COLONY SHIP 02, UR: AKASHA’S APARTMENT
The door chime rang out loud and clear in the silent apartment. Akasha turned towards the door, eyebrows raised, a quizzical expression on her face. The gears in her head were already spinning, trying to work out who it could be. She wasn’t expecting company. Not yet, anyway. She had plans to meet up with Ivan in the afternoon, but it was hours too early for that.
Could it be a solicitor looking to sell her junk she didn’t need? A sales agent trying to set her up with a new sponsor deal? Or maybe the paparazzi again, hoping for a non-existent scoop?
Only one way to find out. Akasha strolled down the hall to the front door and pressed the button. The automated door slid open right away with a soft
hiss. Standing on her doorstep was a familiar pink-haired girl with vibrant blue eyes, freckled cheeks, and pointy Newman ears. The last person Akasha was expecting.
Athena.
She was wearing a hooded jacket, pleated skirt, and bright red leggings. It was a casual outfit any normal teenage girl might wear, except she wasn’t entirely normal. Akasha, Rho, and Sitrius had rescued her from Naberius after her family and the rest of their research team got slaughtered by Darkers. On top of that, she was suffering from amnesia and couldn’t remember anything about her own past. A tragic tale, especially for someone so young.
The pink-haired girl raised a hand in greeting. “Hey—”
Akasha immediately shut the door, performed an about-face, and headed back to her bedroom. “What should I do today?” she wondered idly to herself.
The doorbell rang again. Akasha ignored it. “Maybe I should do a little cleaning before Ivan comes over,” she contemplated aloud.
The doorbell rang a third time. Then a fourth. Then a fifth. Then a sixth. Each time, Akasha got a little more agitated. By the time it reached the tenth ring, she couldn’t take anymore. “Alright already!” she exclaimed, and stomped her way back down the hall. She pressed the button and the door opened again with the same soft
hiss. Athena was still standing there, this time with her arms crossed.
“What was that for?” she demanded with a frown.
Akasha sighed impatiently. “
You are trouble, and
I have plans later. So what do you want?”
“You said you’d go apartment hunting with me this weekend, remember? I can’t afford the rent on my family’s place. Plus, it feels weird, you know? Living there by myself, surrounded by photos of people I don’t even know.”
“Can’t you find some other victim to drag along?” Akasha asked, unmoved.
The girl tapped the side of her head. “Uh, hello? I lost my memories, in case you forgot. I don’t exactly know a lot of people.” Before Akasha could respond, she added, “Look, I want a second opinion when I go looking for apartments, alright? You already said you’d go with me.”
Akasha didn’t respond. It was true, she
had promised to go apartment hunting with Athena. Though, at the time, she had only agreed to get the girl to stop nagging her about it.
Sensing her reluctance, Athena said, “I-It’s not like I want to hang out with you either! I just… don’t have anyone else I can ask right now. Okay?”
“So basically, you don’t want to go with me and I don’t want to go with you, but you’re asking me anyway.”
“Yeah, that about sums it up.”
Akasha stood there for a minute, still hesitant, but eventually she resigned herself to the inevitable. She stepped back from the doorway and waved the girl inside. “Fine. But give me five minutes first,” she said.
Athena stepped into the apartment. The door hissed shut behind her. The first thing she did was remove her shoes and place them neatly in the corner. Whether out of habit or simple courtesy, Akasha didn’t know. Either way, she found it interesting the girl knew little things like that but couldn’t remember her own family.
Akasha led the way through the hall to the living room. The pink-haired Newearl followed close behind her. After a few steps, Athena said, “Are you taller than the last time I saw you? You look taller.”
“Probably.”
“This is a nice place. Nicer than my family’s, anyway. I mean c’mon, you’ve got a
hallway. That’s more than I’ve got. My front door opens straight into the living room.”
Akasha shrugged without turning around. “Nothing wrong with that. My old apartment was like that.”
“Until you became miss fancy-pants rock star, right? I guess I need to save a colony ship before I can afford a hallway.”
“Sure, go nuts. Save two colony ships for all I care.”
“Maybe I will,” Athena retorted, a little defensively. “If you saved one, I’m sure two would be a piece of cake for me.”
By that point they had reached the living room. Akasha finally turned to face the pink-haired girl and said, “Does everything have to be a competition for you?”
“I never said it was a competition,” Athena replied. “I’m just saying I’m better than you.”
The copper-skinned Newearl sighed and rolled her eyes. “Just… wait here while I finish getting ready. Five minutes, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And don’t touch any of my stuff.”
“Okay, okay. Sheesh.”
