The Space Between Us

playfullness and panicking

As time wore on, Ai slowly became more accustomed to the humans —they were undoubtedly weird and did things in a very specific way, but nonetheless, they had their own sense of determination and morals that they made very clear in each and every training session, flying in show-offy circles in the skies, from the smoky, burnt orange of dawn, until the constellations swirled in the inky indigo above.

And the feeling was undoubtedly mutual —while the humans initially laughed at the alien's odd sense of humor and strange avian habits, Sue was quick to brag on her new alien friend whenever the chance showed itself, while Alexander kept note of Ai's birdish tendencies, simultaneously telling off the twins for being mischievous and trying to ruffle the Harpy's feathers, so to speak. Still, when Ai showed little sign of annoyance or even matched their childish tendencies, the teasing subsided, then was quashed entirely when Maja offered Ai a messy yarn sweater that she'd begun for none other than Sachihiro—the captain that had taken a corner of Ai's mind—meaning it spelled out Sachiai.

(Ai still wore it, despite the snickering from the cadets in the halls.)

Most of all, Ai was comforted in the presence of the humans because of their common goal —defeating the looming threat of the Tatakai. Every now and again, whether it was over an early lunch or just after practice in the dark of dusk, the group would confide in hushed whispers and nervous giggles what they feared most from the future. Death was a popular response, but it was more than that —leaving people behind, never fulfilling anything, or, in Ai's case, an unspoken weight that no one dared speak of to anyone else. Surely, other people would fight and die because of the hostile aliens, but only they would go in alone, with nothing but each other.

So, it was especially hard to distrust all humans when Sløvosky reminded them of their first mission, coming within the overmorrow.

It was after a particularly trying day of flying, under the unforgiving sun that had chased away any timid clouds that dared pass by. Most of the pilots had stripped away the outer layers of their clothes and were flying in tank tops and t-shirts, until the sun that flared at Earth grew weary and retired, taking the heat with it. The Scouts were wrapped back up in their warmer outerwear within minutes.

As they redressed in their jackets and sweaters, Sue was eagerly trying to convince Alexander to tie his soft, dark curls into pigtails, only to be interrupted by the crunching, heavy footsteps of none other than Sargent Sløvosky. He regarded the group with grim eyes, lingering in the laughing Harpy just a touch longer than the others.

"Scouts, I come bearing important news."

"We're all ears, sir." Jayden (or maybe Kaeden) said maturely , in a rare display of respect.

"The day after tomorrow, you six will be deployed on your first mission against the Tatakai. The more official report with all of the finer details will be released to you in the morning, but as of now, I can tell you that you will be observing a well-known hub for the enemy — a hotspot if you will."

"Sounds good." Sue said, clapping her hands together, which made her wince in the cold night air. "We'll get some sleep, no sweat."

Sløvosky rolled his eyes, then glanced at Ai, who wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the Scouts —who had a 100% survival rate —seeing as the Harpy didn't have such a positive track record as of yet. Sensing this, he clapped a hand on the alien's shoulder (nearly knocking them over), and gave a surprisingly gentle squeeze. "No worries, Mikuni, I trust these pilots, as absent minded as they act."

Maja gave a playful nudge to Sløvosky, shaking her head, then offered a more comforting smile to Ai before hobbling off towards the Universal Union building. The Sargent smiled at the older woman's joking around before shooting a meaningful look at Ai and catching up to the elder pilot.

This left Alexander, Ai, Jayden, Kaeden, and Sue to walk along the dry, cracked ground a little later, still bragging on their accomplishments during training, which relaxed the newest Scout, if only slightly.

"But, man, did you see Sløvosky run to Maja? No homo, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to make a move." Sue said, changing the subject during a lull in the conversation, before pausing to add, "Well, maybe a little homo."

"You read too much into things, Sue." Kaeden chuckled. "You said the same exact thing when that combat pilot offered Maja an extra sugar packet —"

" — and when that guy hugged Alex, thinking he was someone else — "

" — and when that ambassador kissed Kaeden — "

" — and when that ambassador kissed Jayden — "

" —and you say 'no homo' every time! Can't you just admit the truth and we can all move on?"

"Hey! I'll have you know —"

But if Sue said something particularly funny or interesting, Ai didn't know — at that moment, one particular Captain was striding down the hallway, in full uniform, looking very determined. The Harpy half-expected to see him flash a grin or even glance their way, but he continued to walk right on by, either unseeing or uncaring.

Taking pause in the caravan of human Scouts, Ai waited until the sharp noise of Captain Haninozuka's shoes faded a little more, then, shuffled after him, feeling drawn as if a magnet had replaced blood, bone, and feathers in the alien.

Sachihiro didn't go far — he disappeared behind a gleaming silver door within a few minutes, one that required a key card to enter. Thinking fast, Ai jammed their boot into the swiftly-closing door and took their time to look inside. Time was short — someone would notice the Harpy's presence soon, it the door would cut off their foot. Neither was preferred, so Ai took in what they could in the time that was available.

It was darkly-lit, and very small, with only a small group of well dressed officials inside, all facing a hazy blue screen, covered in text and pictures, none of which were particularly pretty. Oozing anatomical diagrams, harsh pictures of bone structures, and gruesome bits of bodies coalesced into the object of interest onscreen. Chemicals were labeled and their purposes on the margins. In the middle of it all, one neon paragraph stood out,  bright as day.

In order to activate the Shiryu 5000, a very precise balance of  carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and uranium must be attained, so as to direct the blast in the intended direction, measure out a distinct measure of intensity, and save the user from destruction. The only known source of such a balanced compound is currently found in Oiseau, in the organic avian matter, better known as Harpies.

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mood board by TheLGBTAwards !