Ch.46: The Queen’s Solar

Captain’s Log

Stardate 1368.18

I haven’t made a recording in a long time, so here we go.

Coming to the capital and seeing Lala’s homeworld for the first time wasn’t something that I ever dreamed of ever doing. The journey was so much fun, from start to finish, and I gained whole new perspective on how I truly lived in such a protective bubble. It makes me want to explore so much more!

Since our stay at the spaceport, however, I’ve got the impression that something big is brewing around my friends. Between the possible coup and the disappearance of Gid, I feel like we’ve landed in some hot water. Not to mention the way we were greeted at the palace entrance was highly unusual. We were so lucky to have Momo to protect us from that guard. If she wasn’t there, I would have surely been killed. Yami-san was quick to push me away, but even she could not have noticed when the guard pointed that weapon at us.

I should clarify what I mean.

When Zastin dropped us off in the palace courtyard, Momo and that other guard was there to greet us. Momo was dressed in armor, so at first we didn’t know it was her. We had to climb these steps to get to the entrance. I went up first, and Yami, Mikan and Sairenji―er―I mean Haruna came up behind me. Momo and the guard were behind all of us, so there was no way for us to know.

She hit the guard on the head just as he was about to shoot me. The bolt of lightning passed over my shoulder, and hit on the wall in front of me. Yami-san quickly pushed me away, and Mikan turned to shoot back. The guard had spun around and swung his weapon to deliver a savage blow. Momo ducked just in time, but her helmet got knocked off, revealing her flowing pink hair. Before the guard could react, she slammed into his gut, driving him away. Then, she aimed and fired, and the bolt of lightning hit him square in the chest.

Momo saved us. I don’t know what would have happened if she wasn’t there. I certainly would be around to talk about it. She sure scared Haruna, though. The dead guard landed on top her, and they both fell on the ground. Having Momo standing over her with that staff weapon still sparking was too much. It was the loudest scream I had ever heard Haruna scream. We all went down there to somehow calm her down. Mikan and Yami got to her first, and they held her tightly in their arms. I could hear Haruna sobbing, as her hands dug into Yami’s arms.

Momo could barely stand. Her whole body was shaking, and her eyes were wide and unfocused. “I-I-I n-never wanted…he-he was going to hurt you, and I didn’t think…”

The weapon fell from her hands and she collapsed onto the floor. She gripped the sides of her head and screamed.

“Oh my god! What have I done!”

Suddenly, her mouth was bulging out. Her arms wrapped around her waist, she doubled over and spat out globs of bile.

“How could I—noooo! He was gonna hurt you and I…”

And then she was crying. Fat rivulets fell from her eyes and dribbled onto the ground.

I couldn’t bear seeing her like this. I could only imagine how much she was suffering. I gathered her in my arms and held onto her tightly. I could feel the warm tears soaking into my shirt, but I didn’t care.

Momo stayed huddled in a ball, and she buried her head deeper into my arms. I waited as her sobs turned into quiet sniffles. I kept rocking back and forth, whispering things into her ear, like “It’s okay.” and “There, there.”

Looking over Momo’s shoulder, I could see Yami and Mikan comforting Haruna. She was starting to calm down, and her grip on Yami had loosened.

We stayed like that for a long time. I don’t even know how long it was before more guards showed up. Cold dread filled my heart, and I thought that they were going to kill us.

Fortunately, they were friendly to us, “Her royal highness commanded us to escort you. She got wind of touble brewing, and had sent us to get you.”

“Thank you,” I said to the guards, and I gathered Momo in my arms. I saw Haruna helped to her feet with Mikan and Yami.s support. Together, we hobbled over to the guards and then followed them up through the palace.

We were taken up to the foyer where two turbolifts waited for us. They were far more ornate than the little turbolift in our own ship, and they travelled much farther through many more floors. I would be remiss if I said that I didn’t enjoy the view, but the weight in my arms kept me rooted in reality. Something was clearly wrong with the palace. The attack at the entrance was a clear sign of that.

The guards around me showed clear signs of fear. Though they whispered to themselves, I could see the fear in them. Gid’s absence was weighing down on all of them, especially because of how unusually late it was. They all knew that the emperor routinely skipped his duties to go out and play, but this time, his disappearance was dragging on for too long. I didn’t get much else from the guards, because by then, we had arrived.

The two doors slid opened, and the guards led us out into a well-lit circular room with a glass dome that let in natural light. Sitting in the middle of that room was the Queen herself. Sephie Michaela, first Princess of Charmian and Queen of Deviluke greeted us with a smile. So beautiful was she that we all fell to our knees as soon we laid eyes on her.

“Rise my dears, there’s no need to be so formal. We are friends and equals.”

“Selphie-san,” I started to say, but she silenced me with a smile.

“I know what has happened to you. My daughter is experiencing the grief that comes when one kills for the first time.”

“She saved m-us.” I stammered as I laid Momo at her feet, “If it wasn’t for her, we surely would have died.”

“I am aware of that.” Said the Queen, turning to look on the others. “These are dark times for all of us. In the past, Gid’s power was what kept this empire together. Our enemies chafe under his control. They yearn for liberty but was stopped by fear.” She sighed, “Gid rules with his fist, yet he is not infallible. Sooner or later, they will succeed in defeating him.”

She let out another sigh, ragged and tired.

“But let’s not dwell in these things for now.” She stood and rang a bell. Two handmaidens appeared with their heads bowed.

“Take my daughter to her room,” Selphie said, “Let her be in the company of her friends.”

They bowed. One carried Momo in her arms while the other ushered the girls away.

“Where is Lala,” I asked when the others were gone. Selphie sat back down. “She is in the throne room attending to court.

“But you don’t look so well, yourself, young man.”

She rang the bell again, and another maid came in.

“This young man needs a wash. Please show him to the baths.”

“I’m fine,” I stammered back as I was led away, “I’m more worried about the others.”

“Don’t be,” said Selphie, “You are in safe company.”

That was two hours ago. Since then, I haven’t seen anyone yet. This bath feel so good, though! I haven’t had a decent soak in weeks. After everything that happened today, this is so relaxing!

Anyway, looks like I’ve rambled long enough, and it’s time to get out. I want to go see what Lala is up to.

Bye for now.

Ch.45: Haruna’s Chronicles 2

Stardate 1368.18

Okay, I lied when I said that I was staying on the Astroboy. Yuuki-kun and the others were already getting on the shuttle when I changed my mind. Before they could closed shuttle doors, I rushed inside and sat down next to Yuuki-kun. I knew it was the last minute, but I insisted on joining them. After the events of two nights ago there were just so many issues that seriously strained my relationship with him and the other girls. I couldn’t let it fester and ruin everything. Fortunately, they wanted the same, and we mended our friendship.

