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Bumping this post because it contains questions.
I think that would be Paradox,but I also think Akira is Paradox (see above). I don’t know that,though. Especially because Paradox was alive during the Second Hyperspace War...
The Paradox is directly antagonizing the End of the Cycle at the end of Interlude 1. The timing of the insult is deliberate.
I can't answer this one yet, (Wait for Chapter 2.7 and Interlude 2) but Akira is definitely walking around in the blatantly wrong time period. Something very suspicious is going on here. All will be revealed in a future chapter. (2.7)
Of course you did that while I was typing out my answer.
My response time is sluggish today, sorry about that.
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Chapter 2.1: Into the Distant Stars
Chapter 2.1
Into the Distant Stars
======
From: Angiangi Tamihana; Mahurangi City, Aoraki, Rakinui Sector
To: Ensign Mami Tamihana; Kinloka Squadron, Partogan Royal Navy
Date: 28 Maehe 413
My little Toa.
I just got the Hyperwave Text Message from the military saying you’re being deployed to the Taiidan War Zone. They won’t tell me what fleet you’re shipping out with, but I guess that’s for security reasons. I want you to know that I'm going to think about you and pray for you every single day until I hear from you again.
Mami, I’m so proud of you. You’ve become your own person out there at Daxia, and I just know you’ll only continue to grow and develop out there on the front lines, both as a woman and as a soldier.
I’m so glad I got to take you up the Mountain before you left. I got to see how strong you’ve grown, and meet your good friend Eteka. I really like him. He’s a smart and clever young man. Our old neighbor Kapua says that soldiers are only as strong as the comrade standing next to them, so I know both you and Eteka will be safe.
I love you. I miss you. I’m so proud of you. Keep safe and come home soon.
Your loving mother, Angiangi Tamihana.
======
From: Rakato Mihaka; Partoga City, Partoga, The Core Sector
To: Ensign Eteka Mihaka; Kinloka Squadron, Partogan Royal Navy
Date: 28 Maehe 413
Eteka,
The military just told us you’ve been deployed. Son, you have no idea how proud we all are. We all stood on the roof of Mihaka Tower in the Royal City and watched your fleet leave the system through the telescope, the same one you bought Namuna for his birthday two years ago.
Your mother is sleeping with a picture of you under her pillow. Not a day goes by when we don’t worry about you. We are also taking moments out of our days to pray for your teammates. The Hipango and Ranginui families are probably just as worried for their sons as well.
Eteka, keep your friend Mami close, but do not overstep your boundaries. I know how you feel about her, but my advice that you tell Mami about those feelings simply does not apply in a war zone. I strongly encourage you to be the best possible teammate she could ask for; that’s what she’s going to need most in the coming months.
We know you will do the Mihaka Family proud, son. Stay safe, and we will be waiting eagerly to hear from you again.
Always thinking of you,
Rakato Mihaka
======
From: Erangi Hipango; Candon City, Partoga, The Core Sector
To: Ensign Rapati Hipango; Kinloka Squadron, Partogan Royal Navy
Date: 28 Maehe 413
Son,
The Navy just called to say you’re shipping out to Taiidan Space. Young man, this is your opportunity bring honor and glory to the Hipango family. This war is going to create many heroes, and I fully expect to see your name amongst them before too long.
Your mother and I have very high expectations for you, son. Do us proud.
E. Hipango
======
From: Irirangi Ranginui; Partoga City, Partoga, The Core Sector
To: Ensign Arahu Ranginui; Kinloka Squadron, Partogan Royal Navy
Date: 28 Maehe 413
Hey Bro-Bro! I heard you’re going to war!
Dad just told me that you’re on the fleet that just left Daxia yesterday so I'm writing to say good luck! I don’t know if we’ll be able to talk regularly like we used to when you were at Daxia, we really need to work out a new system, so WRITE ME BACK as soon as you get this!
Anyway, there’s two things I really wanna say. First, I did like I said I would and looked up that girl you like, Mami Tamihana. Yup, yup, yup! I looked up her record! She’s clean as a whistle and all of her teachers wrote that she’s a quick learner and a social butterfly who makes fast friends. But... Bro! There’s another thing!
It turns out she’s from a really old family that’s died out! The Tamihanas were space explorers a couple generations back. Most of her male relatives were either Science Ship crew members or colonists... and all of them are :-( DEAD! :-( Accidents, disasters, and bad stuff like that. Half the stars in the Kingdom were surveyed by Tamihanas and they used to be a big name among scientific community about 20 years ago before they started kicking the bucket one by one. Anyway, since then they’ve died out, like I said. That girl Mami and her mom are the only ones left. Just imagine what Great-Uncle Whiro would say if you married Mami!
Anyway, I can’t find anything wrong with her. There’s also nothing that special about her either aside from being in the top 10% of her class. But hey, if you wanna claim the last Tamihana for the bragging rights, I won’t stop you. You just can’t say you don’t know what you’re getting into. ;-)
;-) Just don’t forget you still have to sign off on my boyfriend as soon as you get home. That was the deal, you know. ;-)
The second thing... Bro-Bro, you gotta keep this a secret, alright? DON’T. TELL. ANYONE.
So. Have you seen in the news how Queen Marie is really sick and she keeps going to the hospital almost every day? If you haven’t, well, she’s had four heart attacks in the past week. The news guy says she hasn’t gotten out of bed in two days! Anyway, Great-Uncle Whiro says that the government is worried she might pass away really soon, so everyone is getting ready for the next Royal Election! And you know what that means? Great-Uncle Whiro got that list out again!
So here’s what happened: Last week, he left it on his desk because he had to take an emergency call and I went in and looked at it... AND I’M ON THE LIST!!!!!! I’M A QUEEN CANDIDATE!!!!!!!!!!!
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
Of course, that’s not a surprise or anything, you know. Our Great-Uncle is the freakin’ Church Patriarch! It’d probably be a crime if I wasn’t on the list!
And heck, I know I’m gonna be Queen anyway, ‘cause everyone else on the list is a joke! There are only three Queen Candidates (I’m one of them, obviously) The others are a military girl named Amaya Maori and... (drumroll please!!) Enutanga! Yeah! Her! The flippin’ outer-rim music star Enutanga! You know: the girl who wrote “One Last Dance” and “First Final Kiss!” Whoever thought Enutanga could be Queen was high on Harakeke! Freakin’ ridiculous! There’s no way I'll lose the Election! I’m the only real candidate!