* * * * * * * * *
An hour later they were checking out the first apartment. Neither girl had a driver’s license so they had to take the subrail like common commuters. Akasha didn’t like doing that because she usually got hassled by people asking for autographs, photographs, or both, and that day was no exception. All she could do was grin and bear with it—and remind herself there were worse things than being famous.
But not many, she thought dryly.
“So?” asked Athena. Her arms were spread wide. “What do you think?”
“About what?”
“About this apartment, obviously. Are you always such a space case?”
“Only when I’m around people I don’t like.”
“Har har. But seriously, does this place scream ‘the future home of Athena Vatras,’ or should we visit the next one on the list?”
Akasha glanced around. As far as apartments went, it was fairly ordinary. There was a living room and kitchen separated by a counter, restroom, modestly-sized bedroom, and walk-in closet. That was about it. The previous tenant was gone, so it was devoid of any furnishings. And it definitely didn’t have a hallway.
“What’s the asking price?”
“A little high, since it’s close to downtown, but not too bad.”
“Utilities?”
“Water and gas are included. I was hoping for a personal washer and dryer, but they’ve got a common laundry room downstairs.”
“Hm.” Akasha rubbed her chin thoughtfully, like she was really mulling it over. Then she said, “If I tell you it’s good, does that mean we don’t have to check the other places?”
Athena gave her a look.
“Okay, fine. I was only kidding. This place is alright. You could do a lot worse. And like you said, it’s close to downtown.”
“But?”
“Your neighbors are going to keep you up at night.”
“The couple we passed in the hall? What’s wrong with them?”
“I know the type. The tattoos, the piercings, the heavy metal shirt the guy was wearing. They’re a couple that likes to party. Loud, and late. If you don’t mind dealing with that, I guess it’s no problem.”
Athena thought about it. “Let’s keep looking,” she decided.
* * * * * * * * *
They checked three more places after that. On the way to the third place, Akasha got a call from Ivan about the movie. She explained the situation and told him where she was headed. He said he’d pick her up and they would go straight to the theater from there. Akasha agreed, quietly asked him to hurry over, and hung up.
“This place is definitely better than the last one,” Athena said twenty minutes later. They were standing in the living room of yet another vacant apartment. It was pretty much the same as the last one, and the two before that. With one major exception.
“And hey, look,” the pink-haired girl continued. “This apartment comes with furniture! Chairs, table, even a sofa. The landlord said the last tenant left them behind when they moved out.”
Akasha scratched her head. “I’m not so sure that’s a good thing. Who knows what they did with that table, or on that sofa. You really want to take that risk?”
“Yuck. Maybe you’re right. I can toss the furniture, but what about the place itself?”
“Cheaper than the first two, nicer than the third. Of all the places we looked at, I’d say this is the winner.”
“No hallway, though.”
Akasha rested her fists on her hips. “Sometimes you gotta take what you can get.”
“Says the girl with the hallway.”
“Hey, I worked hard for that hallway. If you work hard enough, maybe one day you can have a hallway of your very own.”
“Oh, I’ll get one all right. In fact—”
There was a gentle knock at the front door. Two quick raps. One, two. Both girls turned around. Standing in the open doorway was a welcome sight, a man with burgundy hair, dark purple eyes, and an amused smirk on his face. He said, “Sorry to interrupt you ladies, but I didn’t want to eavesdrop unannounced.”
“Ivan!” Akasha exclaimed, the relief evident on her face. “Thanks for coming to pick me up. Just give me a sec to finish up here, ‘kay?”
“Take your time. We’ve still got a few minutes until the movie starts. I’ll be waiting downstairs with the Z60.”
The Z60 was Ivan’s hoverbike. He loved that vehicle like a child, constantly tuning it, tweaking it, and generally finding excuses to spend time with it. Either working on it, or riding it. Akasha figured he wouldn’t mind waiting with it for a couple minutes.
“Okay,” said Akasha. She gave Ivan a little wave. He nodded in return, then headed downstairs.
After he left, Athena let out an interested-sounding
hmm. “Who was that?” she asked innocently.
“A friend,” Akasha was quick to reply.
“He’s kinda cute. Is he single?”
Akasha could feel her cheeks burning. “No! I mean, yes and no. Technically yes, but basically no.”
The pink-haired girl studied Akasha closely. “Ahhh, I see what’s going on here. You
like him, don’t you? You like him in that special way, but you two aren’t together. How very
interesting!”
“I… I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face,” she replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Tell me, does he know?”
“Y-Yeah, he knows.”
“He knows how you feel, yet you’re not a couple. Now that’s rather
curious, don’t you think? Did he turn you down? Break your heart? Maybe he chose another girl over you?”
