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Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars!

Saki's silver-moon eyes were starry as they reflected the rainbow of heavenly, celestial light she and her faithful Photon friends were so blessed to see as they soared through the galaxy in their ship of silver and cyan. They left Earth's orbit, flew past the ISS, past the moon itself, singing and dancing and spinning through the stars. Their ship ran on rocket fuel and song, after all.

Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars!

They passed Mars, a bold red-orange, and Jupiter, a powerhouse giant. How beautiful they looked up close and personal, in real life! So much better than any astronomy textbook or documentary film. Saki could even see some of the rains down on Jupiter. Of course, it was not like the rain on Earth, but the magnetic storms were exactly that to behold: magnetic!

In other words, hold my hand.

Oh! How romantic it all was! Who could not view the universe in all of its splendor and glory and fall a little more in love? Not just with the universe itself, but…

Full-moon eyes finally turned away from the stars ahead and to the crewmates that surrounded her. Towa and Noa were holding hands, smiling at one another as they pointed out their favorite stars and planets together. Ibuki watched them proudly, her gray-blue eyes darting between her crewmates and the control panels, making sure Saki did not feel like she alone bore the full burden of steering the ship.

In other words, darling, kiss me.

When Ibuki caught Saki staring, smiling at her, Ibuki returned the look and walked over to her. In an especially affectionate mood, she wrapped her arms around the younger, smaller girl from behind and kissed her moon-white hair.

Fill my heart with song, and let me sing forevermore!

Saki's heart swelled, and she subconsciously spurred the ship on a little faster. The words were out of her mouth before she could even think, further fueling the rocket. "You are all I long for, all I worship, and adore!" she cried, and Towa and Noa turned to her and Ibuki.

They began to smile and sing as well. "In other words, please be true!"

"In other words, I—!"

Nnnnyyyyeeeerrrrnnnn!

"Ahahahaha!" A much more compact, round spaceship suddenly went soaring past, flying so close to Saki and Photon's that the sides nearly scraped. While Photon's rocket was slim and sleek, futuristic, this one almost looked cobbled together, yet there must've been some source of stability for it to fly so well and so fast, especially given how far away from Earth Photon was. Likewise, while Photon's ship was white and cyan, the one that went flying by was predominantly green, with bits of purple, white, gray, and other colors swirled and sprinkled in.

"WE'RE GOING ON A TRIP! IN OUR FAVORITE AI SHIP! ZOOMING PAST THE WORLD! UNICHO-ORD!" Michiru was singing and dancing so heartily that she swung the ship's joystick controller this way and that. One of her passengers was content to dance along, flashing two peace signs. The other slipped back and forth, looking like she was about to be sea (star?) sick.

"That doesn't even fit rhythmically!" she criticized the DJ's off-key parody. She should stick to remixes! Not…! Whatever… THIS… is…

The last member of the Unichord quartet was the ship's GPS system itself.

"Hey! They stole our style!" Towa was indignant, hands clenching into fists as the green ship soared by.

Saki needed no further prompting, silver eyes narrowing as she urged Photon's ship forward. They quickly caught up with Unichord.

In a matter of minutes, the blue and the green were racing across the galaxy. First one back to the moon won. It was a Groovy Space Race! And it would determine which of the two units truly deserved to have the astronomical aesthetic.

"Fly me to the moon!" Michiru started, almost boasting as she cut Saki off before Saki could even open her mouth.

"And let me play among the stars!" Saki, however, was quick, and refused to be beat. Demure though she was, space was the one thing she was willing to get all fired up over. As if responding to her voice and thoughts, her rocket's thrusters even pushed themselves harder.

"Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars!" Lumina's face appeared on the window of Unichord's ship, taunting Saki and Photon's.

"In other words, hold my hand!" Noa and Towa resumed holding hands and harmonizing in solidarity.

"In other words, darling, kiss me!" Hayate was dancing with Kokoa, dipping her and lowering herself down until their lips were inches apart. Kokoa turned as red as a supernova, or a red giant star, but she forced herself to keep singing with Hayate.

"Fill my heart with song," Ibuki continued, also staring out the window of Photon's ship to meet Unichord's challenge directly.

"And let me sing forevermore!" Lumina answered.

"You are all I long for, all I worship, and adore!" Again, Michiru sang before Saki had the chance to. Their spaceships raced on faster and faster, and soon, the universe was just a bright blur outside their windows. The two units were unable to exchange verbal blows, too lost in the heat and dance of the song, but their eyes said it all. They exchanged taunting smirks, eyes twinkling like stars as their intergalactic battle continued.

