High in the sky did the full moon of Ur shine in a starlit sea. From its throne of clouds, thousands of arms reached out to bless its people below. Of one of these people sat Yoshi, who slept soundly on Marean’s partner machine stand. A week has passed since his return. Having chosen to leave his room untouched, it still remained void of furniture. His daughter’s stand used as his bed. Unchallenged light reaching through large curved windows, the moon caressed his face as he shuddered. The time is two o’ clock in the morning. Displayed on the stand he slept on, it began to produce several bleeps the moment fifty nine hit zero. Refusing to wake up at first, he tried to simply shrug it off. However, it didn’t take long for an arm to start flailing about just over his head. Pawing around the podium surface, he had forgotten that the red button he sought hung far out of reach, resting on the very tip of the reflective display board. Giving up after five seconds, he rolled over, uttering another groan. With nothing to fall onto, his head met grey tile flooring.
Skull meeting a cold surface, he muffled a simple “oomph” on impact. Eyes shot open in pain. Using one hand to lift from the floor, the other rubbed a wrinkled forehead in a synchronous manner. Yoshi’s hand followed the beat of the alarm clock. On the way up, his backside roughly bumped the podium. The back of his head butting into the overhanging display board, it sharply bounced in air on impact. Launched into the air, silver frames landing on teal hair; majestically sliding onto his face as the second hand now tended the back of his head. Up on his feet, both hands grabbed his hips, pushing against his back. Slightly angry, tired of the beeps, he slammed the red button after stretching. Wasting no to time to think, he reached for his hat and made for the door. Midway towards the silvery doorframe, a voice popped into his head to say, “Going outside without taking a shower first? That’s gross, dad.” Producing a soft chuckle, feeling a slight drop in his stomach, he sighed and turned back around.
By four o’ clock he sat in a silent hanger. Spacious, cold, almost spooky, he found it difficult to make out what it actually looked like thanks to the dim lighting the area offered. Yoshi did know one thing though. Very few people occupied this large area around this time. Those who did most likely came to perform maintenance on their ships. Watching them work this early, Yoshi wondered how the fleet’s ships receive their repairs. While knowing how to fly a vessel, he never became an official pilot. So he could only ponder about these things. Did pilots tend to their own ship? Is there a schedule of checkups and inspections made? Would it be more costly to repair a ship or replace it? What happens to a pilot who loses their ship?
Still sleepy, tired of thinking, he shook his head hoping to stop. His chin lifted, he stared at white words painted on the ship he sat by. Being told by Kerri the other day to wait by this ship at four in the morn, the cowboy waited for the woman to make her appearance. She never showed up. Sitting around for a half hour, he opened up a channel and attempted to call the human girl. Hoping to find out what took her so long. While waiting for her to answer, a loud metal clang rang from within the vessel. Curious, he sat up, his hand dropped, from his ear reaching out to open the B-02.
On a touch of a button, pressurized air released as the gray ramp of the B-02 sleepily unfolded to the floor. Poking his head inside, he heard a metallic snore echoed from inside the cockpit. Amused to the sound of this, Yoshi released a puff of air from his nose and walked inside. To his amazement, the interior of the shuttle looked exactly the same as the model it replaced. Two blue black benches on each side covered in the standard Arks camo, various panels glowing on the wall, information feeding into them, both corners of the ceiling covered by two strips of lights. On the wall, directly in front of him, a grey metal door leading into the cockpit itself. So used to seeing his T-57, it feel so strange to see a lack of storage cabinets, a refrigerator and the hidden cargo space beneath the plated floor. Interested to see if the controls were any different, Yoshi sped deeper inside.
Pressing at a dim green button on the side of the doorway, the door slid open as if it yearned for him to step inside. Head first into the room, the light from outside revealed a drooling human girl sleeping in her chair, her arm dangling over the seat and a silver metal band lying on the floor. While she murmured in her sleep, Yoshi looked around the several flashing buttons that made up the cockpit. Unlike his ship, the B-02 showed signs of being modeled after the S-57. A single person transport made with combat in mind. Since luxury ideals and civilians normally never touch these models, it lacked any sort of extra storage space, housing extra firepower instead. Circling around the buttons, it became apparent that Kerri’s B-02 used a similar layout to the pilot side of the T-57. The buttons however were upgraded and looked alien to him. Only guessing that they worked similar to the S-57, or even the T-57, he didn’t want to fool around and test his theories.
Finished with his little tour he returned his attention onto Kerri. Reaching out to wake her from her cute slumber, he stopped as she said, “I did it, Captain Fizzles. I cooked one hundred cakes. Yaaaaaaay...”
Placing a hand over his mouth, Yoshi fought his urge to burst out laughing. “Oh man,” Yoshi thought in his head. “Should I even pass this up?” Wasting no time to think on the consequences, he rested an arm on her black chair and whispered into her ear, “Watch out for the zombies.”
