by L. Fergus
Snowy bared her fangs. “Collector’s not going to stand for this, and neither am I.”
“Oh, shush,” said Panther. “You’re just upset your girlfriend got herself broken. If it weren’t for Sahara, you’d be all over Kita.”
Snowy’s nose flushed. “Sahara was doing her duty. Which is something you’d know nothing about, you bedroom plaything.”
“I don’t care what Sahara was doing or thinking she was doing,” said Kita. “She got in my way—which we all know has consequences. Casey, Nell, Tina, and Leaf graciously offered their services in putting her back together. I understand it’s going to take time to heal. I will explain what happened to Collector. I’m not afraid of him, and now that we have Enterprise I don’t need him. If he wants to get feisty about it, I have a hostage. Think about that.”
Snowy’s ears flattened against her head, her whiskers drooped, and the blood drained from her nose. “You—you wouldn’t dare.”
“I’m getting to Earth one way or another. If Collector wants me to lead his little armada, then he’s going to need to do as I say. Otherwise, I’ll take Enterprise, jump through the Alicorn wormhole, and warn the Shadow Fleet of what’s coming and he’ll never get his little war.
“If you don’t want your girlfriend going home to daddy in an ammo box, I suggest you give me what I want to know, get back in bed, and be ready to fight when I call for you, understand?”
Snowy retracted her claws and lowered her head. “I never thought the day would come when you would treat me like this.”
Kita grinned. “You treated me like this for years, and like a fool, I loved you for it. Now, I’m much older, wiser, and confident in myself. I don’t need you to raise my self-esteem. I can do that on my own, and I have friends who don’t treat me as a prize to be won. But now, you’re not a prize for me. You’re just Snowy. I hope Sahara brings you the happiness I couldn’t. I still count you as my friend, but sometimes you have to tell friends when they’re wrong and put them in their place.”
Snowy sniffed. “You put me in mine. The rendezvous point is the Jentex system out in the quarantine zone.”
“Thank you,” said Kita. “Now go back to bed and let these poor people do what they need.”
With her tail dragging on the deck, Snowy walked down the line of beds to the last one and climbed in.
“Shall we fix these?” said Kita motioning to the upturned beds.
The Angels righted the beds and put them back in line. Defiance checked on her Marines.
“There’s item one off our list,” said Kita with a smile. “Shall we move on to number two?”
“This is an exquisite tea set, Casey,” said Kita as she studied the painting of a cosmic scene on a saucer. “This would rival any my mother owned. Where did you get it?”
“Oh, it belongs to the ship.”
“The ship has a tea set?” Panther commented with a laugh.
“It has a complete set of dishware and silverware,” said Defiance. “Enterprise is meant to be a diplomatic ship as well as a warship. It represents the Empire.” She took the saucer from Kita and put it on the table. “I know your reputation,” she teased.
Kita made a playful face. “I had tea with the high princesses of Verisom and managed not to break anything.”
“And today you’ll have coffee with me.”
“Coffee?” Kita stuck out her tongue. “That stuff is awful.”
“You’ve only had the synthesized stuff. Coffee made from a bean is a delicacy,” said Defiance.
“I don’t think you can fix bitter mud.”
“What’s wrong with tea?” said Panther.
“Goes back to pre-Empire days when the United States of America was vying for independence. The good citizens of the USA were tea drinkers until the crown put a tax on it. To protest, the citizens of Boston threw several shiploads of tea into the harbor. Since then, the USA and later the UEE have drunk coffee to get their caffeine fix.”
“Tea is good, but I’ll take Atomic Blast any day,” said Kita.
“Not today,” said Defiance. “We’re entertaining a guest, and we’ll serve what they like.”
“How do you know what she likes?”
“She’s a pilot. She drinks coffee. The question is what variation? I’ll offer black and espresso.”
“There’s more than one type of coffee?” asked Panther.
“There are probably thousands of specialty blends, but we’ll go with the basics today.” The door chimed. “Ah, she’s here. Ladies, take your places,” Defiance ordered as she moved to the door.
Kita did not like being ordered around, especially for a glorified tea party. She’d spent too much of her life attending them as it was. She caught Panther’s eye, and the other Angel shrugged.
“At least this isn’t a formal event,” said Panther.
Kita grunted to that.
“Major Garcia, I’m glad you made it,” said Defiance when the door opened.
Alex’s face went white when she saw Defiance.
“Please, come in, Major.”
“Ye—yes, Your Highness,” Alex said sounding like she was trying to keep the shock from her voice.
“And call me Casey, Alex. This is an informal event.” Defiance led Alex over to the sitting area where Kita and Panther waited with pleasant smiles on their faces. “You met Kita earlier, and this is Panther.”
Panther smiled revealing her fangs while her tail waved behind her playfully. “Call me Vee, please.”
Alex looked at Panther and gulped.
“Please, be seated,” said Defiance.
Kita waited for Alex to take a seat before she and Panther sat.
“How do you like your coffee, Alex?” said Defiance as she picked up the coffee pot.
“Black, two sugar, ah, thank you.”
“A pilot after my own heart. I always felt cream was for the weak.”