So hey, when I do get elected Queen, you won’t have to stress out about that Mami girl turning you down anymore. I’ll just make her marry you.
Write back as soon as you get this!!
Definitely the Future Queen,
Irirangi Ranginui
======
From: Whiro Ranginui; Partoga City, Partoga, The Core Sector
To: Ensign Arahu Ranginui; Kinloka Squadron, Partogan Royal Navy
Date: 28 Maehe 413
To Arahu, my brother’s grandson,
I am writing to wish you the best of luck in your coming military deployment. You are about to participate in a war whose outcome will surely reshape the galactic order and redefine Partoga’s place in the stars.
By simply wearing the uniform of our Kingdom’s armed forces, you have made the Ranginui family proud. Yet we know you will accomplish so much more. Partoga’ soldiers and warships are among the strongest and most powerful in the entire Western Arm. With them at your side, you will certainly find victory against the Hiigaran foe.
Your entire family stands behind you in support, young Arahu! No matter what you do in the name of our nation and its Queen, you will always find love and support with us.
There is something important you must be told.
Her Majesty, Queen Marie the Scholar, is very ill. No doubt you are aware of this. Those of us in the Royal Government have spoken with the Queen about her failing health and plans have been made. Her Majesty has given us permission to start preparations for the Royal Election before she dies. This is unprecedented in Partogan history, but her Majesty believes it will make the transition to a new Queen less painful.
I’m telling you this now because your cousin Taiomi recently celebrated her 15th birthday, which has disqualified her from the Royal Election. In order to make sure the Ranginui family (and by extension, our Church) are properly represented during the Royal Election, I have added your younger sister, Irirangi, to the list of Queen Candidates.
I have secured assurances from the leaders of the Partogan Royal Navy that in the event a Royal Election is triggered, you will be pulled out of active duty and returned to the Homeworld, so that you may support your sister during the most important moment of her life. If, by the grace of the Mountain, your sister is to become our next Queen, then your reassignment to the Homeworld would be made permanent.
Her Majesty Marie is currently under the best care from the most highly trained doctors in the galaxy, so there is no telling how much longer she may live. She might even survive long enough for Irirangi to turn 15 and be disqualified, although this is unlikely. I implore you, be prepared for whatever may come, and keep safe.
With eternal support,
Holy Father Whiro Ranginui, Patriarch of the Church of the Mountain
======
…
April 5th, 1928 A.D.
HMS Ahkmou , Tediss Star System – Kingdom of Partoga
Caption said:
Mami had never truly appreciated the sheer size of Partogan warships until now, and judging by the awed gasps of her three teammates, neither had they. The four members of Team Tamihana were standing inside of a pressurized gangway module, deep inside the construction bay of the Ahkmou, a Kraawa-class Fleet Carrier. Looking through the transparent Plasteel ceiling Mami, Eteka, Arahu, and Rapati all gazed up in amazement at the sight of the Ahkmou’s foundry being put through its paces.
Nearly three dozen robotic arms of varying size, one of them tipped with a Phased Disassembler Array, were working over the skeletal hull of a warship. Slabs of metal plating rolled off an assembly line, remaining white hot for only a few seconds as their head bled off into the cold void of space which filled the Ahkmou’s foundry. The construction process was fully automated and blindingly fast. To Mami’s left, Eteka was holding a watch, counting the minutes that had passed since the new ship’s keel had been laid down.
“Two minutes.” He reported to his team.
The new ship’s skeleton had been covered up by a complete frigate chassis. A huge mechanical apparatus descended from its resting place on one far side of the construction bay. Sliding along the wall via a series of tracks, the giant machine lurched forward and slammed into the bow of the new frigate! Mami jumped! She thought something had gone wrong, but when the big machine withdrew, she saw that it had installed the frigate’s primary weapon system.
Mami was only able to look at the device for a fraction of a second before it was covered up in armor plating: The Ion Cannon ran the entire length of the new ship, from bow to stern. It’s main component, a gargantuan particle accelerator, was directly attached to the ship’s power plant before multiple layers of armor plating were wrapped around it, hiding away the particle accelerator forever. All that could be seen of the Ion Cannon now was the “muzzle” of the weapon, which also doubled as the entire bow section of the ship.
“Two minutes, thirty seconds.” Eteka announced,
Now the rest of the Ion Cannon Frigate came together. Engines, life support systems, an artificial gravity generator, a Hyperwave Relay, and then...
Well, Mami couldn’t see what was installed next, because the final layer of armor plating was applied to the vessel, hiding the internal section from view, although the ship’s insides wouldn’t be hidden from Mami for much longer. Right as Eteka reported that three minutes had passed since construction had started, the doorway leading into the gangway opened up and eight Partogans entered.
Mami was quick on the draw, spotting the “Commander” rank insignia one of them was wearing. This was the man she’d been told to look out for. Mami called her team to “Attention” then raised her hand in salute and spoke to the Commander.
“Good morning sir!” she said, “We are Team Tamihana - Kinloka Squadron, assigned to your command as of 20-hundred hours yesterday, Sir!”
Mami reached into the pocket of her military uniform and produced a slip of paper that contained the Admiralty's orders for Team Tamihana. The Commander, a skinny man with a bald head and big bags under his eyes, took the paper and gave it the quickest of cursory glances before passing it to the Sub-Lieutenant behind him.
“Stand at ease, Ensigns.” he said. “My name is Akehakehe Temara. You’ll call me ‘Commander’ or ‘Sir.’ All four of you will be working in the Cannon Control Room with the other two Ensigns.”
Commander Temara stood aside and allowed the two youngest crew members to step forward and introduce themselves.
“Ango Karaka,” said a seventeen-year old male. “This is your first combat deployment, huh? Well don’t worry. You aren’t the first cadets to get pulled out of class because the fleet ran out of bodies. We’ll take care of you.”
The other Ensign was a fifteen-year old female. She had very long straight white hair that ran all the way down to her waist, skinny arms and legs, and a very serious look on her face. She looked as though she’d never smiled before. Right from the first moment, Mami felt as though something was... off... about her. The Ensign spoke in short, straightforward sentences and actively avoided making eye contact with anyone.