Bingo. Akasha bit down on her lip and looked away.
“Oh.” Athena’s smile faded in sudden realization. “I’m right, aren’t I? He’s with someone else?”
“He was. She died.”
“When was that?”
“Four months ago.”
Athena crossed her arms. “Then it sounds to me like he’s available. So why haven’t you made a move yet?”
“It’s… it’s
complicated, okay?”
“You like using that word a lot. ‘Complicated.’ If you want my opinion—”
“I don’t.”
“—you’re making this harder than it needs to be. You like him. He knows you like him,
and he’s single. So what’s the problem?”
“I’m trying to give him enough time to get over Kira’s death. She meant a lot to him. When she died, he was devastated. Plus, I’m not… well,
ready to take that next step. Not yet.”
“Well if you’re not going to make a move, maybe
I will.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Akasha growled. There was pure, unfiltered venom in her eyes.
“Or what? You don’t scare me,
Giant Slayer,” the girl taunted. “That’s right, I heard about your reputation. It sounds like a bunch of garbage to me. And sooner or later, I’m going to prove it to everyone.”
“I don’t care which one of us is stronger. But stay away from Ivan or we’re going to have a problem.”
“Maybe I don’t want to stay away from him. Maybe he looks like my type.” She leaned in real close. “Maybe I think I’d make a better girlfriend than you.”
Akasha said nothing. She merely glared.
Athena shrugged. “What can I say? I have a thing for older guys.”
“I thought you lost your memories.”
“I did. But I know what I like when I see it.” The girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. “What is he, twenty-one? Twenty-two?”
“None of your business.”
Athena barked a laugh. “Relax. I’m not going to steal your precious Ivan from you. Not today, anyway. All I’ll say is this: don’t wait too long or you might regret it.”
* * * * * * * * *
Ten minutes later, Akasha was clinging loosely to Ivan’s back from the rear seat of his hoverbike. Downtown
Ur zipped past beneath them in a colorful blur as they sped towards the movie theater. Akasha was too preoccupied to notice the scenery, however. She was busy silently brooding.
“So, who’s your new friend?” asked Ivan, totally oblivious to Akasha’s mood. Not because he was inconsiderate, but simply because he couldn’t see her from his current position.
“She’s not my friend,” Akasha answered, a little too quickly. “She’s… an ARKS we rescued on Naberius last month. She lost her family and her memories. I sort of promised I’d help her find a new place to live.”
“I see. Well, she seems nice, anyway.”
“She’s not.” After a moment she added, “Just… be careful around her, okay? I don’t trust her.”
“Huh? Why not? Aren’t you both ARKS? Comrades-in-arms?”
“She’s trouble, believe me. Stay as far away from that girl as you can get.”
Before Ivan could respond, Akasha’s comm device started ringing. She answered it with the push of a button. “Yeah?”
“Miss Akasha?” said the man on the other end of the line. Akasha recognized the voice, though his accent sounded strange. “This is Lieutenant Arkon from ARKS HQ. We need to talk.”
“Uh, can it wait? I kinda have plans at the moment.”
“I’m afraid it’s rather urgent. I require your presence at the Command Tower posthaste.”
Akasha sighed.
So much for the movie.
“Understood,” she replied. “I’m on my way.”
* * * * * * * * *
Ivan made a wide U-turn on the bike and they headed back in the direction they came from. A few minutes later, they were passing the same apartment complex Akasha had been in before. They kept going. Past the residential quarter, past the commercial district, right towards the heart of the city. The ARKS Command Tower rose up in the distance, tall and gray and imposing. They aimed straight for it. It grew and grew until it was blocking a good chunk of the artificial sky. Ivan set the Z60 down in an open spot on the curb and they walked from there. Up the front steps, towards the main entrance. Just before they reached the door they bumped into a familiar face. Unfortunately, it was the last person Akasha wanted to see.
Athena Vatras.
“What are
you doing here?” Akasha demanded, not trying to hide her annoyance. “Have you been following us?”
“As if. I was called here by Lieutenant Arkon. Same as you, I assume.”
“Oh.” That took some of the fire out of Akasha’s attitude.
Athena didn’t seem bothered by the accusation. In fact, she was busy eyeing Akasha’s companion. The pink-haired girl stepped forward and said, with a big grin on her face, “So, you must be Ivan!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he replied, a little surprised she knew him by name. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. You’re—”
“Athena Vatras,” she finished for him. The girl reached out and shook his hand with both of hers, pretending not to notice Akasha’s hard glare. “It’s
very nice to meet you, Ivan.”
“Uh, likewise.”