In my haste, I forgot to bring any clothes to change into, and all I had on were a blue tank top, some capri pants and a pair of sandals. Rito had on his captain’s shirt with gold bands around the cuffs. His pants and shoes were both black. Meanwhile, Mikan and Yami both had on red and blue dresses with short sleeves and black knee-high boots. Finally, Zastin had a full suit of armor, including a helmet and a sword tied to his hip. Compared to all of them, I was woefully underdressed. Fortunately for me, the weather wasn’t so cold, and though the high wind did bring a chill, we soon arrived at the capital.

The palace dominated the skyline. Looking very much like the Oita bank stadium, the palace sat on top of a shallow hill and gleamed in the sun. Six massive towers rose up behind and to either side of over the dome, curving around like horns around a helmet. The hill itself sloped gently into the sea. It was decorated with ornate flower gardens crisscrossed with dirt pathways. You could see the palace from miles around, like a jewel nestled in a bed of flowers.

We circled the island until the façade came into view. We saw many canals funneling water into the ocean, draining the moat that seemed to partially submerge the great central dome. Our shuttle, rose up and flew over the flowing water. We crossed through a threshold and landed in a courtyard. Here, we climbed out of the shuttle and found ourselves on one of the two landings flanking the canal. Meanwhile, the canal continued deep into the palace, passing under an arch bridge that connected the two landings and to a wide entrance way.

“You guys go ahead,” Zastin said as he went back to the shuttle, “Lala is holding palace guards appeared on either side of us; both were dressed in similar raiment as Zastin. Guards!”

Two guards appeared behind us. One was taller more robust. The other, was shorter and thinner and was clearly a girl. Both had on fur-lined armor and boots, and leather helms that obscured their faces. Both also carried long spears with round blunt heads. Zastin nodded at them, and then turned back to us.

“I’m going get this shuttle back to its rightful place,” He said, “These men will take you to see the princesses.”

Without another word, he closed all the shuttle’s openings, and soon the little craft was speeding into the tunnel created by the arch bridge.

The male guard then approached us, clearing out his throat.

“Come with us, and we will take you to your chambers.”

We were escorted to the bridge that led up to the main entrance. Yuuki-kun went up first, followed by Yami and then Mikan. I had just set foot on the first step, when I heard a sudden commotion behind me.

There was a sound like electrical discharge. Then, there was a thud like someone had been hit on the head. Someone roared behind me, and I screamed and tried to move away. I saw Mikan whirl around and pull out her phaser, and I saw Yami pushing Yuuki-kun away. But then, there was a high pitch whirling noise, and something big landed on my back. I fell onto the floor, and I twisted around to see what had hit me. There lay the male guard on my lap. He was spread eagle, and his eyes looked up blankly at me. There was a smoldering hole in his chest.

I screamed and tried to push him away, but the corps was much heavier than I could have imagined. Then, a shadow was looming over me. I looked up and saw Momo Veila Deviluke standing over him, looking at me. She was still dressed in that armor, but her helmet was gone. Her spear was pointed at me, and the tip was split open.

“I wish you hadn’t seen that,” said the deviluke princess.

Her spear-point let out some sparks.

Ch.44: Mikan’s Diary 7

The Rules of Engagement

Stardate: 1368.18

Dear Diary

The trip across the ocean was amazing!

We raced across the open ocean while The Deviluke sun beat down upon us, and the sheer wind blew into our faces, making it impossible to see or even keeping my hair out of my face. The powerful thrusters pushed our craft across the surface, creating a pillow of air, and the ocean rose like mountain peaks, splattering salty water. We had left the shuttle’s rear hatch open, so there wasn’t a roof over our head. Instead, it retracted underneath our shuttle’s belly, leaving a short edge as a sort of gangplank that slid along the water surface. Except for the cockpit, everything else was exposed to the outside.

Zastin-san piloted the craft, expertly maneuvering it around shoals and atolls. The rest of us sat in the back on two rows of cushioned benches. There were four of us sitting there, watching as the scenery sped past us. Me and Yami sat together on one side while Rito and Haruna sat across from us.

Things have been awkward since two nights ago, and we haven’t been able to talk to Haruna. Even now as we sat together, we struggled to say anything. Haruna wasn’t even supposed to join us in this trip, but she insisted in coming at the last moment.

I felt her eyes on me, pinning me down. My heart was racing as I was struggled to say something.

“Haruna-san,” I started to say, but a lump caught in my throat, and I couldn’t say anything else.

Haruna still glared at me. “Do you like Rito?”

“Yes” I said after much effort.

She stared at me. “As brother and sister?”

I tried swallowing. “Yes…but—”

“But it’s also much more than that, isn’t it?” Her eyes were hard and bore into me. I could tell that she was serious. “Can you tell me how?”

I shivered. My mouth felt so dry. She never shouted, but her voice carried more ice than usual.

“When you’re alone with him, how does he make you feel.”

“Safe,” I said at last. My heart was thumping in my chest. “…like I can say anything to him and not worry about how he thinks about me.”

“Why?”

My cheeks felt hot. I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I said, “It’s just I trust him like no one else. He has always protected me. And I could always count on him for anything.”

I struggled to say any more, but then Haruna shifted her gaze. She focused next on Yami, who was staring through the rear hatch. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“And what about you Yami-chan?” Haruna asked, “How do you feel about him?”

Yami turned back to her. Her face never betrayed any emotions. “He’s seen me at my most vulnerable state, and I’ve shared many secrets with him. Secrets that I don’t tell Mikan.”

She spared me a glace, trying to gauge my own reaction, but I just smiled back at her. I had figured that she had been through more trouble than I could ever know. It didn’t change our friendship.

“Would you say that you love him?”

“With all my heart!” I blurted out suddenly, “I know that he has his faults, but I just don’t care when I’m with him.”

I felt my cheeks burning as Haruna looked at me. I realized that she wasn’t asking me. I wanted to hide in a corner.

Yami answered. “I’ve said this before. He is the target for my love,” she sighed, “As Mikan said, there is no one else that I trust more than him. My life is in his hands, and I will accept no one else. Then she glanced to the side, and whispered as if hinting at a secret. “Also I have a debt to pay.”

Haruna sighed and stood up. She walked over to our side of the ship and leaned out into the wind. “Well I get what you both are saying. You aren’t the only ones who feel that way.”

She turned around and sat on the low barrier. She closed her eyes and leaned out to stare into the clouds. Her dark raven hair fluttered in the wind. “Honestly, it’s the reason I fell in love with him too.”, her voice came drifting from the breeze. “I could see myself spending time with him until we grow old.”

Her chest rose and fell as she drew out a single breath. Haruna lowered her head leveled her gaze at Rito. He was now alone, sitting on one side while we all stared at him.

“Yuuki-kun, do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Hai,” he said, “I have been very careless with the girls around me. I’m sorry that I got so carried away. I betrayed the trust you gave me, and I almost ruined everything.”