“My name is Ensign Nopera. Given name Titohara. It is very nice to meet you all.”
When Mami tried to introduce herself, Titohara cut her off.
“Ensign Maori told me who you are, Tamihana Mami. It is nice to meet you.”
Ango rubbed the back of his head.
“Uh, think you got her name backwards, Nopera. Sorry, Mami.” He added, “She does that a lot.”
Titohara glanced at Ango for the quickest of moments, then at Mami.
“My apologies, Tamihana.”
Then Titohara fell silent. She leaned against the wall and watched the construction of the new ship, contributing nothing else to the conversation.
While Mami and her friends made their own introductions, construction of the Ion Cannon Frigate above them was completed. A huge launch clamp seized the ship and lowered it out of the construction bay and into the launch tunnel, where an airlock door lined up perfectly with the pressurized gangway Mami and her comrades were standing in.
The gangway lurched forward, causing everyone inside to stumble for a quick moment before regaining their footing. The inflatable airlock took only seconds to form a seal, allowing the Ahkmou’s life support system to automatically match the air pressure of the new ship.
“Right!” said Commander Temara. “Everyone aboard!”
One by one, the twelve members of the new crew crossed the airlock threshold and boarded the new frigate. They emerged into a dimly-lit corridor that only went one way. The group followed it for about fifty Bios before emerging through a hatchway onto the new Frigate’s bridge.
The new Frigate’s bridge was a small, cramped place, with room for only four people, five in a real emergency. There were only two chairs, and they were both integrated into workstations. Everyone else would have to stand at their posts. Mami couldn’t help but think of those old-timey submarines from the days before spaceflight.
As he stepped out the hatchway, Eteka stopped his watch.
“Six minutes, five seconds.” He told Mami.
“Now don’t stop the clock just yet, son.” said Commander Temara.
The officer walked over to a computer console that was embedded on a wall on the far side of the bridge. As the gangway separated from the new Frigate and began to retract, Commander Temara pressed his thumb to the touchscreen and spoke into the microphone.
“Foundry Control, this is Commander Temara. I have positive control of the ship.”
A Partogan man’s voice replied.
“Acknowledged, Commander. Your ship has been recorded as commissioned into the Partogan Royal Navy. Callsign is HMS Rauuira, hull number is XF-901. You are authorized to launch.”
Commander Temara motioned to one of the other crewmembers he’d brought with him. Another Sub-Lieutenant immediately sat down at one of the stations and began to manipulate the controls. Mami felt a hand on her shoulder.
“You might want to hold onto something, kid.” said a gruff voice above her.
Mami grasped a metal pipe that ran along the wall for support, and a moment later, she felt the entire ship lurch under her as it began to accelerate.
Caption said:
The Rauuira was released from the launch clamps and flew out of the Ahkmou’s launch bay under her own power, joining the formation of warships that soared through space in a loose formation, surrounding and guarding their Command Carrier.
Mami looked up to thank the person who had spoken to her, and she felt the words die in her throat.
Mami gazed, open-mouthed at the woman holding onto her. It wasn’t the rank insignia that started her, Mami had met countless Lieutenants. No, Mami had been startled by the woman’s face, but before she could even start to apologize for staring, Commander Temara said.
“You know what everyone? It’s too cramped in here. Himona, we’re all going down to the Mess Hall. When we get into formation, you idle the engines and join us, alright? Everyone else! Mess Hall!”
The woman pushed past Mami and pulled open the far door. One by one, the crew filed out of the bridge. Mami hung back and grabbed Eteka by the shoulder.
“Did you see her face!?”
“Did you see her face!?”
Eteka, Rapati, Arahu, and Mami held a very quiet whispered conversation as they followed the other Rauuira crew members into the depths of the ship. Arahu and Rapati hadn’t gotten a good look and were convinced Mami and Eteka had fallen victim to either a trick of the light or the overpowering smell of brand-new metal that permeated the 10-minute-old starship.
Once they reached the well-lit Mess Hall, there was no immediate way to verify what Mami had seen. The crew of the Rauuira was still getting settled into the tiny Mess Hall when Mami and her teammates made their way inside. The Mess Hall itself consisted of only two tables, each capable of seating six. Commander Temara had to stand on top of a stool to make himself seen, blocking Mami’s view of the woman she needed to get a better look at.
“Welcome aboard the Rauuira, everyone.” said Commander Temara, “We’re all going to be spending the next fourteen months together, so I want everyone to introduce themselves. Our youngest will go first, then we’ll move up to the Command staff. Everyone clear? Good. Let’s get started.”
Mami and her teammates went first. Rapati briefly talked about his home in Candon, a city on the Eastern tip of the Partogan Continent on the Homeworld. Arahu bragged about how his Great-Uncle was the current leader of the Church of the Mountain. Eteka talked about how one of his grandfather’s crazy inventions had made the Mihaka family very rich. When it was Mami’s turn, one of the officers was genuinely surprised to hear that Mami had grown up on Aoraki. Introducing himself as Lieutenant Commander Ourangi Pipiri, he said that Mami had won his respect simply by “living on that dirty snowball for years and not going insane.”
Ensign Ango Karaka, it turned out, was born and raised in the Levakian Kingdom of Paku Nui, and had never seen large numbers of Partogans until he joined the military.
“Still not used to the air being fur-free.” he admitted, getting a laugh out of all but one member of the crew.
Up next was Titohara Nopera. She looked like she wanted to do anything other than talk to the group at large. Up until now, Titohara had sequestered herself in a far corner and mostly ignored the proceedings. When Ango stood up and poked her in the stomach to get her attention, Titohara glared at him in a very unpleasant way. Then she spoke.
“Like I said before, my name is Titohara. I’m from Tapanui in the Nithascal system. It’s a mining colony located right next to our border with the Micore Empire.”
Then Titohara folded her arms and disengaged from the conversation again.
It was around this point that the officer left on the bridge rejoined the group. He said his name was Tirowaru Himona and that if everything went well, Mami and her teammates would never see him, as he was supposed to work on the bridge anyway.