Defiance made up a cup for Alex and served her.
“And how do you like yours, ladies?” said Defiance to Kita and Panther over the comm.
“No idea,” said Panther.
“Do you like it sweet, milky, or with a bite?”
“Sweet and milky.”
“Coming up. Kita, darling?”
“As sweet as possible. Why didn’t you just ask us?”
“To show her we do this often enough that I don’t need to ask. It shows you’re regulars of mine.”
“I thought I was,” said Kita.
“Not in a social way…yet.”
“Oh, goodie. What is it with princesses and their need to be social?”
“Comes with the job, unfortunately.” Defiance poured the coffee and made each cup up, then handed a cup to Kita and one to Panther. She made hers last and sat back in her chair opening her wings and crossing her legs. “So, Alex, how are things on the flight line? Are they going to be able to put your fighter back together?”
Alex looked at her coffee.
“Feel free to drink up. The scones are good, too.”
“Thank you. My—my fighter is a total loss, according to the maintenance officer.” Alex’s shoulders slumped.
Kita felt a great deal of loss coming from Alex. The fighter must have meant a lot to her.
“We’ll get you another,” said Defiance firmly. “I can’t afford to have a pilot of your skill without a fighter. Your performance during the battle was commendable—above and beyond the call of duty.”
“I—I couldn’t let them destroy the carrier.”
“Using an MSMB that way is genius. I’ll have to have you teach the other wizzos how to do it.”
Alex’s eyes shifted side-to-side. “I guess I could.”
“Casey, we didn’t invite Alex here to talk shop,” said Kita.
“Yes, I know. It’s hard when you get two pilots together. Tell me, Alex, how’s the new body? Did you visit the docs yet? I’m sure Supply was surprised when you drew new everything.”
Alex flushed. “I haven’t had time to
see the docs yet. I’m…”
Kita felt Alex’s embarrassment and discomfort, and decided to help her. “It’s ok to not be comfortable. It’ll take some getting used to.”
“I couldn’t wait for it to be gone and now…I feel lost.”
“We should schedule you some time with the ship psychiatrist,” said Defiance. “This is a big change, and it was sudden.”
“I don’t know how you did it, and don’t take my response as I’m not grateful or happy. I am. I really am. It’s just a lot to process.”
“Of course,” said Kita. “We understand. We’ve all gone through drastic changes and understand it takes time to adjust. I’m glad you’re happy. I try and help those who deserve it.”
Alex took a long pull off her coffee. “Can I ask you something else? Something I’ve noticed?”
“Sure.”
“I haven’t been hungry or sleepy.”
Kita chuckled. “I thought I told the others to explain it, but along with becoming a woman, you received what I call the basic Angel package. You’re stronger, you heal quickly, the spectrum your eyes see is expanded, you only need to sleep every two to three weeks, and only eat once a month. But be forewarned, when you do you’ll put it away by the plateful.”
“I’m to become like you?”
“Maybe. We’ll see if you have what it takes. I was impressed with what I saw during the battle. Keep it up, and I don’t see why not.”
“Will I still be able to fly?”
“Definitely,” said Defiance. “We wouldn’t keep you from your passion. Your new fighter might need to be redesigned for wings.”
“Can I ask a personal question, Vee?” said Alex.
“Sure.”
“How did you get a tail and spots?”
Panther chuckled. She poked Kita in the ribs causing her to squeak. “Someone has a thing for cats. When I became an Angel, I got my spots and tail.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“They are, aren’t they?” said Kita as she leaned in to give Panther a kiss on the cheek and raise an eyebrow at Alex to show where there was a boundary.
“I’m sorry,” said Alex. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s ok, Alex. Kita’s territorial. Which she shouldn’t be,” said Defiance.
Kita set her cup down, walked over to Defiance, and kissed her on the cheek. “Happy?”
Defiance laughed. “I think you’re my territory.”
The three Angels turned to look at Alex. The poor girl looked petrified.
“It’s complicated,” said Defiance as she took Alex’s hand. “Kita, why don’t you sit down.”
Kita shrugged, sat, and picked up her coffee. She tasted it for the first time and made a face. It’s got nothing on Atomic Blast.
“Why don’t we go back to talking about pilot stuff,” said Panther.
Kita sighed to herself and settled in to wait.
“Hey, Rene, we got our destination,” Kita called ignoring the looks she received for yelling across the bridge.
Sheppard looked up from a huddle of officers. She excused herself and met Kita near the holotable. “I heard there was an altercation in the medical ward.”
Kita held up her hands. “It was going on when we got there.”
“Snowy was upset over Sahara,” said Defiance rolling her eyes.
“Damn that cat anyway,” said Sheppard. “Why can’t she accept an ass kicking and move on?”
“Kita put her in her place,” said Panther. “I don’t think we’ll see much trouble out of her again.”
“That I would like to see,” said Sheppard raising an eyebrow at Kita. “Snowy is a favorite.”
“She chose her side, and it wasn’t me,” said Kita firmly. “I don’t care how fuzzy you are. If you’re not loyal to me, I won’t help you.”
“The question is: Will she get another chance?” said Babydoll coming up to the group from talking with the Marine leadership.
