I tilted my chin up to face the rough stream of warm water. It flowed over my closed eyes and through my unbound hair down to my shoulders and back before it crept down the drain in the floor.

I leaned forward and placed my hands on the unmarked white tiles in front of me. The indifferent enamel held no secret truths or insights, yet I could not bring myself to pull away. There was nothing for me to pull myself to.

The armor coating on the Gusion was setting overnight, in the morning one of the low-level techs would run a simple diagnostic and tell me that everything was green. Tools were more or less stored up, medical supplies all sorted and cataloged, the crews were eating or whatever they did in their off-hours. There was nothing else for me to do.

"Ari! Are you still in the shower? Come on, it'll be dark before you get to eat anything!" Shino stopped just short of barging into the shower room. I was glad, I wasn't up to pulling myself together yet.

"Give me a minute." I said.

"I gave you a minute twenty minutes ago, come on! Biscuit said he wanted you to look over some documents about that squad we ran into the other day." Shino persisted. A drop of water splattered onto the glass door of the shower and left a trail as it trickled down. I traced the path with my finger.

"That squad was the Outer Earth Regulatory Fleet and it's headed by the pampered offspring of one of the Seven Star Families of Earth."

"Yeah. I don't really know what any of that means and it sounds like someone wanted to have an impressive sounding name so they kept adding words."

You're one to point fingers, Shino. I thought before and turned off the water. My hair clung to my shoulders and neck.

Soft, white towels rested in perfect folds on the counter beside the shower. It was so easy to imagine them stained a dirty yellow from contact with my skin. Was it really okay to be using all of these resources? Did all Earth people have a single room devoted to a single shower with places to put white, unstained towels?

Did my mother have white, unstained towels when she lived on Earth? Did she and my father have them when they worked for McMurdo? No, it was better to not think of silly things like that. Those thoughts only lead to rabbit holes. We, Tekkadan, could not afford rabbit holes.

We had to keep pushing forward or all of this would be for nothing. But, what was this, anyhow? Our job as Tekkadan was finished, Kudelia arrived safe and sound to Earth. Where did that leave us? What were we even doing here?

If we packed up and left for Mars we would likely see some success and a marginal degree of fame before we slowly dwindled from the public eye. Then Gjallarhorn would come.

Images of blood and bits of pulverized human bodies clouded my vision, the mingled smell of fear and excrement filled my nose. They would come and they would make sure the little mercenary group paid for managing to elude the most powerful peace-keeping organization the worlds have ever known. There would be no bodies left behind for people to bury and mourn. There would only be blood and shit stains on the floor for children to find.

If we left now, Kudelia would be framed for a series of scandals or low to mid-level offenses and railroaded through whatever sort of justice system they had here on Earth before being found dead in some back alley. They would say it was a suicide because then she would not be a martyr. Her movement would fizzle out because that is exactly happens to movements throughout history when they choose a figurehead, or set of leaders, and those people were removed.

Because that is what powerful governmental organizations did.

Or…

On the other hand, we could keep going. We could push forward.

But, to where would we go?

To whom would we turn?

To what end would we keep fighting?

I pulled on the clean blue tank top and cargo pants I left set out on the counter, they were slightly damp from the steam and clung to my wet skin. My jacket lay in a crumpled pile on the floor; I tied it around my waist rather than suffer it in the heat. The nails of my fingers raked my scalp while I combed my hair into adequate order, but I left it unbraided.

Finally, I lifted my eyes from the ground and stared at the mirror. The person looking back at me had a startling anger in their eyes. I remembered that anger from the Dort colonies. That drive to make things better for everyone not just my friends, my family.

Had it ever left? I wondered.

I took a final breath before I put on the mask. The person in the mirror was a stranger to me, someone I wanted to be but did not know how to become. That person who could be strong enough, confident enough, to stand up to an unjust society and protect a scared little girl cowering in a cold alley.

I exhaled and pushed the door open, Shino leaned against the wall and pushed himself off to stand straighter.

"I thought you'd keep me waiting for another twenty minutes." He said with a grin.

"I can't just be predictable, then you all would get complacent."