Her arm lifted into a limp. Smacking her lips, she sleepily replied, “No way, zombies. I made those cakes with my own two nose hairs.”
Smiling, Yoshi lifted his chin saying, “Your cakes are dying.”
“Captain Fizzles, nooooo. Eat panzer…faust …”
“What are you doing?” said a voice from behind. Walking in, a Lillipan tucked between his arms, Kazamir ducked in low to avoid hitting his head. The furry brown creature waving back at Yoshi, Kazamir stared down, eyes of ice so cold that it sent shivers down the cowboy’s spine.
“Just messing with someone’s dreams?” said Yoshi in a nervous tone and an awkward smile.
Looming over him closely, he continued to read Yoshi while Lilliman danced in excitement in-between his arms. After what seemed like a minute, Kazamir finally uttered in a flat tone, “Right.”. Placing Lilliman on the floor, the dewmen reach an arm over the leather chair. His hand on Kerri, Kazamir warmly said while rubbing her head, “Kerri, it’s time to wake up.” Not use to Kazamir speaking in such a gentle manner for quite some time, Yoshi’s eyebrows lifted in amazement. Catching Yoshi’s expression in the corner of his eye, Kazamir quickly looked to his human friend and shot, “You didn’t hear anything, got it?”
“Got it,” Yoshi responded, his head nodding slowly.
“Kazamir?” Kerri asked. Waking up, brown eyes laid upon Yoshi. Widening in fear, she screamed in ear. Wreathing in pain, Yoshi closed an eye. Instinctively ducking down, he narrowly avoided a fist meant for his face. In a panic she started to flail at him, an arm held over her chest. “What are you doing in my ship?” She screamed. “If you did anything to me, so help me-”
“He didn’t do anything, ma’am,” Kazamir interrupted. “We simply just got tired of waiting for you outside”. A finger pointed to a nearby clock on the grey dashboard. Green numbers glowing in the shaded room spelled four fifty five. “Now if you will excuse us, we will be outside so that you may put something over your tank top.”
A pale hand now on gray collar, Kazamir pulled at Yoshi, hinting for the human to follow him out. His gray boots stepping off the ship, Yoshi and Lilliman caught up on lost time. While they spoke of Lillipa and how the village faired in their absence, Kazamir tapped at a panel on the right of the transport frame. Three presses on three gray buttons, the ramp lifted up to a close. Leaning on the edge of the ship, Kazamir stared in confusion since both the critter and his friend spoke a foreign tongue. Suddenly feeling insulted when they started to point in his direction, he pushed off, walking forward asking, “What are you two talking about?”
Yoshi, a little bit embarrassed by the sounds he recently just produced, calmly replied, “The colony got their water towers up and running and have now begun to build water cooled lifts and slides for transportation.” Letting Lilliman add in something else for a moment, Yoshi continued, “We also wanted to know why you came along.”
“Out of a recommendation, I decided to become a Fighter and have decided to tag along. Also, someone else will be joining us as soon as we reach the planet.”
“Anyone we know?” Yoshi asked in earnest curiously.
“Most likely no one you know. However, she may prove to be an interesting person. So be prepared for anything.” Kazamir replied.
“Not going to be a Ranger?” Yoshi smirked.
“Yoshi, you of all people should know I would never become a Ranger.”
“Dude, just because a few rifles blew up in your face doesn’t mean they all will.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m-a Yoshi,” he said, a thumb pointed at his large smile.
Upon finishing, the ramp door suddenly opened up in a hurry. Before it had a chance to touch the floor, Kerri stormed down the ramp shooting a glare Yoshi has only seen Marean give him. Tackling Yoshi, shoulder to shoulder, she caught the startled man by the collar whispering, “How the hell did you get in?”
Yoshi trying his best not to laugh answered, “The lock code is similar to the S-57’s. A.K.A. factory default.”
“Don’t you ever come in without my permission again,” she continued, gripping his collar even tighter. Her other hand up in the air, balled in a fist.
“Relax; all you have to do is change the password, sheesh.”
Shoving him away, she turned around uttering a “Humph” before marching up to Kazamir. “And you are?” She asked looking up at him imposingly.
“Oh this is-”
“She didn’t ask you, Yoshi. She asked me,” Kazamir barked. His glare gliding away from the teal hair man, he bowed to Kerri and said, “Malus de Melpharia, at your service.” Grabbing her hand in an attempt to kiss it, she pulled away while giggling awkwardly.
“Right, nice to meet you.”
“He’s coming with us by the way.” Yoshi added, lifting the Lilliman off the ground.
“What kind of name is Lilliman by the way? You didn’t name him that did you?”
“Actually, I kind of did; now that I think about it,” Yoshi said, he words trailing off, Lilliman nodding at him.
