Fuyutsuki pressed the button next to the door, and waited for an answer. He glanced back down the road he had just travelled down, spotting a few people walking in the distance and the sound of children playing. In a way, he always liked coming here. It was a secondary NERV colony, a place to fall back to should something happen to their prime location but it also served as a research station and outpost for former NERV staff.
The door finally slid open revealing a woman in her early fifties. She was smiling, until she caught a glimpse of Fuyutsuki, “Fuyutsuki, it’s been a month then?”
Fuyutsuki nodded, “It has indeed.”
She let out a sigh, “Come on inside then.”
Fuyutsuki followed the woman into the home and then through into a large living space. He took a quick look around, looking for any sign of his reason for being here. There was no sign of the child, a fact that brought him some relief.
“You don’t have to worry, Kyo isn’t here today. He’s at the sanctuary with some of his friends.”
Fuyutsuki set down the case he was carrying, “Sanctuary?”
She nodded, “Yup, there’s a little animal sanctuary on the colony. They take in and help rehabilitate animals traded on the black markets or just left behind around here. Kyo goes along to learn and help out, got his heart set on being a Xeno-biologist when he is old enough.”
“I see.” Fuyutsuki frowned, “And he is… quite safe at this sanctuary?”
“Safe?” She let out a laugh, “Don’t pretend that you and Gendo suddenly give a damn about that child’s safety. If you cared then he wouldn’t be here, he’d be back on Earth, as would his sister. You only want him safe because it’s convenient.”
“Neither of us want to see him harmed.” Fuyutsuki tried to explain, “You know that. It is why we left him in your care.”
“Correction, Naoko left him in my care. He was born, Naoko decided she didn’t want him, just like she didn’t want his sister, and left him for me to raise. Not before she tried to make him a test subject for one of those… God forsaken Evangelions.” She fired back.
“I know, and that is something we don’t want.”
“So, you’ve said, you’ve explained it to me plenty of times.” She folded her arms, “Along with your intention to keep him out of SEELEs hands but don’t you dare pretend this is the two of you acting out of compassion or is some sort of heroic act. One wrong move by his sister and you’ll have me hand him over to SEELE immediately or just force him to pilot.”
“You might not agree with Commander Ikari’s methods, but they are unfortunately necessary. Ritsuko is an important part of his plan, he feels he needs some leverage.” He answered her, hating himself for having to justify those actions.
“You keep on telling yourself that Kozo.” She shot back before letting out a sigh, “It is not as if I can do anything about it. Besides, I am not free of any guilt in this, I helped Naoko make him what he is.”
“All that aside.” Fuyutsuki tried to steer the conversation away from this subject. It was a road the two of them had travelled down many times before and it would do neither of them any good to continue, “It’s been a month since I was last here, have there been any changes in him since we adjusted his medication?”
“No.” She shook her head, “The nightmares seem to have stopped for now. He was… unusually down about a week or so ago. He couldn’t… or wouldn’t explain why but having read the reports from NERV prime I think I have an idea as to why.”
“You think he is connected to the Angels telepathically?”
“It’s possible.” She shrugged, “I only helped Naoko, I wasn’t fully clued in on what she hoped to achieve nor do I want to be. It’s better that way.”
“If it happens again, contact me immediately.” He replied.
“Of course.”
“Aside from that, how has he been?”
“He’s been good. He’s decided he wants a cat now.” She laughed, “They have a few at the sanctuary to be rehomed. Can you believe it, Earth housecats all the way out here in the Gamma Quadrant?”
“That is… unusual.”
“Yup, turns out some Ferenghi tried to trade a few of them to one of the nearby Dominion worlds, trying to pass them off as an exotic addition to their life. None of them were interested of course, so the sanctuary here picked them up.”
“Ferenghi are coming out this far?”
“You know the Ferenghi, if they could establish a trade route with the Borg, they’d be loading up their ships with nano-machines and be out in the Delta Quadrant.” She answered, “Anyway Kyo seems to have a real affinity for them. So of course, I’m going to have to look at cat proofing the home and do some research on which feline supplement is best to feed the damn things.”
“That is true I suppose.” He gave a nod.
“He asks about her.” She suddenly spoke. “He wants to meet her someday, the brave sister that works in Starfleet. He thinks she is amazing. I keep on lying to him, telling him that one day he will, when her work is done. It won’t be possible though, will it?”
Fuyutsuki paused for a moment before letting out a sigh, “The committee has seen fit to push ahead with Project Eden. When that happens…”
“What happens to us?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” Fuyutsuki answered honestly, “Commander Ikari has not made a decision yet.”