The Rauuira’s officer corps consisted of Temara, Himona, Pipiri, and three others:
Sub-Lieutenant Homai Kewhena accidentally mispronounced Mami’s name as “Mom-ee” and he apologized profusely after Mami stood up from her stool and assumed a combative stance. (Mami hated it when people got her name wrong.) After that bad first impression, he was able to impress Mami into forgetting the whole thing by telling a story about how he had failed his first attempt to summit the Unnamed Mountain because he decided to carry an injured climber all the way back down.
Sub-Lieutenant Ihanga Waaka didn’t seem to be taking this whole “war” thing seriously. She was a recovering Harakeke addict who was trying to start a new chapter in her life. Ihanga seemed to think it was hilarious that 13-year-old Mami was a legal adult while 16-year-old Arahu was not, (He hadn’t summited the Mountain yet) and she burst into laughter when Arahu talked about how he was going to become the “man of the house” when he got home from the war. In fact, just about anything would send Ihanga into a laughing fit, such as the Commander telling her to “knock it off.”
Finally, this left the woman hidden behind the Commander. Mami, Eteka, Rapati, and Arahu all leaned to one side or another of their table, trying to get a good look at her. Finally, the mysterious woman stepped out from behind the Commander, and all four members of Team Tamihana got a really good look at her face:
The woman was taller than all of the other female crew members, with the top of Mami’s head just coming up to her nose. Her short grey hair was tied up in a series of cornrows, making the top of her head look like a farmfield. All of this didn’t distract from her most eyecatching feature:
The mysterious woman was wearing the Tuakiri Tattoo on her face. Patterns and ribbons of black ink worked their way up her chin in beautiful looping spirals and fractals before meeting her lips, both of which had been permanently turned black by tattoo ink. The patterns of ink danced their way up to her cheeks where they bent and curved in fascinating angles and twists before terminating just beneath her eyes.
Mami couldn’t help but stare. In her entire life, she’d only seen two people with Tuakiri, the sacred facial tattoo; and she’d seen both of them from a great distance. The sacred tattoo was incredibly rare for one reason: Only one type of person in all of Partogan society was allowed to wear the Tuakiri, and those people were extremely uncommon nowadays.
The woman was acutely aware of the entire crew staring at the tattoo on her chin. She motioned to her upper face with one hand and said in a gruff, tomboyish voice,
“My eyes are up here, guys.”
Mami had to blink a couple of times to break her gaze away from the spiky spirals that decorated the woman’s chin. It was very hard to look away. Finally, when everyone in the room was looking her in the eye, the woman introduced herself.
“I’m Toa Wahine Kopaki Raharuhi.” she said, “I know that’s a mouthful, so you can just call me ‘Toa’ or ‘Ma’am.’ I was born in Kaitaia, on the Levakian Continent back home. As for the rest of my story... well...”
Toa Kopaki pointed at her tattoo.
“Now you can stare.”
Arahu’s mouth had been hanging open this entire time. He stuttered, trying to assemble the words he wanted to say, but Rapati beat him to the punch.
“You- You’re a Taihara! You killed a Levakian!”
Toa Kopaki chuckled.
“Read the tattoo, kid.” she said, pressing a finger to the inked portions of her chin. “I’ve killed two lions. Not one. That’s why the Queen gave me my title.”
Mami remembered her history lessons at elementary school on Aoraki. “Toa” was a lesser title of Nobility that could only be bestowed by the Queen. It was given to warriors who had performed great acts of heroism. In Partogan, the title/honorific “Toa Wahine” roughly means “Female Hero” or “Heroine” and was almost as rare as the Tuakiri itself because a significant majority of people serving in the Partogan military were male.
Arahu finally found his words.
“How’d you do it?”
Toa Kopaki looked at Arahu, her eyes exploring his.
“No.” She replied, “I’m not telling Amaja stories today, kid.”
Toa Kopaki sat down at the table next to Commander Temara, who once again stood up to address his crew.
“Alright everyone, listen to me.” he said, “It’s time to talk about our mission: Recon units belonging to our allies, the Imperialist Taiidani, have identified a large scale Hiigaran mining operation in the Aiowa Star System. According to Taiidani scouts, the Resource Collectors and Refineries are lightly defended. Task Force Hydruka has been ordered to make an attack run on the Aiowa Refineries. Destroying the Hiigaran’s ability to harvest and process resources will greatly undermine their ability to maintain interstellar supply lines. Toa Kopaki, the maps please.”
Toa Kopaki reached into the breast pocket of her uniform and withdrew two large papers that had been folded many times. She unfolded the first one and revealed it to be a map of Aiowa and laid it out on the table like a tablecloth. The whole crew gathered around to look as Commander Temara continued talking:
“Once the fleet drops out of Hyperspace, we’ll break into four Strike Groups. Our ship, the Rauuira, will be part of Strike Group 3. We’ll be flying in formation with three other ICF’s, two Assault Frigates, one destroyer, two wings of Corvettes and four wings of fighters. Our objective will be the Resource Collectors, Refineries, and Mining Station in orbit above the third planet here. The other three Strike Groups will hit their targets simultaneously.”
Sub-Lieutenant Homai Kewhena raised a hand,
“Sir? What can we expect in the way of enemy opposition?”
Commander Temara pointed to the Aiowa star in the center of the map. Just barely visible on the image was a Mothership-sized spacecraft.
“The Hiigarans have an Explorer-Class Mining Vessel in the system." The Commander explained, "Military Intelligence identifies it as the Faal-Corum. It’s the older of the two Explorer ships and is unquestionably weaker than her sistership. The ship itself is very poorly defended. Military Intelligence reports only a few strike craft in-system. Stike Group 1 is tasked with neutralizing the Faal-Corum. Missile Destroyers will disable the Faal-Corum's weapons and subsystems from extreme range, then a wing of Marine Frigates will latch onto the enemy Mothership and start boarding operations.”
Murmurs went around the room. Finally, Lieutenant Commander Pipiri spoke up.
“Sir,” he said, “A ship like the Faal-Corum would need a crew of over a thousand just to fly straight! There aren’t enough spare bodies in the Task Force to fly that thing home if we capture it.”
Murmurs and nods of assent.
Commander Temara nodded.