Rito slid to his knees and planted his hands on the floor, then he bowed low until his head touched the ground. “I didn’t mean for everything to happen the way it did… to let you all down like this. I’m so sorry!”

Haruna nodded with satisfaction. Then she turned to face me and Yami, asking, “Well ladies, what do you think?”

“I don’t think it’s totally your fault, Onii-chan,” I said, “I wasn’t exactly resisting your advances.”

I felt my own cheeks burning as I said this. “While it was quite embarrassing to remember what happened last night, I don’t regret it at all.”

“It was two nights ago,” Yami pointed out and I blushed even harder. “I agree with everything Mikan said, Rito. You is precious to me, the way I feel about you is different from the way a feel about

Haruna smiled and sat down between us. “Now, Yuuki-kun, you are a really lucky man to have so many women love you,” she said, crossing her legs together, “How do you feel about these girls? How do you feel about us?”

Rito fidgeted under her gaze. His tongue ran over his lips. “I feel… happy, happy to have all of you accept me into your life, even after all things I’ve done. I am grateful that you would ever hang out with a loser like me.”

“But…” He hesitated. “What everyone else said was true. I’m just a normal guy. I’m not that great in sports or in anything else. I have no special talent. I don’t deserve any of you.”

“You are selling yourself short, onii-chan.” I said, “If you were really a loser like you say you are, I wouldn’t even care about you.” I snorted, “Even if you are my brother.”

“Mikan…”

I smirked. “You are honest, compassionate, and steadfast, and that’s all I need in someone I love.”

“But! I don’t have any special power to protect you.”

“We don’t want your protection!” I bit back, “We can handle things ourselves.”

“Indeed,” Yami chimed in, “I don’t like it when you withhold information from me,” She glanced to both me and Haruna, “I can say for all of us girls that you should have told us your entire plan regarding the saving of Yui-san and the others. We were all scared to death after your stunt of you crashing my ship into the enemy.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rito said, “I wanted to find a replacement.”

“Don’t even bother!” Yami snapped. Her hair was billowing in the air, carried by her emotions, “I wasn’t concerned about getting a new spaceship! The only thing I care about was you!

“You left us all worrying to death about that!” Haruna said, “What if we couldn’t find you in that wreckage? What you died before we could even get you back? Do you have any idea how we would have felt?”

Again, Rito bowed low to us, “I’m sorry!”

Haruna sighed again. “It’s okay. What’s past is passed.”

Then, she reached down and pulled Rito to his feet. She kissed him on the cheek.

“Tell me,” she said, as she held him, “Have you slept with another woman? Have you done it with anyone other than me or these girls or Lala?”

Rito hesitated to answer but gave up at the end. “Yes.”

“Can you tell me who?”

His nails dug into the palm of his hands. “Momo, Risa, and Mea.”

Haruna sighed, but her voice remained calm. “And do you love each and every one of them?”

“Yes,” said Rito, “Some as friends, but most of them I love as much more than friends.”

I snorted. “I’ve always known you to be a playboy, nii-chan,” I crossed my arms and smirked. “Certainly, you’ve never notice how the other girls see you. It was only a matter of time before they acted on that feeling. “

“Indeed,” said Yami, she stood up and pressed herself against him. “Resistance is futile when there are girls around you.”

I watched them sit down on the opposite side, with Rito in the middle. I felt my blood boil.

Haruna grinned shyly. “You’ve already done it with these girls, and clearly they have feelings for you. I’m going to have a chat with Lala, and maybe we could extend the marriage contract to include these girls.”

Rito looked up in shock. Then, Yami grabbed him by the cheek and turned his head to face her. “You have to learn to tame that beast in you before it takes over and ruins everything.”

They were stealing him away from me! How dare they!

I got up, walked over, and sat down on his lap. “You brought this upon yourself, Onii-chan,” I said loocking up at him, “I don’t want you starting any more relationships with other girls without our permission. You need to take responsibility. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of you.”

Haruna beamed at us. “Today is your lucky day, Yuuki-kun.”  She said, “Lala has always wanted all of us together. It shouldn’t be too hard.

“Sairenji-san…” Rito started to say, but she silenced him with a finger

“Call me Haruna.” She said, “Both of you, call me Haruna too! There will be no more formalities between any of us.”

She kissed him long and hard.

“Because we are in this together.”

Ch.43: Kyouko’s Journal 1

Stardate 1368.16

Hello World!

It’s noon right now, and I thought that I should start this journal to fend off some of the boredom. There haven’t been much to do since Rito-kun left for the capital.

Last night was a bit crazy though. After Princess Nana arrived, Rito-kun had everyone report to their stations. Then, he had all the lights turned off, so we could slip out of the spaceport undetected. Unfortunately, that meant none of the other ships could see us either. Me and Run were on the flight deck when the moorings came off our ship. Over the next few minutes, we watched as the ship navigated through the narrow corridor. The blonde pilot, Yami-san, carefully maneuvered our ship around the other vessels. Her hands deftly moved the throttle as she steered the ship through the treacherous tunnel. Eventually, we made it out of the spaceport without trouble.

Rito then asked Zastin, the white-haired security officer, for the coordinates for the planet of Deviluke. We arrived over the planet in an hour later, and I was immediately transfixed by the very sight of the planet.

Everything was white and blue, and very little land could be seen. As we passed into the day side, we were surprised by a sudden explosion of white light. The Deviluke star appeared from behind the planet and showered us with its light. It was so bright, that Rito-kun had to raise our solar shields.

Lunatique-sensei, our resident science officer, told us a little about the planet’s geography. She told us how it was fifty percent bigger than the Earth, and the surface was mostly covered with water. She also told us about the Deviluke’s star. It was a main sequence blue star and was much brighter than our own sun. For our vantage point, it looked twice as bright than our own sun, even though we were twice as far away from it.

My face was glued to the viewscreen as I looked down to the ocean below. I could barely make out the tiny white caps of ocean waves as they pounded the thousands of islands and atolls and sand bars. Looking higher at Deviluke’s curvature, I suddenly a thin blue sheen flowing around the entire planet like another thinner ocean floating in the sky. Then, I saw a ring-shaped space station in orbit below us.

“Look look look!” I cried, jumping up and down. I was so excited by my discovery that I couldn’t contain myself. Zastin walked over to me and saw me point at it.

He told me that it was a shield generator, that covered the planet in a giant plasma barrier. It’s just like the deflector shields on our own ship, he said to me, except that it prevented other ships from entering the planet. I just stood there, gaping at the floating craft. That such a thing could create a shield that covered an entire planet! It blew my mind that something that large could be made at all.

Then, Zastin pointed at the center of that ring station.

“There’s a gate in the middle that is controlled by imperial officials,” he said, “If our security code checks out, then we can get in there without trouble.”

