Mikan reveled in the power she felt sitting in the cockpit of her new mech. She wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't been in one for a while or if all of Yemoramato's training had put her more in touch with her ether, she could feel the power coursing through her into the mech. It made her want to fight. That was an unusual feeling. She couldn't remember ever wanting to fight just to fight before. 'I'm ready to kick some ass!' She flushed a bit in embarrassment, remembering that the android behind her was perceiving all her thoughts. At least, that's how it was supposed to work. The android's thoughts were so quiet that Mikan often forgot she was there.
She didn't know how it would work in actual battle, having Myna back there controlling the flight and long-range weapons, but for the casual trip to Wu's ship, it was pretty convenient. Mikan had just thought where they needed to go and the android started piloting in that direction. Mikan still wished she had been given some time to practice flying with Myna. Everything had happened so quickly. She still wasn't sure she had her head wrapped around all of it. They had been sent to try and make an alliance between Wu and the fie but how exactly were they supposed to go about it?
Wu's ship began to loom large. It was strange to think of it as small, considering she'd never seen a structure bigger than a hut for the majority of her life but it looked like a bug compared to the fie's massive ship. The design was also wildly different, like two pyramids connected by a cylinder. It was colored an eye-searing gold and crimson. The ship was called Tianlong, which meant something like dragon of the heavens. Mikan didn't know what a dragon was.
A small bay door opened on the front triangle and Callum swooped in. Mikan admired his mech as she followed. She liked how big and powerful it looked. The horn that had broken in the fight against the carcha hadn't been repaired but Mikan kind of liked it that way. It was a battle scar.
They settled their mechs down together in a hangar that had a few other mechs in it but seemed mostly empty. Mikan quickly counted them. Eleven. She thought the hangar could have held double that easily and about half of them looked seriously broken down. That made her curious. This was supposed to be a person powerful enough that Tsyirinsaku desperately wanted an alliance with him but he didn't even have a full complement of mechs for his ship? Weird.
Mikan swam to the top of her cockpit and surfaced. She took a deep breath of air and coughed a couple times. It wasn't nearly as bad as coming out of her old carcha mech, though. Apparently the PFC liquid was calibrated for fie, which had closer biologics to humans than carcha did. So now it didn't feel like she was going to cough until she vomited every time she came out of the cockpit.
Another benefit was the fie pilot suit. Instead of a pure body-stocking that stretched over her frame–and highlighted every nook and cranny of her body–the fie suit had been designed and made to fit her person. It was skin-tight but had thin, hard plates over her breasts and crotch to provide a little modesty. She'd also gotten to choose a color and had gone with scarlet. Mostly because she'd been sure that was what Callum would choose. To match his mech.
So it had been a disappointment to see him in dark blue. But as she watched him descend his mech, she had to admit it was a good color on him. Valencia came out behind him, in a much lighter blue. Mikan admired her. She looked pretty glorious with her long, silky blond hair back in twin tails, her slim form clad in a skintight suit the same color as her eyes. And since they were wearing the same color, albeit in different shades, Callum and Valencia had the partner look Mikan had been angling for. It stung a bit.
Two human women came across the hangar to meet them. One was older, perhaps in her late thirties or early forties. She was still quite lovely, with only a few lines around her eyes and mouth. Her hair was dark red and spilled over her shoulders. Her blue eyes were kindly and her generous mouth had an easy smile. The green dress she wore showed a surprising amount of skin and emphasized her significant bust.
The other woman was perhaps a decade younger. She had dark, narrow eyes and a slightly pinched face but Mikan thought she was still pretty cute. Her hair was black and pulled back in a long ponytail. She was wearing a pale violet coat with wide sleeves and loose pink trousers. Unlike the older woman, her expression was not welcoming. It was closed, her eyes weighing and measuring.
