Yukina had once again found her love for space that was independent of the singular desire to chase after her disgraced father, a genuine love untainted by others’ recognition. Lisa had wanted to see this Yukina badly when “she” disappeared in their teenage years. She was glad Sayo had brought “her” back.
Lisa left the two behind to return to the bridge. Having someone who shared your life goal to walk with you, hand in hand, towards it. How wonderful was that? – Lisa thought.