As competitive as the two quartets were, however, there came a moment when Saki couldn't help but smile and laugh genuinely. She pulled off a daring barrel roll, spinning over top of Unichord's ship.

"Woah!" Michiru gasped in admiration and envy, and before Kokoa had time to yell at her not to, Michiru tried to pull off a fancy, aerial maneuver of her own. Now, the ships themselves were dancing through the starry sky, their whining, whirring, roaring engines harmonizing with each other.

"In other words, please be true!" Saki sang earnestly, some of the fire of the competition genuinely lost and forgotten in the bliss of the moment. They could all see the moon now. Not too much farther… Saki pushed the ship's controls forward again, urging it on as she sang.

"In other words," Michiru also pushed the joystick controller of her ship forward, though she paused to look at Saki in the final few seconds before either of them would determine which ship had the better, faster, stronger crew and musical thrusters.

Silence hung in the air between the two ships, lasting less than a second, but seeming to be an eternity in length. But right before Kokoa could demand why Michiru had suddenly stopped singing, and before any of Photon could question Saki, she and Michiru suddenly both jerked the respective controllers of their ships away from the moon. Maybe the rest of their respective units were confused, but not the two DJs. In that one look, they both had a brilliant idea, and they both understood. I love you…!

The end of one song gave way to another, a seamless transition, the birth of a distant star.

Moon river, wider than a mile! I'm crossing you in style someday…!

What need was there for them to fight? When the universe was so big and bright and beautiful! Was there not enough space to go around? Did not the journey become more beautiful when it was a Space Race together rather than against? Why did they have to prove their superiority against one another? Why not some other challenge? An outside adversary? Better yet, why prove "superiority" at all? Yes, they were competitive, but…

Oh, Dream-maker, you heartbreaker!

"Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way, hey!" Michiru again took the lead in the vocals, but she was singing an entirely different tune now. The next time she pulled the controls back towards Saki and Photon, both ships had completely passed the moon. They met on the other side, each DJ grinning at the other. There were no winners. There were no losers. Technically, they would never know who reached the moon first because they both actively decided to veer off course and miss the moon completely.

"Two drifters, off to see the world!" Saki agreed, silver eyes shining and glowing again. Blue and green… Just like all of Earth!

And how beautiful and delicate the Earth looked, suspended in a sea of black and white.

"There's such a lot of world to see!" Michiru nodded.

"We're after the same rainbow's end!" Lumina sang, and Saki noticed how her voice was white and gold. Hayate and Kokoa harmonized with her, holding hands.

"Waitin' round the bend!" Michiru veered Unichord's ship around a planet and Saki did the same with Photon's ship, going around the planet's other side. Towa and Noa waved out the window at Hayate, Kokoa, and Lumina on one of the ship's windows.

"My huckleberry friend!" Michiru agreed as she and Saki met at the back of the planet. Ibuki rested a hand on Saki's shoulder, smiling proudly.

The astronauts and cosmonauts sailed on, looping through the galaxy, slowing down only to gaze at the moon as they flew by. All eight pairs of eyes met, Michiru and Saki the first and last to hold one another's gazes.

"Moon River...!"

"And me!"

"This is IRL Among Us!" Michiru whispered excitedly as she dragged Saki down the long, metal halls of the Photonchord Space Station.

"Please! Michiru! This is serious!" Saki whispered back, squeezing the younger girl's hand fearfully. There was an alien on the loose, and they had to get from the containment area to the navigation section of the ship before the alien got to them! Saki's silver eyes pierced the darkness, searching for colors or clues that would point to evidence of them being stalked. Ibuki's words rang in her head.

"Saki. Are you sure about this? You don't have to take Michiru if you don't feel ready, or if you don't want to." The human Space Captain was secretly worried. The reason Michiru wasn't assigned more tasks in the day-to-day upkeep of the station was because none of them trusted her. She was a good kid, but that was it, she was a kid. But that meant Michiru had nothing to keep her entertained, so someone had to keep an eye on her. Saki volunteered, since Noa was busy training Kokoa and Hayate with Towa that day, and she flashed back to what Ibuki told her once Michiru whined enough that Ibuki finally gave her blessing for Saki to be her minder.

"Look after her like a little sister, Saki. I know you've always wanted the chance to be a big sister!" Ibuki's words and smile were kind, even when Saki doubted herself. The reminder made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the time, but it rang hollow now.