The two women stopped in front of the four of them, with Myna having silently come down from the mech to stand behind Mikan. "Hello and welcome to the Tianlong," the woman said. Her voice was surprisingly high and melodious. "My name is Joan and this is Li Mei," she said, gesturing at the woman beside her. Her eyes swept over the four of them. "And according to the information your most marvelous Princess sent us, you must be Callum, Valencia and Mikan." Her smile slipped a little as she considered Myna. "And the android." Her smile returned to full brilliance as if it had never gone. "It is a great pleasure to meet you all."
Mikan glanced at Callum, who glanced back at her and then at Valencia. None of them really knew how to do this. Fortunately, they had another android that had insisted on being brought along. A very loud one. "Ladies!" Russell shouted from on top of Angra Mainyu, "Magnify your pleasure by tenfold and you will begin to approach the delight I have in meeting two such specimens as yourselves!" He leapt off the shoulder of the mech and Mikan couldn't help but gasp as he plunged the distance between the tall mech and the concrete floor of the hangar. She wasn't the only one.
But Russell bounced off the floor and landed on his feet. Mikan didn't know what the miniature man was made of but it was clearly pretty tough. "Um, I don't believe I know wha–who you are," Joan said with admirable steadiness.
Russell smirked. Mikan noticed Valencia sigh and roll her eyes. "I'm glad you asked!" Russell struck a pose, "The terrible leader of the Black Lions, the merest whisper of my name causes carcha children to wail, the shadow of my mech freezes the stomach of the even the most blood-thirsty pilots! The liberator of humanity and the vanquisher of empire! Leo! Cosmic! Russell! Jones!" Joan reflexively started clapping. Russell seemed pleased. Li Mei's expression didn't alter one whit.
Joan stopped clapping and the silence stretched for a moment. Callum stepped forward and laid a heavy hand on Russell's head. "Sorry about him," he said. "He's…yeah." There really wasn't an explanation for Russell, Mikan supposed. "It is our honor to meet all of you. We're looking forward to meeting Laoban Wu." That was how they'd been told to address him.
"And he is looking forward to meeting you," Joan said with a slight bow. All three of them bowed back with varying amounts of stiffness. "Now, come. Let me show you to your quarters so that you may freshen up before meeting Laoban."
Mikan jumped slightly and then scurried over to the foot of her mech. She released the latch and opened the storage compartment in the toe. She jerked out the rectangular case and almost lost it as it tried to spin away from her. The case was almost as big as she was and very heavy but it had automatic anti-grav propulsors so it was easy to move. Jaluadecen had packed it for her, telling her it contained two formal outfits, five semi-formal outfits, an extra pilot suit, all the toiletries she might need and a few other things. Mikan didn't know what she would have done without him. He had told her that their arrangement would be suspended for however long she was gone so at least she would still have him for a little while longer when she went back.
Callum and Valencia pulled out similar sized cases and Russell jumped up on to Callum's for a free ride. Mikan glanced at Myna but the android was just staring forward, evidently awaiting command. Mikan had never seen her in anything except that same unitard. 'I wonder if it is part of her skin?' She hoped everything would be alright without Dahri. Callum had asked but Tsyirinsaku thought that the carcha's presence had the potential to cause an incident.
The small group set off out of the bay with Joan and Li Mei leading the way. The younger woman still hadn't said a word. As they left, Mikan spied another woman watching them from the catwalk that circled the hanger. She was only a couple of years older than Mikan, if that, with dark hair and eyes. She was wearing a dark red jacket and a long black skirt. She was staring at Callum, suspicion and anger on her face. As they left the hangar and the girl's eyes behind, Mikan wondered just what they had stepped into.
As Joan led them through the narrow, low halls of the ship, she continued to talk. "I was thrilled to hear that Princess Tsyirinsaku was sending us more envoys," she said, "but don't take it amiss that I am disappointed not to see any fie among you. The last fie we had aboard this ship were a lot of fun. I know Laotouzi was looking forward to it." She laughed. Unlike her pleasant voice, her laugh had a bit of a shriek to it. "But that's probably why the Princess didn't send them. They ended up playing all day and leaving empty-handed!" Mikan tried to give a polite laugh but nothing came out. She was having trouble following what Joan was talking about.