There were some footsteps, and then Rito-kun was next to us, standing with his hands crossed.

“I wonder if they’ve been bought too. May be our passage isn’t safe.”

Zastin shook his head. “We don’t have to worry. The gate guards have no cause to suspect us. In their minds, we are only humble servants to the Devilukes, and they won’t think twice about us.

Rito bit his lips. “Coming back out though, that’s going to be a problem.”

Zastin shrugged, “We can worry about that later.”

We entered the planet without trouble, and then speed towards the planet’s surface. It was such a thrill to watch as we plunged into the atmosphere. We passed through a cloud bank and leveled off near the water surface. Rito had us land on a remote island near the equator. It was remote, but comfortable. The Astroboy landed deep in the forest.

That is where we’ve been up to this point. Zastin told us that we were several latitudes ahead of the deviluke capital, so we had time to catch up on some sleep. But Rito-kun was antsy. He insisted on going to the palace as soon as possible, so he and Zastin piled into a royal shuttle, the same one stolen by princess Nana. Three of the girls also went with him, including his sister, the pilot, and that third girl with blue-hair and purple-eyes.

I remember how they came out of the Astroboy all dressed in their ship uniforms. Rito had on his captain’s shirt, a long-sleeved gold tunic with silver bands around the cuffs, over a black undershirt as well as black pants and boots. Meanwhile, the girls wore a Miniskirt-length dress with dark stockings and knee-high boots. Rito’s sister wore a Red dress, while Yami and the other girl wore a Blue dresses. Rito sister also had a brown leather belt with a phaser tucked inside a holster.

Their attire was all amazing, but they were tame compared to what that white-haired guy had. Complete with full-length plate armor and red cape, he looked so much like a knight from some fantasy story! He even had a broadsword strapped to his hips.

I managed to take their pictures before they all piled into the royal shuttle. I wish I could try on some of those cool uniforms! Our producers would love them!

I still think it’s crazy that Run and I are even on this trip. This all started with that Momo girl coming to our studio. She met with the producer and somehow convinced him to release us from obligations. As we are top idols, our producer should not have let us go without a good reason. Momo must have done something or said something to get his approval, but I’m not sure he even believed what was going on. To him, it must have sounded like some publicity stunt to promote his company. I doubt that he would even believe us if we told him that we actually went to space, not even if we showed him the photos of us posing inside the spaceship, wearing our white nursing uniforms.

Anyway, things have been relatively peaceful around here since we basically got the whole island for ourselves. Oh, how I wish I had brought a swimsuit with me. Luckily, with Rito and the others gone, it was just us girls on the beach. Then Mikado-sensei appeared, carrying towels, umbrellas, and a beach ball.

“You never know where you would go in space,” she winked at us. “I’ve kept this stored away just in case.”

Me and Run are been going out to the beach to pose in front of the scenery.  Then, we’re going to swim with the fishes. The water looks so pristine and so inviting.

I can’t wait!

Ch.42: Yami’s Testimony

[Recorded on Stardate: 1368.00 in Rito’s private quarters]

Rito: Okay, we are recording now. Yami, could you please repeat what you just told me.

Yami: [nodding] It all happened yesterday, after our brunch together. We were going to this used spaceship shop when two men bumped into me from behind. They were rather rude, cursing at me despite being the ones at fault. Anyway, when I turned around to look and saw two Balkeans huddled in a corner.

Rito: Stop, what are Balkeans?

Yami: You may recall Ghi Bree, the fiancé from Balke?

Rito: Oh, you mean that reptilian alien?

Yami: Yes. These two I saw were of the same species. One had a darker purplish crest and belly scales, while the other had a more blue-green body.

Rito: So you noticed them huddled together?

Yami: Yes. Despite their discreteness, I overheard everything that they said.

“Good wither today.” Said the purple-crested Balkean, looking up at the sky. The other one spat on the ground.

“Fuck this weather!” His blue-green friend growled, “It’s the same boring shit every day!”

“Well, let’s get on with it!” The first one sighed, “The boss sent us a message this morning, says he needs the King’s girls!”

“Sh!” The blue-green one hissed sharply, jamming a hand against his friend’s mouth. “Not here!”

Rito: Did they notice you listening in on them?

Yami: I don’t think so. I’d kept my back to them the whole time, so I don’t think they knew that I had overheard.

Rito: Okay, so clearly, they were in some sort of conspiracy regarding Lala and the others. What happened next?

Yami: Well, naturally I wanted to know more.

I slipped out of the shop to follow them. I hid among the crowds, careful to not be seen. Occasionally, they got suspicious and turned around, at which point I would hide behind some stalls or duck beneath a shop awning. They led me to a less populated area, where the seedier businesses dwelt, all I could see were brothels and bars. I continued tailing the Balkeans, following them along the rooftop. I was careful to keep my shadow from being cast on the ground.

Eventually, I ended up at this drinking establishment. I slipped into the third story window, and crawled to the landing where I could see the main room below.

Rito: So somewhere like a bar?

Yami: Yes it was a bar, or a saloon, or whatever they call it here.

Rito: Can you describe this place for me?

Yami: Well surprisingly, the bar the run down, but appeared quite a respectable establishment. The first floor acted like the celler, because you couldn’t dig into the Spaceport’s floor without ending up in the vacuum of space. The main drinking place was on the second floor, which was full of tables and chairs. The third floor, which was where I hid, was mainly residential, which I speculate was the resting place for the staff. There were no other residents up here. The walls, the floors, even all the furniture were well cleaned ironwood shipped form the neighboring planet of Fangorn. The whole place looked too nice to be in such a run-down neighborhood.

Rito: So it was unusually well furnished?

Yami: Yes, the iron wood is extremely hard to cut down, and had to be hauled here from five lightyears away. In conclusion, it would have been way too expensive for a couple of locals.

Rito: Okay. So when you went in, the place was empty except for a bartender and three serving girls right?

Yami: Correct. The bartender was an Ent, a species of tall treelike humanoids who also hailed from Fangorn. He wore a long blue coat on top of a mauve tunic. I think he was the proprietor of the place. The three serving girls were blue-skinned. Each had long stripped tails and pointy ears. One even had large earrings.

Rito: Okay, I get the picture. Continue.

Yami: So the Balkeans came in just as I’d gotten to the third floor bannisters The red-crested one wrinkled his nose.

“Aw Groot! Why you pick a place like this? It stinks in here!”

“Shut it Drax!” said Groot, “‘least no one here will hear us.”

He gave the bartender a look and tossed him some coins. The Ent nodded and disappeared behind some curtains. The Balkeans sat down at an empty table below me. They didn’t pay much attention to the girls, who stayed in the front and took their drink orders.

“Like I was sayin’,” Drax said, after they’d ordered some drinks, “The boss sent a message sayin’ we ought to make our move. Got some passcode for the gates and some pre-pay. Says we could see more after the job.”