“You’re exactly right, Pipiri.” The Commander said, “The Admiralty doesn’t want the Faal-Corum taken as a prize. They’ve ordered us to capture or kill as many Hiigaran officers as possible, and to inflict as much internal damage to the ship as we can. Putting a Mothership out of commission in deep space is as good as destroying it, and building a new one would be cheaper than the cost of a recovery/rescue mission. Both the Admiralty and Military Intelligence believe the Hiigarans are more likely to spend time and resources trying to recover the Faal-Corum, so we’re going to make it as costly as possible for them.”
Commander Temara straightened up and looked around at his crew.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
Sub-Lieutenant Ihanga Waaka stood up.
“Sir, do you think we’ll be home in time for Enutanga’s 14th Birthday Concert?”
Mami, Ango, Eteka, and Rapati all sniggered and giggled out loud. Everyone else just shot exasperated looks at Ihanga, including Titohara. (Although she just looked annoyed) Commander Temara sighed.
“I meant ‘any intelligent questions?’”
Ihanga sat down again.
“I’m sorry sir.” she said, “Just trying to loosen things up.”
“Yeah.” Said the Commander. “Don’t do that.”
He pointed to Homai Kewhena.
“Show everyone to their bunks and assign duty rosters. It’s a two-an-a-half month flight to Aiowa from here. Let’s get settled in.”
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Whilst reading those missives I couldn't get out of my head the phrase "lambs to the slaughter"
Now that I think about it, I don't think there has ever been a Royal Election in which the Church of the Mountain did not sponsor or control at least one candidate.
This won't be pretty. War never is.
Why,exactly, does Irirangi discount Amaya as a queen candidate?They’re in the middle of a war right now...
You also created a love triangle...with four people. That could get interesting...
So they are going to the Battle of Aoraki...which also happens to be occurring on Mami’s homeplanet (a barren rock). Oh wait,they aren’t doing that,yet.
I also can’t wait until February 13th...
If my calculations are correct.
You also created a love triangle...with four people. That could get interesting...
So they are going to the Battle of Aoraki...which also happens to be occurring on Mami’s homeplanet (a barren rock). Oh wait,they aren’t doing that,yet.
I also can’t wait until February 13th...
If my calculations are correct.
Oh, there you are! I was worried for a moment! Thought I did something wrong!
Irirangi discounts Amaya because she's incredibly selfish and can't conceive the thought that someone might make a better Queen than her. (big mistake on Irirangi's part) If Amaya and Irirangi are both still qualified for the Election when Marie dies, then those two are going to have a very heated contest. It'll be a battle between someone who thinks they're entitled to power and someone who has actually earned it (plus the other two candidates, but we're not going to care about them.
)Poor Rapati. I never even considered adding him to the love triangle. He's the only member of the main cast who isn't an ancestor of an After Everything character.
Don't worry about him, though. When he said he wouldn't let Mami down again, he meant it. [Foreshadowing] I'm sure he'll pull through for Team Tamihana in some future crisis. [/Forshadowing]Team Tamihana and the Rauuira are going to the Battle of Aiowa. Like you said, the Battle of Aoraki isn't happening... yet.
I can't wait for February 11th either. Unless my job throws me a curveball, I'll never post an update during the weekend.
Oh, there you are! I was worried for a moment! Thought I did something wrong!
Irirangi discounts Amaya because she's incredibly selfish and can't conceive the thought that someone might make a better Queen than her. (big mistake on Irirangi's part) If Amaya and Irirangi are both still qualified for the Election when Marie dies, then those two are going to have a very heated contest. It'll be a battle between someone who thinks they're entitled to power and someone who has actually earned it (plus the other two candidates, but we're not going to care about them.
Poor Rapati. I never even considered adding him to the love triangle. He's the only member of the main cast who isn't an ancestor of an After Everything character.
Team Tamihana and the Rauuira are going to the Battle of Aiowa. Like you said, the Battle of Aoraki isn't happening... yet.
I can't wait for February 11th either. Unless my job throws me a curveball, I'll never post an update during the weekend.
Nope,you’re fine. I’m just extremely busy on most Thursdays.
Wonder who which one Mami ends up with, especially considering she’s the ancestor of a main character in After Everything.
Whoops,I meant February 11th.Not sure how I made that mistake...
You know, I keep looking at the Faith in Chaos schedule for the week, and I get the feeling that I might be forgetting something....
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Well,happy “Do not make Nikolai look positively silly” day.
Also,I can’t wait until tomorrow’s update.
Oh,so Amaya/ (eventual) Queen Kendra the Peacemaker gets wounded in the upcoming battle?
Also,I can’t wait until tomorrow’s update.
Oh,so Amaya/ (eventual) Queen Kendra the Peacemaker gets wounded in the upcoming battle?
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Chapter 2.2: The Taiidan War Zone
Chapter 2.2
The Taiidan War Zone
June 30, 1928 A.D.
HMS Rauuira, Shariat Star System, Taiidan War Zone (System Under Imperialist Control)
Moving with near-incomprehensible speed, the armada of Partogan warships rocketed past the Shariat star, taking aim at a Hyperlane on the far side of the system. Keeping their formation tight, a screen of Corvettes flew in front of the group; they were supported by a squadron of Assault Frigates, each one bristling with Mass Driver cannons. The main body of the fleet consisted of Ion Cannon Frigates, eight Destroyers, four Missile Destroyers, Nearly two dozen super-capital ships, and the flagship of the fleet: A Carrier-class vessel that was heavily laden with hundreds of strike craft. The whole fleet was deployed in a defensive formation around the Command Carrier.
As the fleet got further and further away from the center of the system, the sensors aboard the Command Carrier picked up a large cluster of asteroids caught in orbit above a planetoid. A squadron of Resource Collectors were dispatched to harvest useful mineral resources from their surface. When the Resourcer convoy broke away from the fleet, a detachment of military ships also broke formation and moved to their escort positions.
One of the ships that began flying alongside a Resource Collector was the Ion Cannon Frigate Rauuira. Deep inside the vessel, Mami was running down a corridor that connected the Cannon Control Room with the Bridge. Both chambers were embedded deep within the ship, far away from any points where the hull might break in the heat of battle. Huffing and puffing, Mami reached the door to the bridge and banged hard on the sealed blast door with one hand, the other clutched a handwritten note that had summoned her there.