Nobody really responded to Joan but that didn't keep her from talking. Mikan stopped listening, instead peering down corridors and into the occasional open area as they walked. The ship was surprisingly crowded. She saw all sorts of people. About half of them were humans of all different stripes. Many of them had artificial parts, which Mikan found a little disturbing. The majority seemed tough and dangerous but she saw a few huddled groups of underfed and worn down people that had to be refugees.
There were many non-humans as well. Mikan didn't recognize most of them. The two groups of non-humans she was familiar with, fie and dobed, were not represented. She did see carcha here and there, however, which was shocking. They seemed to be getting along perfectly fine with the humans they were among. 'I guess Dahri could have come.'
They stopped and Mikan wasn't paying attention, so she ran into Li Mei's back. The taller woman glanced at her. There was no anger in the woman's dark eyes but Mikan stepped back hurriedly anyway. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Li Mei raised one delicately arched eyebrow. "Think nothing of it." Her voice was soft and breathy. Mikan had expected it to be icy.
"As the Princess requested," Joan said, "we have two rooms for you." She smirked salaciously. "She didn't say who would be sharing rooms, though." She glanced at Callum and then Valencia. "Do you two share more than just a cockpit?" Her eyes flashed to Mikan. "Or perhaps the two pilots are partners?" She turned her head slightly and her eyes narrowed. "Or is it one room for the three of you and the other for your…luggage." Her eyes flickered toward Russell for just a brief second.
"Me and Russell will be in one room," Callum said firmly. "The ladies will be in the other."
"I see," Joan said. She ran a finger along her fleshy bottom lip. "Should I take that to mean that you aren't involved?" She laughed again as Callum grew tongue-tied. "So serious, you young people!" Joan wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I'll give you, say, an hour to freshen up. Then you can come meet Laotouzi. Look forward to it!" With another laugh, she strolled away. Mikan noticed the older woman's ass as she walked away. It was nice and the way she walked drew the eye.
Li Mei lingered for a moment and then quietly said, "Don't let her fluster you. She'll never leave you alone if she knows she can get a rise out of you." Then she walked away, as well, at a brisk pace.
Mikan let out a long breath once they were gone. "That was…interesting," she muttered.
"That red head is a fucking little minx, isn't she?" Russell said. "I'd like to teach her a little something. I bet she'd fucking love it, too. She seems like a screamer!" Mikan glanced at him. Was he upset that she seemed to be treating him as a non-person or was that what he would have said anyway? It was hard to tell with Russell.
"Right…" Callum said, sounding tired. "I guess we should get ready." He turned his case with Russell on top toward the room on the left. "I suppose we'll take this one." Unlike the doors aboard the fies' ship, there was a manual lever to open the gray door. Callum pushed it up and the door opened with a hiss. He nodded at Valencia and Mikan and pushed his case in through the door.
Valencia pushed open their town door and Mikan followed her inside. The room was small and unadorned, with pale gray walls and carpet. There was a single bed with the same color scheme. Once they had both their cases in the room, there wasn't a lot of room to move. "This is stupid," Valencia muttered.
"Huh?" Mikan asked.
"This whole thing. How are we supposed to convince this Wu guy to do anything? None of us can even think of anything to say to his…" she waved her hand vaguely "...whoever that was. I don't understand why we're here."
Mikan wasn't sure how to respond to that. She honestly mostly felt the same, though she wasn't that bitter about it. She was curious to see what this place was like and to meet Wu. He was a human with a lot more experience using ether than anyone they'd ever met. It might be interesting. "We…we'll figure something out." Valencia looked at her doubtfully. "Do you mind if I use the shower first?"