“Nu-uh I ain’t touching them!” Groot spat, “The boss is crazy if he thinks we can just waltz in there and nab them! The guards will notice! We be dead in an instant!”

“The boss’ taken care of that. Says he paid off some guys, and replace others with his own people. Says we can get in, get them, and get out, no trouble!”

“Nah…I don’t know about this.” The blue-green balkean said, as the drinks arrived. He grabbed his glassful of dark brown liquid and downed it in a single gulp. “Aaaaahhhhh! The pay better be good for my time,” he went on, slamming the glass on the table, “Can’t go risking my life for nuthin’”

“Now don’t you worry about that,” the purple-crested one said, quaffing down his own beer, “Got plenty of the good stuff back in mah place. There be pay for the both of us.”

“I gotta see ‘em to believe ‘em,” said the blue-green one, standing. “Take me to yo place and let me see with mine own eyes!”

“Well, come on them.” Drax said, finished his drink.

There were a lot of wood scraping against wood as they stood up. The Balkeans walked past the sideboard and disappeared behind the curtains.

Rito: Do you think they’re friends with Ghi bree? Do you think it was him who sent these Balkean to us?

Yami: I don’t think so. I think his status might have diminished after his coming to our home. Even among his kind, he is regarded as a bit of a coward.

Rito: How so? We saw before how Balkeans’ alternative forms were just for show, and how they don’t really become as strong as they look. I thought all Balkeans were like that—all bark and no bite.

Yami: Not at all. Remember that they have that powerful psychic beam in hand. I’ll get to that in a moment. Let’s keep going with the story.

Rito: Okay, so what happened next?

Yami: Obviously, I couldn’t just enter that curtained off area or even go down to the first floor. Clearly, the bartender was in cahoots with the two, and I doubt that bribing the girls would achieve anything.

I ended up going back out the window I came from and then climbed over the roof to the other side of the house. I climbed down to the second story landing, where a balcony jutted out under a roof with shingles. Huddled on the roof, I deployed one of my insect like nanobots

Rito: (amused) You mean Tearju-sensei’s nanobots right? The ones you stole from her?

Yami: Well, it is sister Tearju’s fault to have been spying on me. I have simply confiscated them from her. I want to keep her from meddling in everyone’s business.

Rito: Uh huh, whatever you tell yourself.

Yami: (in a huff) Well anyway. I had the nanobots in infiltrate the kitchen. They located the Balkeans in standing over a winch that normally hauled up various items from the cellar. Using the nanobot’s camera, I was able to see a chest they had hauled up. Drax had the lid open and was rifling through the contents. When he emerged, he pulled out a large cloth sack and a parchment with a red wax seal.

“See,” Drax said, smirking” What did I tell you?”

He tossed the bag to Groot, who weighed it in his hands.

“Wow! That’s a lot of good stuff!” Groot said.

“There’s gonna more from where that came from!” Drax said. “The boss says the pay can even triple if we do it right!”

“So are we good?”

“Yeah!” Groot cried rattling the bag around. “I think I can work with this.”

“Good,” Drax said, “Now, if we can get rid of our stinker, we should be good to go.”

“Perfect!”

I suspected that my scent must have tip them off by now, but even I was caught off-guard by their sudden notice of me. I had just enough time to leap off the balcony before twin beams of psychic energy sliced through the walls. The top half of the building exploded in a shower of splinters, and I barely avoided some of the shrapnel. Others on the streets weren’t so lucky. I saw one resident whose body was riddled with pieces of wood. Calling it ironwood is no mere name. The material is just as strong as any piece of metal and the deadly splinters could penetrate you like a bullet.

I slipped into the crowds, trying to stay unseen. Looking back, I saw the Balkeans standing there, scanning the streets for me. They were now huge and monstrous, and their mouths were alight with deadly psychic energy. I knew that as soon as they spotted me they would unleash their power and kill me. Luckily, was able to slip into an alleyway.

In the end, I was able to give them the slip, but I couldn’t go back to the ship without the following me. Balkean’s sense of smell is one of their strongest attributes. There was no way that I could have masked my smell from their super sensitive noses. I spent the better part of the afternoon running around the spaceport. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, going through every street in order to spread my scent as wide of an area as possible.

Rito: Do you think they found our ship? Would they already know that you are here?

Yami: I don’t know. I had hoped to delay their finding me, but sooner or later, they will track me down to here.

Rito: Luckily, everybody’s one board. We should leave tonight.

Yami: I agree

[Suddenly, there is a beeping sound and Zastin’s voice appears over the intercom]

Zastin: Captain! Your presence is requested on the bridge!

Rito: Is there a problem Zastin?

Zastin: A royal shuttle has appeared carrying Princess Nana on board. She requests clearance to board.

Rito: [Standing up] I’ll be right there!

[Zastin turns off the intercom]

Rito: [turning to Yami] Let’s go.

[Rito turns off the recording]

Ch.41: Haruna’s Chronicles 1

Stardate: 1368.10

Last night, as I was getting ready to go to bed, a small spaceship appeared out of nowhere to hail the Astroboy. Through my very large viewscreen, I could clearly see that it looked like a miniature space shuttle with wingtips that swept up in an elegant curve. I could see Nana sitting in cockpit talking furiously with someone on the bridge. Clearly, the princess had slipped out of the Capital unnoticed and had stolen one of the royal shuttles to escape her homeworld. Now, she was parked in front of the shuttle bay, desperate to get inside.

Curious about what was going on, I went upstairs to the bridge. I found Zastin standing over the con in a heated argument with the princess. Zastin was beside himself. He scolding the princess through the microphone, accusing her of skipping out on her royal duties for some shameless prank. He flatly refused to let her on board, and demanded that she go back to Deviluke at once.

Nana, stubborn as ever, refused to budge an inch. She crossed her arms tightly and stewed in her seat.

Of course, that only made Zastin even angrier. He screamed at her until he went hoarse. How dare she make everyone worried about her! How could she not care? Her actions were unbefitting of a princess, and she should be ashamed of herself… and on and on and on.

Nana endured the abuse, refusing to move. Inevitably, bridge was filled with people as everyone was drawn to the standoff. Inevitably, her savior appeared to take control of the situation. Yuuki-kun walked onto the bridge, yawning. He was wearing an old T-shirt and sweatpants.

After last night’s debacle, I seriously couldn’t keep sleeping with him. Doing it with the other girls—even his own sister—he seriously betrayed my trust. I know it was the pink powder’s fault, but a girl can only forgive so much. Honestly, I can’t see the harem plan making anyone happy. There would be so much drama when everyone is fighting to have their alone time with Yuuki-kun. In short, it makes love look cheap.

I was willing to share him with Lala, but I don’t think I can handle his having relationships with so many other women. I don’t want to experience that anxiety.