“Tisk tisk,” said Kerri. “From now on, your name is Mr. Fuzzims”
[“Aw, gross. No way.”] Lilliman rejected; his paws in front of him.
“He doesn’t like that name.” said Yoshi after laughing out loud.
“How do you know? You don’t speak his language.”
“Actually, I do,” Yoshi said, his smile shaping into a frown.
A finger poking at Yoshi’s chest, Kerri replied, “Bullshit.”
“He do though,” Lilliman finally added.
Tired of the conversation and hoping to avoid an argument, he swatted at the air and said, “Anyways, why did you want me to come here at gosh dang four in the morning?”
“Oh, right, well, if you haven’t looked outside, we are right in front of Lillipa.” With an arm held outward, she continued, “So I figured that since we were here, I’d take you there as promised.”
“Couldn’t we just warp there on a camp ship?” Yoshi said, mimicking Kerri’s actions.
“Ew, warping,” Kerri cried. “If I’m the one flying, we’re doing it my way. Which is good old fashion take off and fly until you make it.”
“Did something bad happen to you in the past?”
“No, I just don’t like to warp, okay?”
“Look, don’t worry about it. I understand. I had my own share of near death experiences with warping as well,” Yoshi responded, his hands bouncing in the air. Kerri, trying to hide any trace of shame, looked away, her arms folding once more. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Yoshi added in an assuring tone, “So how about we get this show on the road, alright?”
“Would you two stop wasting time?” Kazamir intervened. “If it weren’t for your antics Yoshi, we would have been on Lillipa a long time ago.”
Yoshi, his mouth opened a gape, watched Kazamir walk into the ship immediately afterwards. On Lilliman’s lead, the two shrugged at each other, offering warm smiles and followed after. Taking their seats on the ship, Kerri stopped at the doorway to say,
“You guys better buckle up. We’re going in as fast as this thing can go.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Yoshi asked in concern. “Didn’t you tell me the engines burned too hot?”
“Relax, scarf boy. We’ll be in space where it’s too cold to overheat like that.” Spinning around, she shut the door and started the ship. Not sure what to expect, the B-02 violently shook upon waking up. The engines outside roaring to life, Lilliman and Yoshi looked to each other , fear screaming in their eyes. This ship proved to be at least twice as powerful as the T-57 they knew and love. Lifting into the air, they could feel every adjustment made as they leaned from side to side. Flying over rows of ships, Yoshi opened a small window on the wall so that the two can see the world they left outside. Looking into the hanger once again, they realized that this place boasted more space than they had originally thought.
Laid in several rows of thirty, stacks of twenty on several floors, each level was occupied by different variants as far as the eye can see. Almost like a beehive, transports and shuttles of unique models flew back and forth from gray floor to sliding doors. Some vessels loading into camp ships; shuttles returning, their parts clinging on to dear life, each one seemed to have its own story to tell. Skittering around from underneath the flying mechanical beasts drifted a sea of pilots, officers and workers. Loading, refueling or even cleaning what they can; there may have been more to the pilot life than Yoshi first thought.
Past a blue barrier, the two gazed at the stars surrounding the edge of Lillipa. Now in space, the B-02 weaved between incoming vessels. Shooting past the many camp ships, Kerri flew in and out of traffic lanes. Evasive maneuvers pulled around insane pilots just wanting to go home, Yoshi thought he saw angry faces stare back at him for a moment. Kerri’s gray undercarriage almost touching the Titan’s glass dome on a detour around the fleet, it seemed that the Ur wasn’t the only cruiser stationed at Lillipa. Five blue domes evenly spaced out; something must have been going on the planet’s surface. Finally clearing wreckage drifting in orbit of the sandy planet below, the ship increased in speed. Nothing to get in Kerri’s way, she pushed the ship to its limit. Orange engine glows painting the window, both the lillipan and human clung onto their seats for dear life, diagonally positioned like bent nails in wood. While Yoshi and Lilliman resisted the need to fly off their seats, Kazamir sat in a casual manner on the other side. His pale lavender eyes slowly scrolling over floating text. Poking at a cyan holo-screen, as if nothing ever happened, his foot simply tapped on his leg. Stars moved slightly faster. The planet grew larger. The ship swirled to avoid rouge chunks of metal floating by. Checking to see if the nose of the ship burned red yet, Yoshi noticed a faint blue shield protect the front of the B-02. The ship wasn’t heating up at all. Plunging even faster than before, details of the planet’s landscape became much clearer. Being one of the few times Yoshi has entered a planet this way, it amazed him to see how everything seemed to move so slowly. Having seen enough, he sat normally in his seat. Trying to smile, he noticed more glowing colors on a wall. To the left of Kazamir, a black monitor displayed the ship’s current status and speed. Red numbers rapidly changing, Yoshi watched as glowing digits transform into an error sign. The ship accelerated beyond the expected limit. He wondered how fast it could go before losing control. The awe of space flight wearing off, he began to feel the vibrations and jerks of the ship’s movements on his legs.