He thumped my back and sent me stumbling forward a step. I appreciated that he didn't try to hold back because I was smaller than everyone else in the crew. Shino didn't go easy on anyone, now that I thought about it, especially when he was training teams in combat or weapons use. There were a few scars on my legs from the times he was showing me how to use knives. Nadi would turn frighteningly pale whenever we would spar. He said he was scared because Shino and I both came out covered in cuts and blood. Though, I suspected it was because he thought I would attract Maruba's attention and get the Whiskers put into me.

He never did try to stop me, though.

"The election for prime minister of Arbrau is happening soon. Makanai wants us to bring him to the meeting prior to the election, however, in order to secure votes for his bid." Merribit said.

She always looks so confident and composed, I thought. Merribit faced the group, Biscuit sat beside her. Shino stood behind me with his arms crossed, Nadi sat to my right. Atra and Mikazuki were in the kitchen area of the cafeteria, listening but not quite participating in the meeting. Orga stared at a spot on the table with an intensity that could melt the nano-laminate armor off of the Gusion.

Merribit continued, oblivious. "If we do as he asks then Kudelia will have a powerful ally and voice in the parliament. Makanai will allow her to state her case for the deregulation of Martian half-metal and he will give her his full support."

"And if we do get him to the meeting in time for the election, he's sure to win?" Nadi asked.

"He is confident, yes." Merribit looked up from her tablet.

"Then what's the problem with just taking him there? It seems like an easy decision." Shino shifted behind me, clearly bored with the discussion.

"It's more complicated than that." Biscuit said. He looked at me while he spoke, apparently hoping for an ally.

"Makanai was exiled from Arbrau, and his main opponent, Henri Fleurs, has the full support of Gjallarhorn behind her. If we do this we'll attract even more negative attention from Gjallarhorn. Last time I checked, that was a bad thing."

Ah, I thought, there's the problem. Biscuit would always argue for the safer of the plans and he would be sure to point out all of the potential roadblocks hoping Orga, and the rest of us, would listen. I studied Biscuit for a moment longer.

"That's not the only problem."

My eyes flicked to Orga, who looked at each of us in turn.

"If we decide not to help him out, Makanai will remove the Oceanian Federation's protection and give us all over to Gjallarhorn without a second thought."

Okay, that isn't surprising. Just how much power does this man have? I knew it galled everyone here to be played so easily by another old man. It felt like the days of the Third Group all over again. But, there was a chance we could use this.

The situation was to be expected, we were caught between two potentially dangerous forces and one was offering us a way out in exchange for a favor. The other was threatening us with jail and likely death. There was only one real choice here.

"He's another old man who wants to use us to gain power." Shino spat.

"So how do we move this time?" Nadi asked.

Everyone looked to Orga for answers but he had none for them. He clenched his jaw and sighed. How could he decide to risk the lives of so many people when both options looked equally risky, from a certain view?

"We let him use us." Orga snapped his head up to look at me, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"We're a mercenary group, that's exactly what we do. But, there's nothing keeping us from using him to our own advantage." I continued.

"And how exactly would we go about doing that?" Biscuit asked. He crossed s arms and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table.

He doesn't want to go. He'll listen to me but I doubt I'll be able to change his mind. Biscuit was always the most cautious of us and could be trusted to seek the safest course of action. Well, safest in the short-term.

I wanted to be thinking long term.

"We use his influence, like what we're doing with Teiwaz. It'll be more difficult to pick us off quietly if we have powerful contacts like a prime minister of an economic block. If we do fail, we will be in the same position as if we did nothing at all. I say the gamble is worth the risk."

"What if we go through the trouble of taking Makanai to his election and he loses? What happens then?" Biscuit pushed back. "What if he does end up winning, but along the way we lose people? Would the loss be worth it?"

"Are you suggesting we run away? Biscuit what about everyone who died just getting us this far? If we take this gamble we can end up in a better position than when we started."

At some point Mikazuki wandered over to listen, I wondered what he thought we should do. Unfortunately his face was as impassive as ever, only Orga would know what he was thinking. I could not see Shino or Nadi to gauge their reactions but Shino would probably be supportive. Nadi was likely hesitant to voice his opinion but I knew he would support the majority decision as best he could. Merribit looked at her tablet, unwilling to contribute in a way that would influence the group. She was sticking true to her role as an overseer and trying not to overstep.