Yuuki-kun has changed so much in just a week. Even now, I am just baffled by how different he has become. Even in his sleeping clothes, Yuuki-kun was without question the authority in the room. As soon as he appeared everyone went quiet. As always, Yuuki-kun played the knight in shiny armor. Overriding Zastin’s refusal, he commanded that the shields be lowered, and then he personally lead a reception party to greet Nana.

When the deviluke princess finally emerged from the shuttle bay, everyone was there to greet her. Despite how late it was, no one wanted to go to bed. Everyone was eager to learn about what had happened and why Nana had left the palace. Mikan brought out some tea and snacks and all of us gathered in the dining room to listen to her story.

It seems that she had gotten into a fight with one of the courtiers. According to her, one of her suitors had slipped into her room. When she retired for the night, the unknown assailant attacked her. He had her pinned to the floor and had nearly stripped her naked before she could stun him with lightning from her tail. Breathless and more than a little fearful, she rushed outside to alert the guards, only to find that none of the sentries were at their post. Nana, fearing for her life gathered her things and made her escape.

Clearly, the palace guards had been bought off by someone rich and powerful. At least, that’s what Yuuki-kun thought when Nana told us what happened. With Gid absent for a week, the courtiers were free to plot for control. Now with the princesses in the castle, some must have become even more ruthless. The situation was growing more dangerous every day, as the nobles played their game of thrones. While some factions worked hard to cultivate favors, others were actively plotting to use the girls to their own advantage. Some more extreme parties were even planning for a coup.

Yuuki-kun dropped this latest bomb on us when he told us of such a plot. He had only just gotten some intel from Yami who had overheard two conspirators talking. Their plan was to abduct the three princesses and hold them as hostages against the emperor.

“We don’t know whether Nana’s attacker was part of the plan,” He said. After the failed attack, the palace would be in an uproar. “The conspirators will most likely lie low for the night.”

Yet despite his assurance, it was clear that the girls were in mortal danger. Zastin elected to return to the capital at once. “If nothing else,” he said, “I could provide some extra protection.”

The rest of us agreed that Yuuki-kun would go to the palace as planned, and Yami and Mikan would accompany him on the stolen shuttle and escorted by Zastin’s men. Together, they would try to find out how bad the situation was, and if they had to get Momo and Lala from the palace. If the worst came to pass, they would have to use the D-dial network as before.

But that meant that Nana had to stay with the Astroboy.

I’m not sure if she could count on us to protect her when our ship barely has any way of defending itself. I can say as the acting Tactical Officer, that it is a miracle that we are even alive. Ever since we docked at the Deviluke spaceport, I have been looking into our defenses, and I am intimately aware of how woefully under-prepared we are to deal with any serious threat.

We were lucky to have survived our encounter with that Farengi ship. Not only was it much more well-armed than our tiny craft, it was also way more powerful. Had it shot a phaser at us directly, the enemy would have blown through our shields in an instant. Worse, the ship we were dealing with was only a cargo ship. Any real struggle with more powerful vessels would result in our obliteration.

I told as much to the rest of the crew, expressing my doubts that we could survive through a real fire fight. Unfortunately, we were well aware of our own danger. Nana told us of the palace rumors she overheard. It was clear that they knew where our little ship was and that we were very close to the princesses. With Nana on board, we were a juicy target while we parked in the spaceport.

Thus, it was agreed that we stay hidden on Deviluke for the night. With Zastin on board, we’d have clearance to land. Once on the planet surface, we would be safe from attack by much larger ships who would otherwise be crushed under their own weight. I guess this is a perk for having a small ship: we can go anywhere.

It’s morning now, and Rito is already gone. He had left as soon as we landed in a small island. He, Zastin, Mikan and Yami all piled into the stolen shuttle, and sped off to the capital.

Since then, there haven’t been much to do. We’re all just waiting on this island.

Forever.

Ch.40: Momo’s Vlog 5

Stardate 1367.22

Thank you Mea for sending me that video file. Thanks to her, I had a wonderful time watching everything. It’s been such a relief from the stress I’ve been enduring all day. It’s not easy to play politics when the people you talk to don’t see you as anything other than stepping stones to their own power. Nana is so lucky to slip out of the palace!

I can’t wait to see Rito again!

Okay, I have rambled on long enough! I present to you the wildest night on the Astroboy! Enjoy!

[Recording starts; Timestamp: 1366.22]

Rito entered the room of Mikan and Yami with Mea in tow. As soon as they were in, Mea closed the door. All of the sudden, billowing clouds of smoke erupted everywhere, engulfing the room in a pink mist.

When the dust had settled, Rito was found pinned him to the door and wrapped from head to heel with Yami’s blond hair. She stalked over to him, staring into his terrified eyes, her induced passion mingled with her fury. She yanked him down into a savage kiss. She crushed his lips against her own, and her sharpened nails ripped through his clothes.

All the while, Mea was busy with his pants. She pulled down his drawers and let his throbbing member out. Mea slid the member against her nose and let the warmth bleed into her skin. She ran her tongue along the shaft and kissed the very tip.

Rito groaned at the sudden wetness going up and down his member. His hands dug into Mea’s hair, and he held on tight as she pleasured him.

This whole time, Mikan was only watching. She watched as Yami and Mea stripped off his clothing. She watched as her best friend savagely attacked Rito’s mouth. She watched as Mea rose from her kneeling position, dragging her tongue up to his nipple and sucking on the hard nub even as he gasped. Mikan watched and moaned, her own hands squeezing her own little breasts through her loose tank top.

But then, Mea broke off from her own ministrations. She turned around and dragged Mikan down with her until once again, they were kneeling in front of his swollen manhood. Rito’s penis poked out obnoxiously in front of her. Mea guided Mikan’s hands to the shaft. It was all stiff and pulsating, and Mikan could feel the heat radiating from the head.

Mikan stroked it slowly, letting it slide in her grasp. Guided by Mea’s hand, she leaned in close and let the tip graze her lips. She opened her mouth, sucking on the glans and letting her tongue explore the little hole. Then she felt hands slipping beneath her clothes. Mikan moaned as they caressed her skin, and she gasped as they squeezed down on her developing breasts.

Her voice sent vibrations up Rito’s spine. Unconsciously, he grabbed Mikan’s head and shoved his whole length down his sister’s throat. Mikan’s eyes open in shock and she nearly gagged, but Rito was too deep in his own lust to care. He pumped his penis with abandon until he came in his sister’s throat. Mikan pulled away, gasping; her mouth was filled with her brother’s cum. Mea went after her, trying to steal the load from her mouth.

Meanwhile, Rito’s legs had given out, and he collapsed onto the floor. Yami, now completely nude, went down with him, straddling his waist and massaging his spent member. She dragged his hands up to her wet pussy. She gasped as his fingers filled her inside, and she closed her eyes and let him do as he pleased with her.