“Kerri, what are you doing here?” said Kita.
“I was bored. Rene’s good at finding people things to do. Infantry is my specialty, so I’m working with the Marines and showing them how the Legion does things.”
“I thought it would be beneficial,” said Sheppard. “Teaching the Marines how the Legion operates will make integration easier when we meet up with the Legion.”
“Works for me,” said Kita. “How are the other girls doing?”
Babydoll shrugged. “Most are getting used to being Angels again. Some, like Leaf and Tenshi, have gone back to training like they never left. Nell is in the medical ward. She said she’s behind in her medical knowledge.”
“I thought she was versed in everything,” said Kita.
“It’s a big jump from the best we had on your homeworld to UEE proper. Valentine is around somewhere. She’s enjoying being with the ship.”
Kita smiled. Valentine was sharing all sorts of discoveries with her through their computer connection. As Valentine learned about the ship so did Kita.
“Kylee is sulking somewhere and making life miserable for anybody that comes into her orbit. Kara’s kept her company. I think part of Kylee’s trouble is Val isn’t paying much attention to her.”
“I told Val to do what was best for her and leave Kylee to me. Right now, Kylee can rot as long as she doesn’t cause any major trouble.”
“That’s kind of hard when you’re a human with wings,” Panther said with a chuckle.
“That’s the idea,” said Kita.
“Raptor requested a bigger training area,” said Babydoll.
Kita looked at Defiance and Sheppard for an answer.
“When we’re not doing flight operations she can use one of the runways,” said Sheppard.
“You better prepare the crew to expect dinosaurs,” said Babydoll.
“I’m sure she’ll be a big draw. I hope she doesn’t mind. I can see people sneaking off their shift to get a chance to see her,” Sheppard said with a heavy sigh.
“I don’t think Raptor will mind as long as people stay out of her way,” said Kita.
“I have no idea what your Angels have been up to,” Babydoll said with a shrug.
“They’re fine. Most are helping down in the Political Bureau shop.”
“I think it’s funny you recruited from our enemy.”
Kita smiled. “How better to strengthen us and weaken them in one move?”
“You are the master,” Babydoll said with a wink.
“So, Kita, where are we going?” said Sheppard.
“Oh, the Jentex system, out past Toeak space.”
“I don’t remember anything out there.”
“I think that’s the idea. When we jump in, I’ll get Snowy to hail Collector’s fleet. I’m sure it’ll be a splendid reunion. Make sure we have an escape plan if the meeting sours.”
“Not like you to be so unsure,” said Babydoll.
“I don’t trust him,” said Kita flatly. “We have his daughter, so I don’t think he’ll try anything too stupid, but better to be prepared.”
Some eyebrows went up.
“Sahara is his daughter?” said Babydoll.
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“The plot thickens.”
Kita grinned. “Oh, yes.”
Anthrax set her tray down piled high with five plates of food at a table with Aspen, Kamikaze, Tenshi, Tina, and Raptor. The Angels occupied a corner of the wardroom, as the rooms aboard Enterprise were too small and cramped for wings.
“You should have seen the look I just got from a girl,” Anthrax said rolling her eyes.
“I be betten’ she not be believen’ you look like ya do after eaten what ya do,” said Raptor. “Or maybe it be the seven patches you be wearen’.”
“It’s not my fault. It’s not like I want to eat all this. Getting used to being an Angel again sucks. Why can’t we be gods again?”
“Because we support Kita,” said Aspen. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to
the practice room.” She flittered out of her seat for the door.
“That girl acts like its ten years ago, and we have Machines to fight,” scoffed Anthrax.
“Who knows what enemies we’ll face,” said Tenshi. “I’ve been hitting the range. I’m not as good as I used to be. My time in the assault course is off by two seconds.”
Anthrax rolled her eyes. “Not two seconds.”
“Those two seconds can save your life.”
“What be ya problem, Annie? Normally ya not be so critical,” said Raptor.
“It’s just some people have fallen back into life like they never left, leaving the rest of us behind. And we’ve barely seen Kita. She’s been too busy shacked up with Vee and the Princess.”
“I be thinken’ Kita be thinken’ we be big girls and can be taken care of ourselves.”
“It would be nice to talk to her, instead of her expecting we’ll fall back in line.”
“You don’t like the medical ward?” said Tina.
“It’s fine and more advanced than anything we’ve ever worked with, but I don’t feel like we’re a team.”
“Ha,” said Raptor. “We be barely a team ten years ago. We hardly be seen’ Kita back then, too.”
“Maybe it’s that I don’t like being an Angel. Being a god is so much easier,” Anthrax said with a sigh.
“Wasn’t that the point?” said Tenshi. “Being a god was too easy. We wanted something different, something challenging. But maybe I don’t think it’s so bad because I’ve joined with an Angel before.”
“I did this because I wanted to be free to pursue my own course. I was tired of being dictated to what I had to study and always having to report in. I just want to enjoy diseases.”
“But you can,” said Tina. “The ward is a great place to see them.”
“So far I’ve seen a broken arm and a cold. Not really the pandemics I was looking for,” scoffed Anthrax.