Valencia sat on the bed heavily and waved at Mikan. "Go for it."
Mikan opened a pocket on her case and removed her toiletries. Then she entered the small bathroom, the lights coming on automatically. She was gratified to see a large mirror over a counter with a sink. She set her things on top of the counter and stripped out of her suit. Though it didn't shrink to miniature the way carcha suits did, it was still very stretchy and easy to peel off. Mikan hopped in the shower and scrubbed up quickly. They only had an hour after all. The water temperature was annoyingly inconsistent but she powered through, washing her hair in water that went from lukewarm to cold to almost intolerably hot in less than a minute.
When she was finished, Mikan hopped off and patted down her skin so that it wasn't dripping. Then she called out, "I'm done in the shower!" and started to set out the various things she would need to get ready. Jaluadecen had admonished her to keep up the routines he'd begun for her and to keep herself looking her best so that she represented the fie properly.
Valencia walked in, already having shed her suit and stepped into the shower. Her yelp of dismay a few seconds later showed that the shower wasn't behaving any better. Mikan had applied her creams and dried her hair by the time a disgruntled Valencia emerged from the shower. "What madman designed that thing?" she muttered.
Mikan grinned at her and said, "Somebody full of hate." Valencia chuckled and continued to dry herself off. When she was finished, she stepped next to Mikan and began drying her hair. Mikan noticed that she'd only brought a dryer and a brush in with her. Was she not using makeup? Not that she really needed it. 'Not like I do.' She opened her hand display and, using a new trick Jaluadecen had taught her, flung it up so it hovered next to the mirror. She navigated to the video Jaluadecen had recorded for her and played it.
It instructed her on how she should apply her makeup for the evening. She wanted to make a good first impression so she left it to the much more experienced fie man to choose her makeup and clothes for the first meeting. She followed his instructions exactly and was once more impressed by his skill. For the most part the makeup blended into her skin making her look older and more beautiful without giving a hint of its presence. The only makeup that was actually visible was the silvery eye shadow and almost metallic red lipstick.
Valencia had finished drying her hair and was putting it into her customary twin tails as Mikan fished up. "Your aide recorded that for you?" she asked.
Mikan glanced at her. "Yes, he's really pretty amazing." Mikan hesitated for a moment and then, screwing up her courage, asked, "Did your aide not teach you anything about makeup? What was his name again?"
"Drip," Valencia said with a hint of acid. "And he tried but I didn't like it. Of course, now that I look at you, I realize he just sucked at it. I should have known." She shook her head.
"Oh." Mikan took a moment to regather her courage. "Do…do you want me to try?"
Valencia turned to her in surprise, her blue eyes wide. Her mouth opened but she didn't say anything for a long time. Mikan braced herself. But then Valencia said, "If you want." Despite the nonchalance of her answer, Mikan could tell she was nervous.
Mikan was nervous, too. She'd never applied makeup without Jaluadecen's instruction. She was planning on doing so the next time she had to but that was on her own skin, which she had plenty of practice working on. Valencia was fairer skinned and her blue eyes and blond hair gave her a completely different coloration than Mikan. 'You idiot! Why did you offer this? You're going to make her look terrible and she's going to have one more reason to hate you!'
But there was nothing to do but try, now that she'd put herself out there. Mikan cupped Valencia's cheek gently with one hand and studied it, glancing down at her makeup containers to try and figure out how to mix the right color. Studying Valencia's face was a blow to Mikan's ego. She was so damn pretty with that smooth white skin and those round, blue eyes. Mikan essayed a little laugh. "Honestly, you don't really need makeup. You're beautiful without it. Not like me."
"That's not true, Mikan. I don't understand why you put yourself down like that. You're lovely. And you've only gotten more so lately."