Rito complied. Shifting into a kneeling position, he pulled her close so her breasts pressed against his mouth. His fingers moved faster and harder, and her moaning grew louder and huskier. His mouth caught her nipple and sucked on it until was red and swollen. His right hand cupped her breasts and squeezed until she cried out lustfully.

His fingers dug in deep, and he began pumping fiercely until she was screaming with pleasure. At the last moment, he plunged into her deep with his newly erect penis, and he bit into her neck. The pain and the pleasure finally drove Yami over the edge, and she climaxed. Her feral cry went shrill until he couldn’t even hear her. Her insides were pulsing uncontrollably. When at last she came down from her high, Yami slumped against his side, her chest was heaving as she struggled to recover her breath.

Rito peeked over her shoulder and found Mikan propped up on her hands while Mea was sucking on her sensitive folds. Both of their clothes were gone now. Mea’s tongue slid in and out of Mikan’s wet pussy, and Rito saw that his sister’s nipples, stiff like twin peaks, were rising rising and falling with each breath. Mikan watched her brother caress his lover with such tenderness, and she cooed his name with lustful want.

Rito walked over and sat down beside her. He kissed her, warm and tender on her lips. His hand explored her body. He heard her breath hitch as he played with her nipple. He felt her moan in the kiss as his hands glided down to her clit. Her breath was hot and heavy; her tongue danced in his mouth.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and pressed him in tighter. With a quick turn of her waist, Mikan pulled him down under her. Sitting up and straddling his waist, she let her pussy hover above his erection, brushing it occasionally with her wet folds. She smirked at his every gasp; her hands gripped his knees.

When at last, Rito couldn’t take it anymore, his hands found her waist and pulled her down until he filled her to the brim. She screamed as he ripped through her maidenhead and her back arched backwards at the sweet mix of pain and pleasure. At the same time, blonde tendrils snagged her from behind, pulling her arms back, immobilizing her. Two long arms they wrapped around her lithe body, and the fingers played with her budding breasts. When she turned to look, warm wet lips met her own. Her best friend was there with her eyes closed, and she was kissing her.

Then she saw Mea come around to play with Rito. Mikan watched as she knelt down above Rito’s head. She presented her pussy to him, pulling it wide so he could see inside. Then her prehensile hair wrapped around his head and forced him up to lick at the folds

Rito complied, choking a little when Mea’s grip tightened around his throat. He grunted louder and louder as his penis slipped in and out of Mikan. It wasn’t long before he came and his seeds came spurting out. In his own haze, he barely heard Mikan’s cry as she climaxed well.

[Recording ends]

Unfortunately for us, Mea’s camera ran out of battery, but from what I can gather from Mea, they went on for quite some time. I should note that Celine’s pollen had worn off much earlier than I thought. Much of what we had seen came from the girls themselves, their passion for Rito was fueled by their love and their frustration.

I think I can say for my friends that the reason we love Rito so much is his unrelenting drive to protect the ones he loves. It doesn’t stop me from being deathly afraid of his choices. He does some crazy things that make me want to scream at him.

I can’t wait to see Rito again. I want to be by his side forever and ever!

Ch.39: A Letter from a co-conspirator

Stardate: 1367.21

Hey Momo, this is Mea!

The mission was a success! Everything went according to plan.

When all of you guys left, I got out those smoke bombs you made with Celine’s pollen. It must have been an ordeal to collect it. For the entirety of our rescue mission, Celine had been kept in the garden. Wouldn’t you know it, but that little rascal got into our cola stash. She must have filled whole place with her powder. I remember how you could barely hold yourself together when you gave me those bombs.

Anyway, the set up was flawless. I planted the bombs in Mikan’s and Yami-oneesama’s room, and then I lured Rito in with them. It wasn’t hard to convince him to meet with the girls alone. Our adorable captain has been fretting about how to make up with Yami-Oneechan. After he pulled that stunt on her during the rescue attempt—stunning her, confining her, making her watch as he rammed her ship into the enemy—Oneechan has been very distant. I told him that the very least he could do was to buy Oneechan a brand new spaceship. I gave him some gold-pressed latinum and I convinced him to at least spend some time with her and maybe visit some spaceship dealers.

The next part of the mission was fairly straightforward. Yami-Oneechan and Mikan were already there sitting on the beds when I dragged Rito in and locked the door behind me. I had just enough time to start the recording before the smoke bombs went off.

Rito is such a beast! Even now, I can’t even walk normally, but oh my god last night was so much fun!

I’m going to send you last night’s recording, and then I am going back to sleep.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Ch.38: Nana’s Vlog 1

Stardate: 1367.21

Finally! I am done with the capital!

After six days of entertaining those god awful suitors, I’ve had enough!

Everything went downhill as soon as we arrived at Outpost Alpha. When my sisters and I emerged from the terminal, all of the thousands of small folk were there to greet us. Before we knew it, the crowd had swept us up into a royal procession, and we got packed off to the capital like sardines.

When we arrived at the palace, papa in his infinite wisdom had skipped town and left his imperial duty on his daughters. Meanwhile, they were waiting for us. The castle is always full of gross men with their gross eyes looking at you so grossly. All they see in us are the stepping stones to their power. They don’t care about us. They only care about what we represent. The ordinary people don’t really care either. It doesn’t matter to them if their high lords play their game of thrones.

I was lucky enough to have slip out of the palace unnoticed. My sisters are still stuck in that hellhole, though. They have way more eyes on them, watching their every move. Those suitors want us, the princesses to be molded into their own liking, and my sisters tend to play their parts well. My big sis is the heir to papa’s throne and despite all her antics, she is still beloved by her people. Meanwhile, Momo is the darling of the empire: the youngest and the cutest. Her fan club back on Earth couldn’t even hold a candle to her popularity in the Palace. As for me, I’m usually stuck in the middle. Between those two juggernauts, I don’t really stand out. Few of the suitors ever ask for me, nor do they really care. I guess they just can’t stand my assertiveness.

That’s just fine; I have other friends who like me.

The Astroboy was still docked in the same place when I flew in with my stolen shuttle. Most of the crew were out when I arrived, but I got to hang out with the medical staff. Today, Run and Kyouko were busy as bees, restocking the shelves and carrying out some important research experiments. I still can’t believe that Momo got these two to join our crew. I’m not sure how she got the managers to agree. That their top idols were travelling through deep space for the summer must have been such a publicity stunt. They must have thought that this was some sort of space-adventure show, and I highly doubt that they thought we were doing it for real. Anyway, the girls have really grown under Mikado-sensei’s guidance. They are a funny bunch, and I love hanging out with them. Sometimes, I help out with errands, but most often, I get to spend time with Mikado-sensei and Tearju-sensei, learning about all the animals in the galaxy.

