"It's ridiculous!" Bjorn paced up and down the small, grey holding cell. "We didn't do anything!"

"That Daichi…" Amber sat up the corner, eyes downcast.

"Calm down, both of you. We are hardly in trouble; they are most likely just taking precautions." Akio gulped. He hoped he was

The heavy door swung open, revealing a burly man with an array of badges varying so greatly in color size that it was hard to keep track of them-it didn't help that every badge was polished and reflected even the grey light of the holding room.

"Daichi pilot." His white eyes lowered on Akio. The core drill made him easy to pick out. "Come with me."

Akio looked back at Amber and Bjorn before exiting the room. He followed the large man, unable to see where they were headed around his huge bulk. He knew the ship well, though, and was able to keep track of their position well enough. They were heading to a questioning area. He doubted it was because they thought him a criminal, they hadn't even cuffed him, it was likely that an interrogation room was simply the most convenient place to speak to him. A door heavier than the first was swung open with ease and revealed a white haired woman with a long white coat draped over her shoulders. A large 24 was stitched onto the back, as well as featured over her heart. She was tall and imposing, with only the slightest hint of femininity in her stance.

"Akio." Diana smiled.

"Commander." Akio held his hand over his core drill in a quick salute. Daichi pilots had a different one than standard soldiers.

The large man sat down on Diana's side of a large white table and gestured for Akio to stand on the other side. It seems the interrogated weren't given the luxury of a chair. Akio considered himself lucky though, he saw the spot on the table where they would usually attach handcuffs to.

"Akio Tetsuri." The white-pupiled man thumbed through a folder that sat on the table. "Japanese. Born in Kyoto. Twenty-one years of age. Volunteered for the Human Spiral Army at nineteen. Identified as a Daichi candidate during basic training." His unnerving eyes focused on Akio. "Is all of this accurate?"

"Yes, sir." Akio said.

"Is it also accurate that you answered the Minor Level Anti-Spiral Alarm that sounded at o'600 today?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it also accurate that you combined with Bjørn Jorgenson and worked together to take down this mech?"

"Yes, sir."

"At any point did you, or any of your comrades become aware of the identity of the pilot of the black Daichi?"

"No, sir."

"Can you tell me why you switched off your communications immediately upon entering combat?"

"Sir, I-"

"While you are at it, why don't you enlighten me on why you were followed by a pleasure girl when you left you Daichi?"

"Please." Diana held up a hand. "You're worrying my soldier. You're here to question him concerning the black Daichi, leave the battle tactics of my battalion to me." The large man frowned and glared at her. Diana remained firm. If Akio had to guess, she had just overstepped her authority.

"Riding with pleasure girls is against protocol." The large man huffed, sending visible puffs of air out his nostrils.

"And not your concern." Diana's frozen blue gaze locked onto him. "Those matters are left to Battalion Commanders. Don't trouble yourself with petty infractions. Tell him about the Black Daichi pilot."

The man huffed again, stronger this time. The folder's papers blew about, one of which he snatched out of the air. It had another profile on it.

"The pilot was identified to be Aaron Wu. He went missing on a patrol twelve days ago." Akio nodded. He didn't know the man personally, but he remembered hearing the news. "I think you can understand why this is incredibly troubling."

"Yes, sir." Akio dipped his head.

"He didn't have twelve days of rations when he left, and he was known to pilot a purple Daichi. Not black." Diana added.

"It seems you have nothing of use to tell me." The man closed the folder and tucked it under his arm. It seemed tiny held up against his huge body. As he rose to leave, he turned to Akio. "Is there anything else you'd like to report, Tetsuri?"

"No. Sir." Akio gulped.

Without excusing himself or a goodbye, the man left. The room shook when he slammed the door.

Diana let out an extended sigh and lounged back in her chair. "Sorry about that, he's from Command. You know the type." With a hanging arm, she tapped the seat of the now vacant chair. Akio took the hint and sat with her. "Akio… Why were you riding with a pleasure girl? That's reckless, especially for you."