[“What is she doing?”] Lilliman scream, the ship violently shaking in the atmosphere.
“I think she’s doing aileron rolls,” Yoshi shouted over the critter’s screams.
[“Make her stop!”]
“I can’t!”
Tears fell from Lilliman’s face. His little paws unable to hold on much longer, gray nails scrapped against the hard seat after he lost his grip. Flying into the air, he landed on Yoshi’s face, who uttered a muffled cry of pain. Lilliman hugging the cowboy’s head for safety, everything suddenly got better. Turbulence subsiding, the error sign returned to normal as numbers counted down to zero. Upon touchdown, the queue given by Kazamir, Yoshi grabbed Lilliman by the back, pulling him off. Lilliman placed back on his seat, the brown creature ran outside to kiss the hot sandy floor outside.
[“I will never frown upon advance technology ever again. Please teach me the ability to warp.”]
Yoshi laughed. Stepping off alongside his friends, he looked to Kazamir, his smile as proof that he had a good time. “Well, that was exciting.” Wondering how Kerri took the flight, he peeked over his shoulder to see if she stood close behind. To his disappointment though, the door remained closed.
“It was interesting to say the least,” Kazamir replied. His hands clasped behind him.
“Now if you would be so kind as to follow me. Our guest is waiting for us just up ahead.”
“No problem,” said Yoshi. A finger zooming to his ear, Yoshi looked to the ship. “Kerri. Are you alright in there?”
“Sorry but I have to head back. I’m getting chewed out for flying without an accompanying camp ship. You owe me.”
“Name your price, I can take it.”
“You’re going to regret that,” Kerri responded, before laughing. Dropping their connection, the ship lifted off the ground. Sand blowing in the wind, the ship twisted in the air, kicking off its journey into space. A dot in the sky, Yoshi and Lilliman waved goodbye to the shrinking shuttle. Unimpressed, Kazamir walked away with a lack of interest in the vessel. Taking notice, Yoshi picked Lilliman off the ground and ran after the dewmen. Catching up to his purple themed friend, he asked,
“So what are we going to do first?”
“We’re going to head to the site where you found Ijiraku,” Kazamir replied, not bothering to face his friend.
“Have you spotted anything while I was away?”
“Only traces of darker movement but those are far away from here, somewhere else on the planet.” Lifting his hand, the panel he viewed earlier reappeared. Interested to see what Kazamir read, Yoshi leaned inward but found it hard to make out anything in the burning sunlight. Moving up a sand dune, Yoshi resorted to looking underneath the panel. It didn’t help however. Everything seemed to be written in a strange manner and the ads didn’t help much at all. Moving down the slope, Yoshi continued to walk sideways, trying to find a good position, until he bumped into someone new.
“Oh, going for the dessert without even taking me to dinner first? How bold of you,” a female voice cooed. Spinning to the direction of the voice, Yoshi stood before a female newmen of black hair, hanging freely down to her waist. Taking notice of the black Ursula replica she wore, much like Marean’s open coat; it also consisted of large pants and a small shirt. He couldn’t help but be bothered by black trims and belt she wore compared to the normal pink he was used to seeing. The only other distinctive feature being the sunglasses hugging her head, she looked oddly familiar to Yoshi as she smiled in a sly fashion. However he couldn’t put his finger on who she reminded him of.
“I’m very sorry about that. I should have been paying attention,” Yoshi said, bowing to emphasize his sincerity.
“Oh no, keep going. You may be surprised to find out what happens next.”
“Would you quit toying with him,” Kazamir said in a slightly annoyed tone. “Yoshi, this Marisa Kinjal. Marisa, this is Yoshiblue.”
“Yoshi Blue? You’re joking right?” Marisa asked.
“Eh, sure,” said Yoshi slowly, hoping they would move on.
Shaking of her head, Marisa sighed and said, “Parents name their kids anything these days. Well, it’s nice to meet you anyways.” Looking at Yoshi in the eyes again, she pinched his cheek, gave him a warm smile and continued, “So I’m told you’re a squishy force. Well don’t you worry your cute little head about thing because this person is a Hunter. I’m going hug you so much, you will never feel anything but my warmth.”
After having to listen to more of Marisa’s rambling, Kazamir stepped into to finally put an end to it. Both hands placed on each of their outfits, he pulled them away saying, “Can we please move on with the plan?”
“Kazamir, you’re such a downer,” Marisa said, a hand flapping in the air. “But alright, I’ll humor you. Let us go find some relics, hmm?”
“Please stop.”
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Originally Posted by AIDA
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