Chapter 2
When the door closed behind her, Ai found that she had entered a hallway with doors on each side, which, upon reaching and opening, she noticed led to lounge areas, presumably for the command staff serving on the bridge. They had simple food and beverage facilities, though it seemed adequate for a satisfactory, if small, meal. Seeing this made her wonder where the main dining facilities were – if the command crew needed food this convenient, it must not be so convenient otherwise.
As she continued down the hall she found a door at the end, but before it were two more doors to the sides behind which she could hear the whirring of some sort of machinery. She didn’t bother opening them. She thought that aside from the bridge, this area must run rather automatically, since she saw no others around. Of course, that wasn’t entirely unexpected since no one else had come to the bridge either…
At the end, the final door slid open to reveal a warmly lighted elevator, which she stepped into and gazed at the control panel. The words “Frontal Command” were printed above the panel, as if to identify the section of the ship she was currently in. Below it buttons were numbered 1 through 15, with 1 being at the top, and then a line separating the next set with the words “Main Deck” written on it, just above the numbers 16 through 20. Ai felt slightly dizzied at what she imagined must be the size of the ship, especially if this was only one section of it…
Not for the first time since waking up did she wonder how she was supposed to command a ship – especially one of this apparent size – when she didn’t remember a thing about how to be Captain. Obviously she still retained many of her skills, but she knew more than that must be required to run a ship like this. For example, as Captain, would she know nearly every crew member? How many crew would there be? Yajima had sure seemed to be poring over that datapad of hers quite a bit if it was just a small amount. Seeing the ship’s physical size made her feel even more hopeless.
Suddenly the door to the stationary elevator slid open again, making her jump, and she exchanged gazes with two girls before they walked in to join her. “Can’t decide where to go?” Shimizu asked, studying the button panel herself. Kamei next to her seemed to be doing the same, though as before, she was quite interested in the whole of their new surroundings.
“No, I guess not,” Ai responded, feeling her face heat slightly. “I was thinking of trying to find my… quarters, and maybe see if I can find any clues about myself there… or other things...”
“Then you’ll want to try deck eight,” Shimizu responded, pushing the button next to the number she named. “That’s officer’s quarters, though I can’t tell you which one yours would be. Still, being the Captain, I’d try for what looks like the biggest one,” she said with a bit of a smirk.
“Sounds good,” Ai said, scrutinizing the slightly smaller girl as she felt the elevator begin to lurch down. “I’m beginning to wonder what I’d do without you, Commander Shimizu,” she said in a resigned voice. “And you seem to be figuring things out more quickly than me too. I wonder if you shouldn’t be Captain instead.”
Shimizu blushed and looked down as she pushed the button for deck eleven as well. “I only knew because I somehow stumbled upon the layout of the ship, or at least this forward section. The aft seemed so huge I couldn’t make anything of it at just a glance. Anyway, I think there’s more to being a Captain than being skilled at technical matters.” She looked up again, and spoke in a gentler voice. “Also, when we’re not on duty please call me Saki. If a certain amount of formality wasn’t required otherwise…”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” the Captain responded, smiling. “But only if you call me Ai.”
“As you say, Captain,” Saki said, smiling again as well.
Ai turned to the other in the elevator, who was apparently finished with her appraisal of the room and was now just watching them quietly. “You don’t talk much, do you?” she asked, but before the other girl could respond, the door slid open.
“Deck eight,” a voice said from a speaker in the wall.
“Wasn’t this your destination?” the Lieutenant asked, looking at her curiously.
After staring into the girl’s eyes for a moment, and having a strange feeling come over her like something wasn’t quite right with them, Ai backed out through the door. “Thanks for the help,” she said, still holding the taller girl’s gaze. “Good luck in your own explorations… wherever you’re off to.”
“I thought I’d take Lieutenant Kamei here to engineering to see if we can help out at all,” Saki responded, still smiling. “For some reason I don’t have the best feeling about what’s going on down there…”
“All right,” Ai responded, “but don’t forget to get a bit of rest too. Who knows when the last time we’ve had a good sleep was.”
“Yes sir,” Saki responded with a bit of a salute, and Kamei followed suit as the door closed to separate them.
Turning around to head down the hall, Ai thought about the girls she just left. She didn’t know what, but she was sure something was going on here that was quite complicated, and she was becoming afraid she had too much to learn, or rather relearn, than she could handle.
Doors in the side of the walkway didn’t give her any indication whatsoever about what size the rooms would be, and which might be hers as Captain, so she continued walking just to get a feel of the place. However, eventually she came to somewhat of a T, with each side path curving gradually back around toward the direction she came. Her breath was almost taken though by the outer wall that seemed to be completely glass, and the view of the stars that lay beyond it.
She walked up to it and looked down from this apparent rear view, seeing the vastness of the rest of the ship spread out below her. Just a few decks below, likely where Saki and Kamei had been headed, the roof stretched out, dotted with what must have been solar energy panels and sensory equipment. It extended what must be nearly a kilometer out from where she was, while it was quite wide to either side as well. This obviously didn’t look to be a ship of a size made for war – its bulk signified something more like a cargo ship if anything.
She began walking along one of the side passages, and as she did she noticed mirrors every once in awhile on the wall opposite the windows as well, which she guessed were one-way windows themselves for the benefit of the Officers’ quarters to give them a view, which she thought was one well worth it. She wondered if any of the other crew had conditions like this. There was also another door and some decorations next to the mirrors, almost as if the area in front of them was a porch of sorts for each resident. Hanging on one was a wreath, and next to another was a birdhouse, as if for a reminder of a garden back wherever they used to live. She wondered vaguely where that might be.