His face steamed. "Forgive me Commander! She climbed in against my wishes, and when the signal came to launch I didn't want to disobey."

"What was she doing in the hangar?" From the inside of her coat, Diana retrieved a long, thin, electric pipe. As Akio spoke, she puffed on it.

"I… I forgot my uniform and asked her to bring it." Akio was sure all this steam from his face would turn the room into a sauna at any moment.

Diana choked on her pipe vapor and began to cough. "You took a pleasure girl to your bed?"

"Yes, Commander…"

"Ha!" She raised the pipe in the air in triumph. "Twenty members of the battalion just lost a bet to me."

"Pardon, Commander?"

"They thought you were gay, you see." She drew from her pipe through a smile. "And were willing to put money on it."

"I'm afraid you haven't won anything, ma'am. We just talked. I slept on the floor."

Diana paused. With a smoky sigh, she put her pipe back. "I knew it was too good to be true. It is you, after all. You're the only soldier under my command who hasn't fancied me, tried to sleep with me, or dreamed of it."

"Commander, may I speak freely?"

"Drop the 'commander' and go for it."

"Diana, I do truly enjoy my time with Amber. The pleasure girl, that is. She's more interesting and deeper than the others. But, when I was piloting, she was something more. She knew schematics and spotted for me. Even my spiral output went up with her, if my Daichi's records are anything to go off of."

"What are you asking, Akio?" Diana asked carefully.

"Is it possible for pleasure girls to become pilots?"

Diana sat up straight in her chair. "That is a… difficult question. They don't have the training you do, they're uncertified. She'd need approval, and it's unlikely to ever happen. I'm sorry."

"Alright." Akio said, downtrodden. Diana had never seen him worked up about anything.

"That being said, if you feel this pleasure girl is improving your performance than I wholeheartedly encourage you to spend more time with her. A pleasure girl warming your bed could mean victory or defeat for a battalion." She meant what she said, of that Akio was sure. In the battalion there were rumors she has pleasure boys enter her room every day, sometimes multiple.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean, Diana."

"Also, don't let the others know I let you call me Diana." She clapped him on the shoulder.

"We shouldn't be here..." Akio grumbled, looking over his shoulder as they walked.

"It's the middle of the night, don't be such a worry wort." Amber pinched him in the bum, earning a sharp yelp from Akio and a giggle from her. "Plus you said that we couldn't get in any real trouble, right?"

"The ship is at the lowest level of security right now, and the reports from the other spiral races have been hopeful so far," Akio mumbled. With deft hands he took out his core drill and inserted it into a slot near a door, opening it silently. "Only Daichi pilots are allowed to perform solo training exercises at this hour. Just remember that we are even after this!"

"Yaay!" Amber didn't seem to hear him, instead stepping through the doorway with glee.

The pair made their way to Akio's nearby daichi. Its eyes glowed green immediately, reacting to Akio's core drill which also glowed through his shirt. He got in first, the canopy opening when he touched it. He settled in comfortably and began to recommend a place for Amber when she slid in and placed herself in his lap. She shuffled her butt around with a devilish grin before she was comfortable and satisfied.

"Don't get settled, you're not staying there..." Akio grumbled.

"Oh but I am." Amber looked back at him with raised eyebrows. "You owe me, remember?"

"But- you-!" Akio turned red, much to Amber's amusement. "I appreciated your help before... but is this really necessary?"

"Oh but it is!" Amber gave one last good butt wiggle over his lap for good measure. "Now let's get out of here!"

With a growl and a grumble, Akio lightly flipped the switch that would close the canopy. With Amber so close to him, they still had plenty of room inside the usually cramped mech.

"Power flow 54% above minimum." Akio spoke to himself as he tested the controls. Other than the power flow being above average, all was well. "Slight damage to the left arm. Control test." He checked the sensitivity of the controls, seeing just how far he had to move them to produce a stepping motion from the mech. "Controls are fine, moving to launch."

"Don't be so formal, this supposed to be a date Akio!"

"Stop. This isn't a date." Akio's patience with her antics was waning.