Some sister I am! The Vesperian shook her head, white hair flickering in the dark. She was but a sentient clump of light particles—a literal Photon Maiden—but she was solid enough for Michiru to drag down the hall by the hand. If only I knew how to get her to take this more seriously!

Something growled behind them, and Saki glanced over her shoulder to see long, black pincers scrabbling down the hallway towards her and Michiru. The only thing that kept the alien from overtaking them was how short its many legs were, but they worked terrifyingly fast.

"Woah!" Michiru cried out as well when she looked over her shoulder too.

Wait! Saki got an idea at the same time, catching a glimpse of one of the many monitors lining the walls…

"Howdy, howdy, howdy!" A cheerful voice chirped and a friendly face flashed on one of the many screens. The ship's AI navigation and self-repair system—the One Star—was activated by Saki influencing the electricity and light particles to forcibly turn on the screen remotely.

"Lumina!" Michiru cried excitedly as the screen flickered on, and Saki sighed in relief too.

"We need help locating the runaway alien, and making sure we don't run into it while we try to get out of here! And warn the others!" Saki pleaded.

"No worries! Already done and done!" Lumina's face appeared on several more monitors. "Space Captain Ibuki knows, and should be along shortly as reinforcement. The others will stay behind in navigation and set up another containment chamber!" Although Saki and Michiru couldn't see it, Lumina's face lined every monitor in the hall, and she found the escapee alien. It looked like a scorpion the size of a small dog, not large enough to be lethal unless one was struck by the tail too many times, but far too large for anyone to feel safe around it.

"Port!" Saki heard Lumina from the left, and although she could not see the screen with the AI's avatar, she could see the gold and white light, dazzling bright, that represented the AI's voice. Saki's silver eyes widened, and she tightened her grip around Michiru's hand again.

"Come on!" I see the way! Lumina is going to light the path for us with her voice, and my Synesthesia!

"Woah!" Michiru cried out as Saki tugged her down a different hallway than expected.

"Starboard!" Again, Saki couldn't see Lumina, but she could see traces of the AI's voice. She veered down another hallway, still dragging Michiru after her. They heard the scorpion-like alien skittering after them, but with Lumina keeping an eye on its whereabouts and Ibuki coming to the rescue, it wasn't too much longer before Saki and Michiru were saved.

"Space Captain Ibuki!" Saki gasped in relief, clutching her hands together. Michiru, meanwhile, skidded to a halt, starstruck.

"Get behind me!" Ibuki commanded, launching past Saki and Michiru. A metal battle rover rolled after her.

"Hiya, girls!" It spoke in Lumina's voice. "Feel free to join the others and watch as I livestream the smackdown Ibuki's gonna have with this alien!"

While Michiru saluted excitedly, Saki sighed tiredly. "L-let's… just get back to the control room…" Maybe it would be safer and quieter there…

"SAKI! MICHIRU! OMGGGG!"

"Noa…" Saki sighed tiredly again, but she couldn't stop the small smile that flickered across her face as Noa launched herself across the room at the two astronaut-cosmonaut DJs, easily scooping them up in her long, strong arms, their feet leaving the floor as she snuggled and cuddled them. Noa may have looked slender, but like Saki, she wasn't fully human. The type of alien she was fed off of absorption, in particular, cuties.

The past several minutes were torture for poor Noa. On the one hand, it was absolutely precious watching Saki and Michiru try to protect each other, Saki worried for Michiru while Michiru tried to bravely lead the way. On the other—

"You were in so much danger!" She bawled, and Michiru went from pleased by the attention to embarrassed while Saki only smiled knowingly.

"All right, Noa, calm down." Towa and Kokoa both shot the overzealous alien a deadpan sigh and stare. Towa was reclined in her seat, stuffing her face with provisions and rations from the chef's quarters. Like Noa, she was an absorption alien, though she survived on sweets rather than "cutes".

Kokoa, like Ibuki and Hayate, was a normal human, a scientist in the labs more than a pilot in the navigation seat, or an exploring documenting planets as she walked on them, but she was still critical to keeping the space station functional, studying and training under Noa.

"Oh, here they come!" Kokoa's irritation instantly became alertness as she received a notification from Lumina. It was a view of a map of the space station that showed her where Ibuki, Rover!Lumina, and the alien scorpion were, and they were nearing the navigation section of the ship.