Eventually she reached a “porch” with no decorations, just when she thought she’d come nearly 180 degrees around the circle. There was a longer wall after the final door, until she came around to a point in the window where she could no longer see the rest of the ship. Realizing she must have circled around to its front, she noticed at just that spot another door, but this one had two large mirrors to either side of it. She looked further down the hall for a moment, noticing that it was a ways until the next door again, and settled back before the door in front of her facing out into the vastness of space ahead of the ship. She decided she’d found the Captain’s quarters at last.
She walked up to the door, but this one didn’t open automatically like ones along the way had. She noticed a shiny panel next to it, about at arm’s height, and poked it. Nothing happened. “Please press your palm against the sensory panel,” a voice that sounded exactly the same as that from the elevator said. “Appropriate identification is required for entrance,” it continued.
Shrugging, but also somewhat glad of the security, Ai pressed her palm to the cold metal panel. “Welcome home, Captain Takahashi,” the voice said in an honestly not so warm voice, and the door opened. Taking a breath at the likely indisputable confirmation of who she was, she stepped in.
The room was not the largest, but it looked quite comfortable. The floor was slightly depressed past the entrance, where she slid her shoes off without a thought, and she stepped down to take a seat in the long sofa that stood before a long array of bookcases set into the wall. She sighed, staring out the window – while noticing she was right that they were one-way – and trying to relax. After a time she glanced to an end table where a box of tissues sat, as well as a small framed picture.
She picked up the picture and stared at its contents. She was in it, but she posed next to a man that looked not too much older than her. He had an arm around her shoulders, and they both were smiling as if they couldn’t be any happier. She wore a uniform similar to the one she wore now, and he wore one as well… but his was different. For one there were a few medals hanging off its breast, and for another it looked more austere – whether she was leading a ship of war or not, there was no doubt about his duty. He was wearing a military uniform.
She traced a finger along the side of his face in the photo. “I don’t even remember you…” she said in almost a whisper. “But it looks like we were happy…”
She set the picture back down, wondering where the man was now. Upon another glance at the room – the tidiness of it, the frilly decorations on the furniture, the pictures of cute animals on the walls, she knew he didn’t live here. Maybe they weren’t really that close after all? She stood up suddenly. She had to figure out where they were, and what they were doing here, for the sake of everyone they love… or might love.
With a glance back to doors deeper in that must lead to other rooms, including the bedroom, she headed back to the entrance. As the door slid open she stepped out, starting in the opposite direction from which she came before stopping and deciding to turn around for some reason. Her pace quickened as she made her circuit back around the living quarters, and she was about halfway down the hall before something slammed into her, and she fell back against the windows, giving out a soft cry while trying to draw a breath from whatever seemed to be choking it from her.
“Oh thank Kami-sama!!!” a somewhat squeaky voice cried from next to her ear. “I’m not alone after all!!”
Ai, not really hearing the words in her attempt to regain her breath, fought as hard as she could before managing to push her attacker away, falling back into a defensive stance as her eyes focused on… the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen. Of course, since the only girls she could remember at the moment were the ones she met on the bridge, that might not be saying a whole lot, but all the same she had a hard time imagining how someone could actually be prettier than who now stood breathless in front of her.
“Who are you?” she asked in a suspicious voice, though some of her edge was lessened by the sight before her.
The girl, her long black hair flowing down gracefully in waves behind her shoulders, stared at her a moment. Then she began to cry, and responded, “I… I don’t know! It’s so horrible! I just woke up in a bed a little while ago. I eventually realized I must have been in whatever place I lived, but upon leaving it was so quiet, and… and I thought I was the only one left in the universe! I heard what sounded like something moving outside my room, so I thought I’d come out here and check… even though I was scared…”
Ai relaxed completely now, mentally berating herself. What a stupid question to ask. Of course the girl wouldn’t know who she was! Did she really expect the memory problem to be confined just to the bridge… and apparently engineering? If this girl was in one of the rooms here, she must belong here just as all the rest. Although… Ai scrutinized the girl, who was in a silky-looking dress that only accentuated her beauty. She doesn’t look like she’s an officer… So why would she live here?
“I’m sorry,” Ai said finally. “I wish I could tell you who you are, but I think there’s somebody working on that. I should have introduced myself first.” She bowed slightly. “I’m… Captain Ai Takahashi.” Because of her reluctance of the responsibility, she felt a bit odd calling herself that, but at the same time it felt natural as well… as if it was the way things should be.
“Captain…” the girl breathed, sounding impressed. Ai swallowed, trying to push down the warm feeling that was suffusing her at the flattery of one so beautiful. “I’m sure I’ll be all right now, then!” she continued, and took a step forward to take Ai’s arm in hers, falling in at her side. “Will you take me with you wherever you’re headed? Now that I’ve found someone, and the Captain of all people, I don’t want to be alone anymore…”
“Um…” said Captain responded, finding herself at somewhat of a loss for words. “I was going to… try to find out what we’re doing and why we seem to be out here in the middle of space. I was heading down to… engineering – that’s right.”
“Engineering? Sounds… thrilling…” the other girl said, in a not-so-thrilled-sounding voice. “Well, if it’ll help our brave Captain learn more about what’s going on, I guess I’m all for it!”
Ai smiled weakly as they began walking, trying her best to keep any more red from seeping into her face. Some Captain she must be. First her officers seem to know infinitely more about the ship than she does, and now she falls all over herself at just the sight of a pretty girl. She glanced over to the face of the one holding her arm, who flashed a pearly-toothed smile back at her. She quickly turned straight back ahead. Ok, so it was becoming a bit more than just the sight…
Something she didn’t realize as she walked was that even though she retained her goal of finding more about the ship, what she’d seen back in her quarters had now fled her mind entirely.
Topic: 白童丸物語 - The Tale of the Hakudo Maru [Chapter 2] (Read 9129 times)