“Ensign Tamihana, reporting as ordered, Sir!”
The door opened from the inside,
“On-time as always.” Said Sub-Lieutenant Himona. “Come in.”
Despite serving aboard the Rauuira for the past two months, Mami had not returned to the bridge since the day it was built. She wanted to look around and see all of the interesting consoles and computers, but knew better. Mami stepped carefully through the cramped space, approached the Commander’s chair, (which was facing away from her) snapped to attention, and said,
“Commander, you sent for me, Sir?”
Commander Temara turned and stood up, tapping a final sentence into his tablet computer, then faced Mami.
“Ensign,” said Commander Temara, “My Sub-Lieutenant has just told me something important that would have otherwise escaped my notice. We have to do something about it.”
Mami nodded. She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, of course, but she didn’t let him know that. To be safe, she gave the “good soldier” response:
“I see. What can I do to help you, Sir?”
Commander Temara put his hands together and said,
“Ensign, do you know what today’s date is?”
Mami was caught off guard by the question, but recovered quickly.
“Oh! Uh... it’s the thirtieth of Pipiri today, Sir. It’s Naming Day.”
Out the corner of her eye, Mami spotted Ihanga Waaka giggling quietly. She could just barely hear the officer whispering into her hands,
“Oh, come on!”
The Commander smiled politely,
“Yes, Happy Naming Day, Ensign,” he asked, “Aside from that, what were you planning to do this evening when you get off duty? Waaka told me that today is also your birthday. Surely you’re planning to do something special. A girl only turns fourteen once, you know.”
“I was going to ask permission to send a Hyperwave message home, sir.” Mami said, “I promised my mom I'd contact her today.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet!” said Ihanga,
Commander Temara put a hand on Mami’s shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“Young soldier, you’ve been a fine addition to this crew. No reprimands, no complaints. You’ve always reported to your post on time and worked harder than we ask you to. The three recruits you brought with you from Daxia also function very well under your command. So, to reward you, I’m going to give you something to proudly write home about, ‘Kay?”
Mami nodded her head, then immediately started looking around the bridge, expecting the Commander to have hidden his gift away somewhere nearby, causing Temara to laugh out loud.
“It’s not that kind of gift, Ensign.” said the Commander. “Listen to me. In five minutes, the Admiral is going to start a live-fire training exercise to make sure all of the ship crews are up to scratch. We’ll be firing our cannon for real and I want you to pull the trigger.”
Commander Temara pointed to the Weapon Control station on the other side of the bridge, then turned back to Mami.
“Have you ever fired an Ion Cannon before, Tamihana?”
“No Sir!” Mami couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. “Uh, wait - I mean, Yes! I’ve fired one in a simulator, Sir!”
The Commander escorted Mami to the Weapon Control station, showed her how to strap herself into the seat and explained the control panel.
“Good,” he said, “The simulators at Daxia are based on the Taiidani Sajuuk-Cor -class ICF, but the Partogan Vohtarak-class operates on the same firing sequence: Charge, Accelerate, Fire, Recharge, Accelerate, Fire again. If you want to break the firing sequence, you’ll need to push the shutdown button here during the Recharge phase. If you do it during the Accelerate phase-”
Mami finished the sentence for him,
“Waste heat gets shunted into drive shaft and vented out the engine bell, causing the ship to accelerate.”
Commander Temara nodded.
“Very good. Now let’s get this started. Sub-Lieutenant! Have they called?”
In the back of the bridge, Ihanga flipped a switch on the comms panel.
“No, sir.” She said. “Sensors say we’ve got about twenty seconds until the Target Drones are in position.”
Commander Temara rolled his eyes.
“The exercise hasn’t started yet, Sub-Lieutenant. You didn’t see any drones.”
Ihanga chuckled and put a hand over her eyes.
“I’m blind as a Daikau, Sir!”
The comms panel suddenly lit up and the voice of the Fleet Admiral made itself heard.
“EXERCISE! EXERCISE! EXERCISE! This is Command Carrier Ahkmou calling all ships guarding the Resource Convoy! Twenty-five enemy strike craft and Corvette Class vessels sighted near our Resource Collectors! Distance 800 Kios! Engage and destroy! EXERCISE! EXERCISE! EXERCISE!”
At once, Commander Temara turned to face Ihanga.
“Sound General Quarters!”
With much clattering and commotion, the crew of the Rauuira reported to their stations. Toa Kopaki, Ourangi Pipiri, and Tirowaru Himona darted onto the bridge and sealed the door behind them. None of the officers questioned Mami’s presence. Instead of kicking Mami off the Weapons Control station, Toa Kopaki strapped herself into the helm control station. Meanwhile, Temara, Pipiri, and Himona all had nowhere to sit, (there are only two seats on the bridge) so they grabbed hold of safety handles at their workstations and held on tightly. The voice of Homai Kewhena came out of the intercom.
“Cannon Control calling Bridge! We ready! Where’s Tamihana?”
“On the bridge.” Responded the Commander. “She’s staying here, Kewhena. Make do.”
“Yes, Sir! Cannon Control out!”
The Rauuira banked hard and veered away from the Resource Collectors, which had already abandoned the asteroid field and were returning to the rest of the fleet. Ihanga began calling out targets as they appeared on her sensor manager.
“Five strike craft, 500 Kios and closing!”
“Rauuira, this is Assault Frigate Wakaheke, we’ll engage the strike craft. You keep the Corvettes off of us.” called the Commander of another Partogan ship.
Mami’s targeting screen lit up. Ihanga and whoever was controlling the sensors manager aboard the Wakaheke were both feeding her sensor info about the battle. According to the screen, the Resourcing Operation was being defended by two Ion Cannon Frigates and six Assault Frigates. Mami could see the Resourcing operation had been “ambushed” by a two-pronged attack: first a squadron of fighter-sized Target Drones had flown all the way around the asteroid field to try and ambush the Rauuira and her sister ship. While the Assault Frigates were engaging the “fighters,” six Corvette-sized Target Drones were slowly making their way through the Asteroid field, creeping dangerously close to where the Resource Collectors had been just a moment ago.
From the Cannon Control Room, Homai called the targets in Mami’s field of view.
