Mikan caught Yemoramato's leg up high and tried to throw it back. It should have worked. Yemoramato was on one foot with her other extended head high to Mikan. Mikan had both feet on the ground, shoulder-width apart. She should have had all the leverage. But the fie woman didn't budge. Instead she took advantage of the fact that both of Mikan's arms were up blocking her face to slam a fist into Mikan's stomach. Mikan tightened her abdominal muscles and tried to shunt ether there to take the blow. It worked. Partially. Instead of coughing up blood, Mikan just lost all her air. Yemoramato pulled her leg back a little and kicked Mikan again. Though the smaller woman still had her hands up to block, the kick threw her to the ground.
Mikan knew she needed to roll away. Yemoramato was liable to kick her again if she didn't move away quick enough. But she couldn't breathe and her limbs wouldn't respond. So she braced herself for another blow. Only it never came. Mikan slowly, painfully managed to get her breath back and cautiously looked up Yemoramato's long, bare legs–it seemed unfair that such a hateful woman was so freaking gorgeous–and saw that the fie woman was glaring at something to the right of Mikan. Mikan followed her gaze and gasped.
Princess Tsyirinsaku was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. She was wearing a long, beautifully tailored white dress and her dark violet hair splashed down her back and over her shoulders in shimmering waves. Her sharp features and burning yellow and violet eyes made her seem to be perpetually glowering so Mikan wasn't sure if she was pissed or if that was just her natural resting face. 'Or maybe her natural state is furious?' It didn't seem out of the realm of possibility.
Mikan glanced at Callum, who was sitting with a forearm resting on one knee. Yemoramato had recently kicked his ass in a sparring match, as usual, so he was covered in a sheen of sweat. Mikan couldn't help admiring his muscles, all exposed since the only thing he was wearing was a pair of shorts. Tight shorts. 'Focus, Mikan.' She met his crystal blue eyes and a shiver went down her spine. He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head slightly. They both turned to look at Tsyirinsaku.
The Princess pushed away from the wall. She stepped forward, her white dress swirling around her. Mikan wished she could wear something like that but thought it would look silly on her. "Commander Yemoramato," she said, her voice low and harsh. She sounded angry, which made Mikan very nervous. "How have our human recruits been doing?"
Yemoramato's eyes narrowed. "Are you here to criticize my training after foisting them off on me?" she asked hotly. Tsyrinsaku didn't say anything. She just stared steadily at Yemoramato with those disturbing eyes. Mikan sincerely disliked Yemoramato but her respect for the woman went up a notch. Mikan wouldn't have been able to meet Tsyirinsaku's gaze like that even for a second. Even so, it was Yemoramato who looked away. "They are doing as well as can be expected," she said. Mikan's jaw dropped. She had fully expected Yemoramato to call them useless morons.
"That is well," Tsyirinsaku said. She put her hand on her hip and glanced first at Mikan and then Callum. "We have an opportunity and I will be deploying both of them." Mikan's heart jumped into her throat.
"Out of the question!" Yemoramato snapped. "They aren't ready!"
"Out of the question?" Tsyirinsaku asked softly, dangerously.
Yemoramato held her ground, though. "They are soldiers under my command and I don't want them fighting until I say they are ready. It would be a waste of my effort and the lives of two soldiers with potential!" Mikan thought that might have been the nicest thing Yemoramato had ever said about them.
Tsyirinsaku's mouth flickered into a grin that was gone so fast Mikan wondered if she imagined it. "I understand, Commander. The mission I have in mind for them is a diplomatic one. There should be no fighting."
That took Yemoramato aback. "Who could you possibly be sending them to?" Mikan very much wanted to know the same thing. She wasn't even sure she knew what a 'diplomatic mission' was.
"As I said, we have an opportunity. One of our informants has located Wu Jingsi. I am thinking of sending these to two humans to see if they can succeed where we have not." She tilted her head slightly. "And even if not, I think that meeting him might prove…useful. Perhaps instructional."
Yemoramato looked confused. "Who the hell is Wu Jingsi?" Then her eyes widened. "Wait, that human…the pirate?"
Tsyirinsaku crossed her arms. "He is more than a pirate." Mikan noted that she didn't say he wasn't a pirate. "He is the most powerful human I know of." She glanced at Callum. "He and his companions are the only other human mech pilots I know about aside from you. He's strong." She switched her gaze to Mikan and Mikan felt herself wanting to grovel for some reason. "He has no allegiance to anyone, so the major powers sometimes employ him in their games. He would make a useful ally but he has rebuffed all my overtures."
"So you're hoping he'll talk to us because we're human?" Callum asked. Tsyirinsaku nodded. Callum seemed dissatisfied. "Has he helped humans before?"
"He provides a safe haven for any human that flees to him for a short time. Rumor says he won't turn them over to carcha but he also won't let them stay long. Destroying him would be painful for the carcha but they could do it if he becomes more of a problem than he is worth. As long as he doesn't cause too much trouble, the carcha look the other way so that they can use him when necessary."
