Our Sun is setting...

[empress_without_a_throne]

[The battle against the NUNE wound up spiraling into other things... which entailed the first formation of Solaris's newest, strongest combiner: SolSavior.  The same machine now returning to the Sakihama Base, triumphant after kicking serious ass.  Reason to celebrate?  Not this time.]

Sara... you...

... Don't be dead out there.  Please don't be dead!  You... we're... the Savior team... and if you're gone then nothing will...

[Yeah, she's been like this ever since the first battle with a new threat -the Indalph- ended.  The Director's granddaughter -her best friend no less- missing and possibly held prisoner, though most likely dead.]

Dido... I'm sorry.  Putting you in danger like that, ordering you to launch with Sara's machine... that's not what you signed up for.

This isn't anything like I thought would...

Comments

[actuallyselfish]

"Mizuki..." Dido says hoarsely. She shudders and drops down onto a chair limply.

"No." She admits quietly. "No it wasn't like what we thought." She lays there, exhausted.

"What do we do now?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

Ken and I... we'll carry on. That's what Sara would've done if things were reversed.

And we'll find another pilot for the ShelLancer somewhere. I'm not going to ask you to risk your life for this on a regular basis.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido lets out a single, wheezing breath.

"Ohthankgod. I just..."

She wrings her hands. "Well, I'm not like you guys. Stick me in combat, and I turn into a babbling, twitchy mess."

She chuckles hoarsely. "Although...Sol-Savior was so juiced up it didn't even matter. Did you know it was going to be like that?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

I knew that the bulk of what you'd have to do is just regulate systems, nothing seriously intensive or timing required.

And... I know all too well just how powerful a Sol machine can be... and like Hetepheres once told me, if you can bring two contradictory powers together, something incredible can come forth.

I just wish... SolSavior's debut hadn't been marred like that.

[actuallyselfish]

"Yeah..." Dido says, rubbing her nose. "I'm sorry for being snappy with you out there, but...do you think we can rescue Sara somehow? Wherever she is?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

I don't know. Really...

She might already be dead. Maybe they're just going to kill her for retaliation for what we did to Saturnia. And even if she isn't, it's not just space but dimensional boundaries separating us from her.

[actuallyselfish]

"Oh God." Dido covers his mouth, as if fighting to keep something down.

"We shouldn't have killed that Fate-guy. We should have taken her prisoner or something. Maybe we could have grilled her more, or tried to pull a hostage exchange, and now Sara's...."

She starts hyperventilating.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Dido... it's hard enough to keep myself together right now, I can't afford to carry both of us!

What happened was... what happened. And if we hadn't defended herself we might've died out there too... we just... we need to pray and opportunity will happen.

[actuallyselfish]

"Okay." Dido says at last, trying to slow her breathing down. "I'll stay frosty...we'll stay frosty. I'll start the repairs on Sol Savior, and you can start finding a proper test pilot. Ken can–"

She blinks in thought. "Where is Ken? Is he alright?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

No clue. I'll have to check on him when I get the chance...

But Dido? Thanks. Thanks for doing at least this little bit.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido tries to form words, and fails at first, wringing her hands in emotional turmoil.

"That means a lot...coming from you." She says at last, softly and slowly.

[empress_without_a_throne]

I wouldn't say that. I'm just an empress without an empire. There's no prestige in that.

[actuallyselfish]

"And there you go with the modesty!" Dido says, groaning in frustration.

"You're a super-powered Space Queen who protects the earth for love and justice and-and children's smiles! And if that isn't enough, you're humble about it!"

She blows a stray hair out of the way of her face. "Is it so impossible to think you might be someone people look up to?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

Of course I can think that. But part of the reason I do help pilot and fight is because of that modesty. I'd be nothing without Solaris... I'd be dead if they hadn't spared me ten years ago.

Being a loud and bombastic bitch trying to order people around didn't get me to this point in life. Being who I am, someone who does good -or at the very least means to- is what did.

... Just hope it'll be enough to save Sara.

[actuallyselfish]

"It will be enough." Dido says after a moment. "At least, that's what I'll try really hard to believe."

[empress_without_a_throne]

Just leave it to Ken and me. I won't put you through that kind of stuff again no matter what the crisis. Promise.

[actuallyselfish]

"Cool." Dido says. "Then I promise...then I promise you and your machines will always go into battle with full health."

She shrugs. "I can do that, at least."