"Trap is ready!" Hayate held up one peace sign, her other hand holding the rope that held up the heavy metal cage they would use to catch the creepy, crawly critter. It was a basic trap, but timing was still important, especially given how fast everything would occur. While Noa continued to steer the ship, having since taken over during Saki—then Ibuki's—absence, Kokoa kept her eyes on the map to coordinate when she would call out to Hayate to spring the trap. Towa reclined in her chair, stuffing her face nervously in anticipation.

"We're coming, girls!" They heard Ibuki cry in the distance, and through Kokoa's connection with Lumina.

The AI appeared on one of the many screens surrounding Noa, grinning confidently. "Four… three… two…!"

There was a horrific, hissing screech, and the sound of scrabbling against metal. "Don't worry, Cap'n Ibuki, I got it!" Those inside the navigation room heard Lumina's muffled voice from the rover just beyond the large, metal door separating them from the rest of the ship.

The metal scrabbling got louder, clanging and clawing, then the Lumina on the screen by Noa finished the countdown. "One!"

Kokoa signaled Hayate, who released the rope. "Woah!" They watched Ibuki stumble forward into the navigation room, just barely able to stop herself as Hayate's cage trapped the runaway alien. It smashed itself violently against the cage, but couldn't make it budge even an inch.

"Ibuki, you were amazing! You were awesome! You were epic!" Michiru clapped as she raced over to her Captain and hero, Lead Space Ranger Ibuki Niijima. The others approached as well, not quite as fangirly, but still appreciative and respectful.

"Thank you, Ibuki! Are you all right?" Saki's silver eyes flashed with concern.

"Yes, Saki, it didn't get me," Ibuki laughed and patted her shoulder. Lumina made good on her word to stream the chase. It was a fast and persistent little devil, but so was Ibuki, having finished as one of the top Cadets of their Academy. Strength, smarts, and stamina always led to success.

The Lumina Rover rolled into its charging port, Kokoa helping with the wires while Lumina's avatar loaded itself onto a single screen by Noa's head. At the same time, Noa got up from the pilot's seat to let Saki take back over. She was done babysitting for the day. That meant Noa could get back to mentoring Hayate and Kokoa more fully, since half of her time was spent trying to keep Towa in line too.

"Thanks for all your help, Towa," Kokoa said at the same time, muttering as she finished plugging in Lumina's Rover body, the outlet beside Towa's reclined seat. She sat up indignantly, sending wrappers and crumbs flying.

"Hey! I was keeping an eye on the maps and fuel gage and stuff! Besides, what about Hayate? All she did was hold a rope!"

Hayate flashed them a double-peace sign now that she was done holding up the trap. The reason she was selected was because she was one of the taller, stronger crewmates of Photonchord, while Towa was small and rather weak. She, Kokoa, and Noa continued to banter and bicker while Hayate watched, smiling to herself. Ibuki, meanwhile, sighed and shook her head, resting her hand on her forehead in exasperation.

"Don't worry, Ibuki, you did great! So just let them ride the wave of excitement out," Michiru advised happily.

"Don't think this gets you out of anything," Ibuki smirked and some of Michiru's smile disappeared.

"Ok but it really wasn't my fault this time! Yeah I know I did it last time. And I tried to leave the station the time for that. And I tried to hijack the station before that, but that was only because Lumina dared me to. And the last time I went in the alien containment area was because Towa and Hayate dared me—" Before she could keep incriminating herself, Saki intervened.

"Ibuki, please, it really wasn't Michiru's fault! The alien was already out by the time we got to that part of the containment area!"

Despite herself, Ibuki had to smile. Oh, Saki, you don't have to protect her, I already know, I was just teasing.

But it did the Space Captain's heart good to see how earnest Saki was, even though she was also nervous. Ibuki had been nervous too. Saki and Michiru were both like mentees to her, especially Michiru, who was still technically a Cadet, even though she would call herself a full Space Ranger.

Ibuki waved her hands to quiet the younger girls down. "I know the alien escape wasn't either of your faults. You both handled the situation very well." The girl with the silver hair smiled again, playfully ruffling the white and black before her, Saki and Michiru. While Saki went wide-eyed and starstruck, Michiru clenched her hands into fists and barely held in a fangirling squeal. This was why she created Photonchord with Saki.

After that first encounter when they were still competitors, enemies for the space aesthetic, their space race helped them see that perhaps they would work well together, and one did not need to be better than the other. Michiru and Saki were the beginning, the rest of their units following suit. Never would Michiru have ever thought life would lead her here, but looking around at all the colors and smiles, she couldn't have been happier, and neither could Saki.