"Why do you play with my heart like this?!" Amber took on a face of false hurt. With a roll of his eyes, Akio threw forward the controls and sent his mech flying through the hanger. The hangar doors opened for him when he neared and he shot out, streaming a green jet behind his mech all the while.

"What's with the canopy?" Amber tapped it experimentally. It was frustratingly opaque; unlike the last time she had ridden out here. "I asked to see the stars, not the inside of your daichi. Though I wouldn't mind that either~."

"I can't pilot this thing by sight thanks to you..." Akio grumbled. He was referencing a small live feed screen on the side of the canopy to fly, with Amber blocking his front visibility.

With a lurch, the Daichi halted still.

"What the hell? Were we hit!?" Amber panicked.

"Calm down, that was me." Akio said. The Daichi was firmed planted in an asteroid, drilled in securely. With their new foundation, the mech seemed much more stable, while before it could lurch or twist if you moved too much while it was free-floating. It was only now he flipped the switch that turned the canopy transparent. It shifted from grey to the night sky, and Amber gasped.

The stars and galaxies were just as beautiful as the last time she saw them. Looking at them through a tiny window on the side of the ship had nothing on a full 360 view of the entire night sky. Greatest of all of them was a bright white comet searing through the sky, just above the Vigilance in her vision.

"Akio! It's beautiful!" She shifted to sit across his lap, leaning back and staring up.

"You said you wanted to see the stars. Alice sent out a friendly reminder to watch the skies tonight because a comet was passing by, I thought we could see it closer up." Without warning, Amber wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her chest. The sincerity of the action was lost on Akio, who immediately waved the action off as a mere bid for balance while trying to stay steady on his lap. Regardless, his stomach began to twist and his face blush. With a deft movement, his own seat lurched and leaned back, escaping Amber's clutches and putting them in a plus-sign position of sorts.

With a lurch, the Daichi halted still.

"What the hell? Were we hit!?" Amber panicked.

"Calm down, that was me." Akio said. The Daichi was firmly planted in an asteroid, drilled in securely. With their new foundation, the mech seemed much more stable, while before it could lurch or twist if you moved too much while it was free-floating. It was only now he flipped the switch that turned the canopy transparent. It shifted from grey to the night sky, and Amber gasped.

The stars and galaxies were just as beautiful as the last time she saw them. Looking at them through a tiny window on the side of the ship had nothing on a full 360 view of the entire night sky. Greatest of all of them was a bright white comet searing through the sky, just above the Vigilance in her vision.

"Akio! It's beautiful!" She shifted to sit across his lap, leaning back and staring up.

"You said you wanted to see the stars. Alice sent out a friendly reminder to watch the skies tonight because a comet was passing by, I thought we could see it closer up." Without warning, Amber wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her chest. The sincerity of the action was lost on Akio, who immediately waved the action off as a mere bid for balance while trying to stay steady on his lap. Regardless, his stomach began to twist and his face blush. With a deft movement, his own seat lurched and leaned back, escaping Amber's clutches and putting them in a plus-sign position of sorts.

They spoke no words after that. Amber didn't tease him, verbally or physically, and Akio didn't grumble, complain, or reprimand her. They simply leaned back, draped over each other, and watched the comet crawl across the sky. It was all brilliant white, shaped like an arrow with long tails streaming behind it.

A smile began to tug at Akio's lips. A pleasant, content smile that was born from truly enjoying himself, a rare occasion for him. He was in complete solace right now. The ship was far away alongside the multitude of pilots he could hardly bear, and it was highly unlikely for him to receive any communication from them. All that existed in this tiny little world he made was him, Amber, and the comet streaking across the sky. Perhaps the moment would be as fleeting as the comet, a rare, joyous event that comes without word and isn't seen again for years at a time. Or perhaps the comet was an omen, one of bad things to come, or one signaling a new era. Regardless, those were all thoughts for another time to Akio. He wasn't in his own head, hypothesizing and analyzing, for once.

He stared at nothing more than the white comet, had no one with him but Amber, and was content.