“Six Corvettes! Asteroid field, 200 Kios!”
Commander Temara took less than a second to process this information.
“Charge the Cannon! Raharuhi, aim for the nearest target!”
Dozens of maneuvering thrusters began to fire all over the Rauuira’s hull as Toa Kopaki began to aim the ship at the nearest Target Drone. Mami watched with baited breath as the enemy ship slowly entered the targeting reticle... just a little more... a little more...
A green light flashed on Mami’s control panel.
“Cannon charged!” The voice of Arahu Ranginui came out of the little speaker next to Mami’s head.
She faced the Commander and reported,
“Ready to fire!”
“Smoke ’em!”
With two hands, Mami depressed both of the “fire” buttons and at once, all of the lights on the bridge went out! The bridge was plunged into semidarkness, illuminated only by computer screens and little emergency lights. For about three seconds, the whole ship trembled and shuddered with the force of the Ion Cannon being fired. Then the lights came back on!
“Direct hit!” reported Sub-Lieutenant Himona, “Target destroyed! Aiming for the next one.”
Mami punched the air in a quick celebration, then went right back to work.
“Recharging weapon!” Arahu radioed to the bridge.
Mami looked down at her targeting screen. The other Ion Cannon Frigate, the Whakanui, had just fired on another Target Drone, shredding it. Then a voice came over the comms network.
“Whakanui and Rauuira, hold your fire! Fighter support coming from behind you!”
A squadron of seven fighter craft roared over the two Ion Cannon Frigates, sprayed the Target Drones down with their Mass Drivers, and flew away once more.
“Fleet Command, this is Apanui Squadron leader. Good effect on targets. Coming around for another pass.”
It went like clockwork. The frigates would open fire on the Target Drones, then hold fire while the fighters performed an attack run. The simulated enemy was under near-constant attack. Mami got to fire the Ion Cannon twice more. With her second shot, she grazed the side of a Target Drone and sent it spinning helplessly into space. The third shot was a direct hit, bisecting the little Drone and sending both halves in opposite directions.
Finally, after just five minutes of “fighting,” only one drone was left. A Corvette sized Target Drone was lurking in the asteroid field, refusing to expose itself to any direct fire.
“Fleet Command, Apanui Squadron is red on fuel. We’re bugging out.” said the leader of the fighter squadron, “Repeat: low fuel, returning to Carrier.”
The seven fighters turned around and headed for the Command Carrier. Meanwhile, the Whakanui suddenly and violently lurched forward!
“Look over there!” said Toa Kopaki, “They just aborted their firing sequence!”
“Hey Puhata!” Commander Temara addressed the commander of the Whakanui by name, “What happened over there? You get scared by a drone?”
“Negative,” replied the Whakanui’s commander. “Target went behind an asteroid. They’re off our scopes.”
The Rauuira’s bridge crew was silent for about two seconds, then Toa Kopaki said,
“We can fix that for you.”
“Agreed.” Commander Temara replied, “Ensign Tamihana, target that asteroid and fire.”
Mami stared open-mouthed at her commander for half a second. By the time he started turning to face her, Mami was already starting to fire the Ion Cannon, trying hard to keep the expression of stunned disbelief out of her face. She couldn’t see what, if anything, this was going to do.
The bridge was plunged into darkness again as Mami fired the Ion Cannon at the asteroid. The space rock was annihilated! Chunks of ice, dust, and rock flew in all directions as the asteroid came apart, revealing the last Target Drone hiding behind it. Before the little drone had time to move, it was caught by an Ion Beam fired from the Whakanui and blown to pieces.
“This is Fleet Command. All enemy units have been neutralized and we show no other contacts on the scope. Good work out there. All ships stand down.”
Mami let out a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. That was way more fun than the simulator! Relieved, the bridge crew stood down from General Quarters and started moving about and talking to one another. Commander Temara asked Sub-Lieutenant Himona for an After-Action-Report while Toa Kopaki walked right up to Mami, put a hand on her shoulder and said,
“Nice work, happy birthday and all that mushy stuff. Now get out of my station, kid.”
Mami unstrapped herself at once and removed herself from the Weapon Control station. Commander Temara lightly punched Mami on the shoulder and said in a jovial voice,
“Hopefully, the Mountain will bless us with a battle that goes as smoothly as that!” He said, “And now you have a story to tell when you write home tonight, Ensign. Go back to your team now and tell the rest of the ship to stand down General Quarters!”
…
“That was you!? You blew up the asteroid!?”
Eteka had to repeat Mami’s words because he was having trouble believing them.
All six of the Rauuira’s lower-enlisted crew members were in the Mess Hall, listening to Mami’s tale. Eteka, Arahu, Rapati, Ango, and Titohara had hung on to her every word. All five of them had been stationed in the Cannon Control Room during the exercise and had seen the whole thing from beginning to end via Sub-Lieutenant Himona’s computer. When Mami had reached the part about blowing up the asteroid, everyone gasped. Even Titohara momentarily rejoined the conversation:
“I wish I could’ve seen that.” She said, “It sounded like a little fun.”
“Forget blowing up the asteroid!” Arahu cut in, “Toa Kopaki works on the bridge, did you get to talk to her at all?”
Mami was a little hurt. Had Arahu... Arahu of all people, forgotten that today was Mami’s birthday?
“Just for a moment,” she sighed, “A really quick moment.”
Arahu, and Rapati leaned in close to Mami, as though their very lives depended on knowing more about anything Toa Kopaki might have said. Frustrated, Mami reached up and removed Rapati’s hand from her shoulder before saying,
“Hey! She just told me to get out of her seat! Nothing else!”
This just seemed to make things worse. Raptai and Arahu both looked frustrated. On the one hand, Mami was glad that Arahu’s unwelcome romantic attention was currently being focused on someone other than her, but the tradeoff was that she now had to listen to pitiful obsessed comments like:
“Did she still have the Vuata Maca berries I gave her this morning? Do you know if she ate them?”
Mami glared at Rapati when he said that.
“Oh, Holy Miranda!” Mami pushed Rapati away from her. “What is it with teenage boys!? You saw an older woman with a Tattoo and you freakin’ went to pieces!”