I really love animals. I want to learn more about them, so that I can take better care of them. Sometimes, I would take Mikado-sensei and Tearju-sensei into my cyber safari. There, I get to listen to their lectures about my animal friends, and I get to practice veterinary skills taught by them. Can you not think of a better place to learn?

This ship has become my second home. Here, no one treats me like a princess. Everyone sees me as a normal person. They don’t care about who I should marry or how much power I have to give them. Nobody cares that I am the second daughter of one of the most powerful man in the galaxy.

At the same time, I get to learn so much! I enjoy talking to one of the premiere astrobiologists in the galaxy, and learning from one of the leading experts in extraterrestrial physiology? I can’t think of any other place where I can meet these exciting people that can help me achieve my dream!

I love it here.

Now with that being said, I still can’t stand that perverted beast. He is shameless beyond reason.

He was the first to greet me. While I was still talking to Tearju-sensei, he came running towards me. Somehow, he tripped over his own two feet and landed on tope of me. For some reason that I still have trouble understanding, his treacherous hands grabbed onto my skirt and yanked it down. I ended up sitting on his face with his nose was pressed against my panties.

Honestly, no girl is safe around that idiot! Of course, I couldn’t just let him get away with such a brazen act of perversion. I had already beaten him into a bloody pulp when the others arrived.

I was surrounded by all of my friends. Ever since I started school on Earth, Kotegawa and I have always gotten along. Then, there’s Mea, the first friend I ever made. While we have had our differences, we are very close. The three of us—plus Mikan and Yami—have formed a close group. With the five of us united, nothing could stand in our way.

They were all so worried about me and my sisters, and I had to spend a long time reassuring them that the other two were doing fine. I don’t mind the questioning though. I could tell that they genuinely cared for me and my sisters.

I feel welcomed here. There are so many people I consider my friends now, even that perverted idiot. I can’t help but feel happy that they are here to support me.

I told them that Lala and the others were waiting for them. I told them that they should go visit tomorrow. Especially since my papa isn’t home, I think my sister could use their warmth.

As for me, I may go back with them but not to the palace. Maybe I’ll hang out in the harbor or go somewhere else.

Nothing is fixed as of now, so anything is possible.

Ch.37: Mikan’s Diary 6

Stardate: 1367.21

Dear Diary,

Tomorrow morning, we are going off to see Momo’s, Lala’s and Nana’s home. Our permission to visit the capital had been granted, and we were to to hitch a ride on an imperial shuttle that would take us directly to the palace. Of course, Zastin will be accompanying us all the way down. That’s what the man himself told us, when he came back this morning.

Only Zastin managed to come back, and he brought some more unsettling news. It seems that some of the girls’ suitors—not just Lala’s—had gotten wind of their return and had been waiting for them in the capital. To make matters worse, the devilluke king had left the planet to deal with other matters, so the three sisters have been preoccupied with entertaining the guests and maintaining the empire’s austere authority. I can’t help but feel sorry for the girls. It must be terrible to have so many responsibilities foisted upon them. I can’t believe the Deviluke king would be so irresponsible! After all, he is why we went travelling across the galaxy. He’s the one who started all of this mess.

That said, Zastin’s return was really ill timed, as It was during some truly terrible set of circumstances.

It all happened last night, when someone had hidden some sort of smoke bomb filled with Celine’s pollen in my room. Rito was visiting me and Yami to talk about getting Yami a new space ship when it went off. We found the door locked from the outside, and the ventilation had been shut off.

Exactly what happened next…well…I’m not sure I can say; it was all quite embarrassing. I’m sure that the perp will reveal herself in time, when she logs the event onto the ship’s archives. All I can say is that I lost something that night, but I’ve become closer to my brother.

Oh, and Sairenji-san is furious with him right now. In fact, when Zastin showed up, he was still kneeling on the cold floor while she chewed him out.

Anyway, these past few days have been hectic with all the changes. Yami is filling in for Lala-san as Chief Engineer. Meanwhile, everybody else have been trying to fill in for Lala-san, Momo-san, and Nana-san. Every day, I follow Yami around the ship, and listen to her talk about the intricate components that make the Astroboy work. I am learning so much stuff from the intricacies of space travel to the inner working of the warp core.

Recently, I’ve roped Rito into helping me with some of thekitchen work. It’s extra helpful when his new bedroom is just behind my kitchen. I would wake him up early every morning, and force him out of bed. On days when he is especially resistant, I double his workload. This is compensation for him tricking me and making me so worried during the rescue mission. It’s a tough job, cooking for a dozen people every day. When breakfast is finished, he is absolutely exhausted, at which point I haul him off to the showers.

This morning, we didn’t make breakfast ourselves. Instead, we went out into the spaceport for some brunch. I enjoy any chance I get to go sightseeing in this floating space city. My mind still can’t comprehend this place. You’d walk around as if everything was normal, but then you’d realize that the street you are on is curling up above your head. When you look up, you see all those buildings “hanging down” from the “ceiling”. It’s so bizarre!

Today, I was walking with Rito, Yami, Sairenji-san, and Mea-san, with many other girls tagging along. Both Tearju-sensei and Mikado-sensei were with us, and they recommended this popular eatery that had chains throughout the galaxy. All the food was exotic and delicious, and I pestered the cook for some good recipes. When I got to the table though, Yami had disappeared.

After brunch, we went to find some dealers for space ships. As I mentioned before, Rito really wanted to help Yami with replacing Lunatique. After all, it was the least he could do after he had rammed the ship into that Gaamian frigate. We spent a good chunk of time searching through the many shops. Some had really high end ships that neither Rito nor I could pay for. In other places, the vessels weren’t cheap, but you could tell they weren’t even capable of handling the rigors of space travel. In the end, they couldn’t find anything, and we got back to the Astroboy empty handed.

When Dinner was done, thanks to my favorite little helper, I went out again into the city. This time, I took only Rito with me. It’s so nice to be alone with him, to walk with him hand-in-hand, and to talk with him about all the new sights and sounds we’ve experienced together. As of last night, our relationship has reached a new level of intimacy, and I confess, I don’t mind as much as I should.

I really adore walking with him in these flower gardens. All of these strange and exotic plant life are so colorful! It’s like nothing like we have at home! I especially love going out in the evening when the simulated daylight is turned off. That is when the flowers begin to glow like tiny lamps lighting up our path. They look so magical!

I wish we could spend more time like this together. When Lala announced their nuptials, I was happy for them, but deep in my heart, there was this empty spot where something used to be. Yet, when I am walking in the gardens with Rito, that spot disappears.

I think I know what that spot is, and I think I know why Momo wants the harem plan to work so much. I have this suspicion that she has the same feelings I do, that even if I can’t be the first or second in his heart, I still want to be with Rito. When we go to Deviluke tomorrow, I want to have a chat with Momo. Maybe we could make the harem plan work.

Together!