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

[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."