Immediately, Arahu and Rapati came to Toa Kopaki’s defense. Each one of them launched into a short speech about how beautiful women were “misunderstood” and “artificially elevated” because of their Tattoos. After about 15 seconds of this madness, the two of them stopped addressing Mami and began chattering amongst themselves about the myriad number of ways in which Toa Kopaki’s tattoos had turned her into the most beautiful woman they’d ever seen.
Titohara got up from the table.
“Conversation’s still boring...” she murmured before she walked out of the mess hall.
Mami rolled her eyes. This was still better than Arahu making up stupid excuses to be around her at Fort Daxia. She’d long since lost count of how many times Arahu had tried to get Mami to be alone with him. No, she wouldn’t stop him redirecting onto Toa Kopaki. The woman seemed like she could handle it anyway.
Mami ignored Arahu and Rapati so that she could get back to her meal, but Eteka stopped her. He tapped Mami on the shoulder and pointed his thumb at the door. Mami and Eteka got up from the table and started making their way to the exit. Out of the corner of her eye, Mami saw Ango excuse himself and follow. Arahu and Rapati were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice Eteka, Mami, and Ango leaving.
Out in the hallway, Eteka looked over both Ango and Mami’s shoulders before speaking.
“Hey, Mami. Ango and I wanted to ask: have you been watching Titohara?”
“Huh?” This was not the talk Mami had been expecting. “N-no. Sorry, Eteka. She’s not that interesting.”
Ango folded his arms. Eteka leaned in close to Mami and whispered,
“There’s something really wrong with Titohara.” Eteka said in a serious tone. “I looked up her service record and it said she’s from Tapanui, all the way out in Nithascal. But she talks in a Core Worlder accent like you and me!”
Mami shrugged.
“So what?” she asked, “A lot of us colony kids lose our accents when we join the military. How else are we supposed to understand you?”
Eteka shook his head and Ango spoke up.
“You’re missing the point.” Ango said, “Her accent is a small part of the bigger mountain. She doesn’t get any mail and never calls home.”
“Oh, come on guys.” Mami protested. “I always thought she was a loner, but there could be a lot of reason-”
Ango cut her off.
“And did I tell you the story of how she joined the Rauuira crew?”
Mami was silent. Ango spoke in a dark, serious tone.
“When I got assigned to the Rauuira, they told me to wait on the Ahkmou and meet up with a female soldier named Maori. Commanding officer said she got broken off Kinloka Squadron and separated from her team to serve on the Rauuira. Special orders directly from the Commander of Fort Daxia. But when I get to the rendezvous point, Titohara’s standing there instead of Maori. She’s holding a paper that says she’s been transferred to the Rauuira and that she’s replacing Maori, who’s been sent back to her original team. The orders were signed by the Kuhina Nui himself.”
Mami cocked her head to one side. There was no way for her to deflect or minimize this one.
“That’s... odd.” She finally admitted.
“Odd?” Ango repeated, “Oh, come on, it’s as suspicious as the day is long!”
Eteka unfolded his arms and gave Mami a very serious look.
“Mami, you’re my friend and I trust you. I hope... no... I pray you’ll believe me when I say this: I think Titohara is an enemy spy. I think she’s Hiigaran.”
Mami swayed on her feet. Her brain seemed to have stalled.
“You guys... That’s a... that’s a very serious thing to accuse-”
“We know.” Eteka interrupted. “That’s why we came to you first. You’re my friend, teammate, and Team Leader. You know I’d never commit to something serious without going through you first.”
He put a hand on Mami’s shoulder. Ango looked around one more time, making sure the three soldiers were still alone.
“Please believe me, Mami. There’s something wrong with that Titohara girl. The next time I see something suspicious, I swear on Miranda’s grave, I’m gonna tell the Commander. It would mean a lot if I can count on you for backup. It’ll look bad if we go alone. Please, Mami, help us out on this one.”
Eteka and Mami stared at one another. Ultimately, Mami’s doubts were overpowered by her willingness to trust Eteka. A four-year long friendship will do that, after all.
“Alright. I’ll keep an eye on her,” said Mami, “and if you wanna go to the Commander, I’ve got your back.”
Eteka and Ango both gave Mami a friendly look. Then Ango opened the mess hall door and stepped back inside. As the door started to swing shut, Mami and Eteka were alone for just a few seconds. With one arm, Eteka caught the door and held it open; with the other he reached out and gave Mami a quick half-hug. He released her just as quickly.
“By the way, Mami: Happy birthday. I think Arahu and Rapati forgot about it. Want me to chew ‘em out for you?”
Mami smiled, her face showing both gratitude and mischief.
“Make it hurt.”
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I feel sorry for Mami.Her birthday is on a holiday.
About Titohara,what’s her skin color?Because if it’s white...(Also if it happens to be white,how does she blend in with Partogans?)
Also,when’s the election happening (what chapter)?
About Titohara,what’s her skin color?Because if it’s white...(Also if it happens to be white,how does she blend in with Partogans?)
Also,when’s the election happening (what chapter)?
Mami, take the first two.
Mami Tamihana said:It's worse than you think. I was born on Naming Day (a holiday all about celebrating freakin' names) and I don't even know where my own name comes from.
You asked about Titohara's skin color? She's brown... darker than me, actually. Like, she's really dark brown. Titohara said she's from Tapanui, and I know that's a desert world, so I guess she's that dark because she's sun-stained.
-Mami Tamihana
And I'll answer your third question: the Royal Election happens 30 days after the Kuhina Nui meets all four Candidates. That happens in Chapter 3: The Nation is Calling. (The name's another reference to The Kid Who Ran For President)
Bumping this.
Also,what chapter does the Battle of Aiowa take place in?
Oh,the irony of Mami not knowing why she was named.
Also,when do we return to the other storyline (the Levakian one)?
I must have missed that one. Yes. The 13th Queen of Partoga was/will be injured in the upcoming fight.
The Battle of Aiowa goes down in Chapter 2.3.
Tantomile's story arc is on a direct intercept course with Mami's. (see below) They're going to cross paths very shortly.
Excerpt from Chapter 1.4 of Faith in Chaos said:
**The month of Hōngongoi is the Partogan equivilant of July. Tantomile will enter the Aiowa system 4 days after the events of Chapter 2.2. Task Force Hydruka is going to arrive on the same day.