"He sounds like an asshole," Yemoramato said.
Tsyirinsaku fixed her with a harsh gaze. "He has learned to survive in this universe. We need all the allies we can get if we want to follow suit." She glanced back at Mikan. "And even if he refuses, you may learn something about your own power from him. As I said, he is perhaps the most powerful human in the galaxy." She nodded. "Yes, it may serve to learn how he became so." It seemed it was settled then. Not that Mikan had any ideas of arguing. "You will leave tomorrow morning." She turned back to Yemoramato. "I trust their mechs are ready to go?"
Yemoramato nodded glumly. "Though I haven't cleared them to begin training in them yet."
Tsyirinsaku's eyes narrowed slightly and her chin lifted fractionally. Somehow this turned her gaze into one of withering contempt. "You are dragging your feet. Perhaps with these two gone you can focus on putting the rest of the group together, as you should have been doing from the start."
Yemoramato looked down, her face dark. "I am doing as I think is best." Tsyirinsaku snorted. Then she turned on her heel and left without another word. The silence stretched for a long time. Mikan didn't want Yemoramato's attention on her so she tried to breathe quieter. This caused her to take shallow breaths until she finally had to take a deep gasp of air. Yemoramato whirled on her, glaring furiously. "Get out of here! You need to prepare for this idiotic diplomatic mission!"
Mikan didn't need to be told twice. She scrambled to her feet and left as fast as dignity would allow. Maybe a little faster. She waited outside for Callum to join her. He exited at his own pace, even though Yemoramato was haranguing him. "So this should be interesting," he said to Mikan as they walked toward the locker rooms together.
She nodded. "I had no idea there was such a powerful human out there."
"I think Venus told me I was the first person with enough inborn power to speak with her in the last fifty years. I wonder if this Wu person was the last one."
"You think he is that old?"
"Maybe. Lady Tsyirinsaku didn't really tell us that much. I wonder how long we'll be gone." He seemed a little distraught at the notion of being gone. Mikan wondered why. She was excited. Especially at the prospect of actually piloting her mech again. She had been getting frustrated at Yemoramato's refusal to let her. 'I wonder if he is going to miss his sister? Or someone else?' Mikan had noted that he spent as much time away from his apartment as at it. She didn't know where he was going but it wasn't hard to leap to the idea that he had a lover. 'Bel?' They seemed close, though it was hard to tell with the fie woman. She flirted with everyone. 'And she's done more than flirt with me.' Mikan's face warmed a bit at the memory.
They split off at the locker rooms and Mikan quickly showered and dressed. They rode the train back to their building, talking about their upcoming mission. It was all speculation, though, until they both received a message titled 'Mission Briefing.' The message contained so much information that they decided to go to a small cafe to read through it and talk it over before they returned home.
Most of it was on the man called Wu Jingsi. He was indeed old. Sixty-six to be exact, vindicating Callum's speculation that he was the last person powerful enough for Venus to communicate with. He had been born on the carcha planet Bodon, apparently a free man, but almost nothing was known of him until he emerged as the leader of the Bull Demon crime syndicate in his late twenties. Only a few years later, he ceded active control of the Bull Demons after gaining control of a dilapidated carcha frigate and refurbishing it. He named it Tianlong and began traveling the galaxy. Apparently, in addition to hiding human fugitives, it was a gathering point for criminals and shadow brokers. A list of known and suspected activities was listed below the short biography. They all seemed criminal and some of them were horrifying.
"This guy seems like a very bad man," Callum said when they were finished reading through it.
Mikan couldn't help but nod. She didn't want to prejudge him but… "I guess I can see why the Princess would want him allied with her. He seems like he has connections with lots of people and he must be powerful if he did all of this." Most of the activities were labeled 'suspected' including all of the nastiest stuff. So maybe he didn't do any of it. Mikan hoped that was the case. "And he must not be all bad, if he takes in human refugees."
Callum nodded doubtfully. And then again, more firmly. "You're right. We should see for ourselves what he is like. We know the carcha aren't fair to humans." He took a sip of the black beverage he ordered and blanched.
"What is that?" Mikan asked.
Callum smiled ruefully and Mikan's heart skipped a beat. 'So precious!' "I don't know. I thought I would take a chance. Want a sip?" He offered her the cup.
Mikan's heart sped up as she accepted it. Sharing a cup seemed so intimate. All of that was driven out when she took a sip and almost coughed it back out. It tasted like dirt! Callum laughed at whatever face she was making and Mikan blushed.
"Come on, we should find Valencia and let her know what's going on." Valencia's name soured Mikan's good feelings a little but didn't wipe them out completely. She was getting closer to Callum. Maybe they were even friends now? 'And maybe we can get even closer on this mission.' Mikan's stomach churned at the thought.