Behind them, the great entrance doors parted as they slid open. A green-haired, white-and-green armored CAST stepped out to greet them. “Good, you’ve both arrived,” said Lieutenant Arkon. Once again, Akasha found his accent a little strange. He sounded different somehow. Different than the usual Arkon, at any rate.
“Come along, then. We have matters of great importance to discuss.”
And with that, he spun on his heel and marched right back into the ARKS Command Tower. The other three had to hurry to catch up. They followed him through the main lobby. With its high ceiling and pillars lining the left and right walls, it reminded Akasha of a royal palace.
Without slowing down, Arkon said, “Fortunately, the other member of your party is already here. He’s waiting for us in the briefing room.”
“The other member of our party?”
“Yes, Miss Akasha.” To Ivan he said, “I’m sorry, Mister Malloch, but I’ll have to ask you to remain here in the lobby. ARKS-only business, you understand.”
Akasha started to protest, but Ivan stopped her. “It’s alright, Pipsqueak. I’ll be here when you get back.”
She gave him an apologetic smile, then joined Arkon and Athena in the elevator. The door shut behind them and the lift began its ascent.
Beside her, Athena snickered. “‘Pipsqueak’?”
“Shut it,” Akasha hissed.
“I think Ivan’s got you confused with someone else. Someone who’s not a big, brutish amazon girl.”
“I said
shut it.”
The girl stuck out her tongue at Akasha but didn’t say anything more.
Half the elevator ride passed in silence. Then Akasha tapped Arkon on the shoulder and said, “Hey, what’s this all about? Is there something going on?”
“A rather vexing situation, I’m afraid,” the CAST replied. He stroked his chin as if deep in thought. “I shall relay the details when we reach the briefing room. Until then, my dear Akasha, I ask for your continued patience.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed. “‘My dear Akasha’? That doesn’t sound like you, Lieutenant. Are you trying out another personality profile this week?”
“Indubitably! One more suited to the occasion, I suppose. This profile is based on a fictional character from the ancient world, a rather famous detective in his time. A man with a penchant for the logical and the rational—not unlike a CAST.”
“Ah. I thought you seemed a little more… dapper than usual.”
The elevator dinged as they reached their destination. The big metal door slid open, revealing a vast, mostly unremarkable corridor lined with briefing rooms. “This way, ladies,” said Arkon, leading the procession. “Time is of the essence!”
Both Akasha and Athena motioned for the other girl to go first. Neither one moved. Then they both moved at once. They had to turn sideways and squeeze past each other to get through the doorway, and by the end of it they were glaring at each other, but they made it.
By that time Arkon was already halfway down the corridor, totally oblivious. The girls hurried after him, catching up just as he pressed a switch on the wall. The nearest door slid open and Arkon strode inside. Akasha entered second, followed by Athena.
They appeared to be in a conference room of sorts. The far wall was covered with a large projector screen, currently blank. A long, rectangular table monopolized most of the floor space. It was surrounded by about a dozen office chairs. All of them were empty, save for one.
When Akasha realized who was sitting there, her eyebrows raised in mild surprise. “Well, well. If it isn’t Lieutenant Serious,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
The blue-haired Newman glared up at her. He was not amused. “For the last time, it’s
Sitrius. Cal Sitrius.”
Akasha said nothing. She merely gave him a smug little grin in return, an I-knew-that-already look.
Beside her, Athena smiled and waved. “Hey, Cal!” she exclaimed cheerfully.
Sitrius nodded in her direction. “Athena. I’m glad to see you’re well.”
Lieutenant Arkon ignored their exchange and took his spot at the head of the table. He gestured to a pair of empty chairs across from Sitrius and said, “Akasha, Athena. Please, be seated.”
Both Newearls took their seats. Akasha sat closest to Arkon and directly opposite Sitrius. Athena sat to her left, slightly farther away.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve called you here today,” said Arkon. “As I indicated to Miss Akasha on the ride up, the situation is rather dire. Time may be crucial, so let me get straight to the point.” He paused, looked each of them in the eyes, and said, “The ARKS head commander aboard
Ur, General Marta Rae… is missing.”
TO BE CONTINUED
The inspiration for this came when I discovered how freakin' awesome and cute the Lillipan ear accessory looks, especially when you push it down so you can't see the headband. The part with the Lillipan Empire was at least partially inspired by your story. You had several chapters talking about the Lillipans and their culture, so I thought it would be funny to crank that up to the max and make them into a feared galactic civilization.
Also, hey look! You got the starship crew story you mentioned a couple months ago. I already had it planned when you mentioned it, it was just a coincidence.
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