Mikan wanted to retort that it was only because of the makeup but there was a trace of bitterness on Valencia's face that stopped her. Instead she continued to work. She thought she was doing a pretty good job but kept a light touch so that it looked as natural as possible. She didn't have the confidence to try anything else. And, as she had said, Valencia was beautiful enough without it.
When she was finished, Valencia looked in the mirror. "Wow," she said softly. She peered closer, turning her face from side to side to examine it all. "Wow. I think this looks really good. You might have a talent for this, Mikan!"
Mikan flushed with pleasure. "I was just doing what Jaluadecen showed me. He is much better at this than me. I'm glad you like it, though." Valencia smiled at her and Mikan grinned back. Then she hopped when a thought hit her. "How long have we been in here? We need to get dressed." Valencia's eyes widened and she nodded. They hurried out together.
Mikan pulled out the outfit Jaluadecen had prepared for her. It wasn't much. The panties were black and had just a string in the back. The front barely covered her privates. She wasn't even sure what the purpose of wearing it was. There was no bra. The dress was a silver one-piece that hugged her body closely. The skirt was short and the neckline, while narrow, was almost down to her bellybutton. 'Is this really the appropriate clothing for a diplomatic mission?' She trusted Jaluadecen but this seemed more appropriate for dancing at the club on the Shimayasumota. Then again, he'd insisted she dress similarly for her meeting with the Princess, so maybe this was just the fie way.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Valencia get dressed as well. Her panties were much more sensible, though very lacy. She also didn't wear a bra, though Mikan wondered if she ever really needed one. Despite being older and taller than Mikan, her breasts were considerably smaller. Valencia's dress was the same light blue that her jumpsuit had been. It matched her eyes just as well. The dress was sleeveless with a high neck but was backless. The skirt was floor-length but had a slit up one side almost to the hip. Mikan thought it was just as sexy as her own dress but a little subtler and more adult about it. She was jealous. 'I probably couldn't even pull it off with my short legs.'
Mikan knelt down to fasten on her sandals. She supposed that was something Valencia couldn't do in her dress. Valencia was just wearing simple black flats. Mikan had heeled sandals held with a single strap over her foot and another around her ankle. The heel was low enough that she didn't feel like her ankle was trying to turn on her but still added a bit of height. Her toenails were painted a metallic red that matched her lipstick, as were her fingernails. The final piece of her outfit was a heavy silver linked bracelet around her left wrist. Loaned by Jaluadecen, of course. 'Maybe I should get some jewelry.' Most of the fie had a lot of it and Mikan had found herself admiring some of them. 'Maybe I should even get a piercing like Nita.'
The door opened without warning and a young woman stepped into the room. Mikan's first thought was that the girl almost didn't seem real. Her features were perfectly symmetrical and utterly cold. She had large, dark, almond-shaped eyes, a tiny nose and thin lips. After a moment, though, Mikan realized that the girl's lips were so thin because they were pressed together very tightly and her dark eyes smoldered with anger. Mikan thought the girl was probably slightly older than she was but she was shorter and more slender. Her raven hair was pulled back into a tail that reached her hips. She was wearing a black jumpsuit that was reminiscent of a pilot's suit but made of thicker material. 'She's that girl who was glaring at Callum when we arrived.'
The girl's eyes swept over Mikan and the Valencia and her tight-lipped grimace shifted into a sneer. Mikan's stomach sank. She was really starting to wonder about the women on this ship. They all seemed very difficult. "Is there something that you need?" Valencia asked. Mikan was impressed at how cold and imperious her voice was. Her blue eyes were icy.
The girl tried to glare a hole through Valencia but Valencia didn't back down. The girl made a noise of disgust and then said, "I'm supposed to take you to meet the dickbag you've spent the last hour slutting yourselves up for because that bitch Joan knows I hate this kind of shit," the woman spat. Mikan rocked on her heels, a little shocked by the venom being spewed by the doll-like woman. "So if you hookers are ready, I'd like to get this over with." She turned on her heel and walked back out the door.