Orga listened to us but he was lost in thought himself, unsure of what to do next. No one wanted to make a call that would condemn the members of Tekkadan to the persecution of Gjallarhorn.

"If we don't take this job we could keep the position we have!" Biscuit opened his hands, palms up, and looked at everyone in the room before continuing, "Guys, we got past so much and we made it to Earth. That isn't some small feat! Gjallarhorn won't touch us because we won't be an immediate problem for them. They'll be too busy focusing on the election to think about some small mercenary company."

I leaned back in my chair. How was he not getting this, which part of my argument was he misinterpreting? Did the disagreement stem from some fundamental difference in our thought processes?

I opened my mouth to respond.

"There's no need to argue over this." Kudelia said. She stood up from her seat and clasped her hands in front of her.

"The job I originally hired your company for has been completed, and I thank you all for the kindness you have shown me along the way." She looked around the room at each of us. I would be lying if I did not say she lingered on Mikazuki and Atra the longest of anyone.

"From this point on I will be going on my own. Please do what you must and follow your own paths forward."

She was trying to protect us. The poor girl did not realize that we were doomed from the very moment she chose the Third Group to be her Earth Escort. There was no action available to us that could distance Tekkadan from the Martian Freedom movement. Well, nothing short of murder, but that was out of the question.

Ride burst into the cafeteria room, "Boss! We're getting pinged for a QCCS call!"

"Can you guys hear me alright?"

Biscuit, Orga, Shino, Mikazuki, Ride, and I crowded around a small monitor at the top of the flight control tower, just a few floors above the . Eugene, Dante, and Chad filled the screen in front of us.

"It's good to see all of you are safe." Orga looked genuinely relieved. At least part of Tekkadan could potentially escape to safety. Naze and Amida could probably help them disappear, if need be.

"Of course. Chad and Dante are fine too." Eugene grinned from his place in the captain's chair. Chad and Dante flanked him; the two stood tall and shared Eugene's grin.

I put my hand over Orga's and gave it a squeeze. Our guys were all right. Biscuit caught my eye and gave me a slight grin. We might disagree on our next moves but we both wanted everyone to make it out alive. Orga opened his hand to twine his fingers with mine; I felt a familiar warmth spread through my chest.

"The Oceanian Federation is harboring us, the Turbines are here too."

Biscuit's eyes widened a fraction and we both looked back at the screen. If the Oceanian Federation has them, then they can be used as hostages to ensure our cooperation.

"The Oceanian Federation is giving you safe harbor?" I tried to keep my tone level; there was no telling who else could be on the line with us.

"Yeah and it's amazing, guys." Eugene leaned forward; oblivious to the danger he was in. Danger we could put him in or protect him from with a single choice. Orga squeezed my hand.

"Everyone here is treating us like heroes because we stuck a big blow to Gjallarhorn's standing."

"You should have called us sooner, we thought you'd gotten yourselves blown up or captured." Orga slipped into being the calm, collected leader with ease. Listening to the two of them bicker almost brought me back to being in the mess hall on Mars. Everything was so much simpler then.

"Oh, Mr. Naze wanted to know what was going on down there. And Biscuit, there's something I need to talk to you about." Eugene's voice flattened, I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing. I felt, rather than saw Orga shift beside me.

"Put us through after you and Biscuit talk, there's something I want to speak to him about too." Biscuit and I scrambled out of the way as Orga stood up from his chair.

"Understood. He said he and Miss Amida would be available in an hour." Eugene said.

"Alright guess I'm gonna go see if Akihiro is up for some training." Shino said, he stretched his arms and back as though he were trying to work out a kink. Ride followed him out the door while chattering excitedly about wanting to train with them.

I gave Biscuit a light punch on his shoulder, "See you in the hangar later?"

He smiled and I knew that our friendship was solid again. Biscuit would always be there, no matter how juxtaposed our thoughts and opinions were.

"Yeah, I'll see you there."

Orga held the door open for me and we retreated from the room. I glanced back at Biscuit. The blue light from the computer screen gave him a ghastly appearance and for a brief moment, I could have believed he was a ghost from another time.