“Well… he had better make a decision soon. From what I understand, Keel is not a man that likes to wait around.”
888
Ritsuko slowly opened her eyes, her naked body completely covered by the soft duvet. She felt strange but in a good way, her body and mind felt more rested than it had done in years. It was a feeling that lasted only a few seconds more as on opening her eyes fully she realized that this was not her bed and it was not the sound of her alarm clock that had awoken her.
“Oh shit.” She sat up, “Computer! Time!”
“The time is 0938 hours”
“Shit, I’m late!” She scanned the room, spying her clothes thrown across various sections of the floor before looking to the other half of the bed. Her lover, Misato, was nowhere to be found. Ritsuko let out a heavy sigh.
‘It’s just like when we were in college, she’d always get me to ‘sleep in’, and I’d end up being late to a lecture! We’re not in college now, I can’t be late! Doesn’t she know that?’
Despite her annoyance she couldn’t help but feel a smile come to her lips. However much she might have been annoyed at it, she knew Misato did it because she cared and, in a way, Misato wasn’t wrong, Ritsuko did need the rest. She let out a breath and let herself enjoy the warmth and softness of the bed for a few moments more before getting up and picking up her clothing off of the ground. She didn’t necessarily want to wear what she had come to the ship with yesterday again, especially with her clothes being in that particular state of dishevelment but she had little choice.
‘I wonder if I can use Misato’s replicator…’
With her clothes now on, she yawned and moved out of the bedroom into the main living space. Before she could take a further step, the smell of steamed rice and fish hit her nostrils. This was very closely followed by the strong smell of coffee.
“Good morning Rits.” A cheery voice called out to her from the kitchen.
“Misato? You’re still here?” Ritsuko asked as she walked towards the kitchen.
“I’m just about to go on duty but I thought I’d wait until you woke up and prepare you a little something.”
Ritsuko looked at the plate, on it was a small mound of steamed rice, next to it a perfectly grilled fish and next to that a small bowl of miso soup. Stood behind the counter, already in her uniform was a smiling Misato.
“You didn’t cook this did you?” Ritsuko frowned.
“No!” Misato answered, sounding offended, “It’s the replicators finest.”
“Thank god.” Ritsuko smirked as she sat down.
“You know, I might have improved my cooking ability since we last saw each other.”
“And have you?” Ritsuko teased.
“That’s beside the point, I might have done.” Misato stuck out her tongue.
Ritsuko smiled back at her before starting to eat the breakfast. It had been a long time since she had sat down and appreciated a proper breakfast, regardless of whether or not it was from the replicator. Most days she would just grab some toast and eat it on the way to her office or skip breakfast entirely. Sitting down like this was fairly foreign to her now.
“About last night… I’ve been doing some thinking.” Misato started to speak and Ritsuko felt her heart tighten. She looked up to see Misato looking down at her, a serious expression on her face.
Ritsuko set down the chopsticks, waiting for Misato to speak further and not daring to look up. In truth, she had expected this conversation to come up soon and she knew it was one they had to have.
“I don’t want you…” Misato started, “I know you probably didn’t intend for things to happen like they did and when I saw you again last week, I certainly didn’t intend to resume anything but… I guess… I just want you to know that I don’t want last night to be a one off. I want… to give it, give us another chance. If… you’ll let me?”
She continued staring at the food again taking a moment to process Misato’s words. They were admittedly, not quite what she was expecting. She was expecting and maybe hoping that Misato would call it a one off and end things there and then. She didn’t want that to happen, but given her situation she felt perhaps it was for the best.
Now however, Misato had placed the ball in her court. It was up to Ritsuko to say yes or no to this, to resume a relationship with the woman she loved and had never stopped loving. If she said no then Misato would be hurt, but it would create distance between them and maybe Misato wouldn’t hate her so much in the future. If she selfishly said yes then it meant entering into a relationship, already having lied and continuing to do so.
She thought about her situation, all of those things she knew and couldn’t tell Misato. Gendo’s orders and plans, the truth about Rei and the fact that she had a brother. Misato didn’t know any of this, Ritsuko couldn’t tell her any of it but surely in time, Misato would come to know of it all. Everything would unravel and Ritsuko would be alone again.
‘Yet… maybe I’m being selfish but I can have some happiness… we can have some happiness before all of that.’
“Yes.” Ritsuko found herself saying the words before she had even really come to a decision in her head, “I… want us to have another chance.”
888
Shinji felt uncomfortable as he sat himself down at the conn station, the large viewscreen before him and Captain Katsuragi sat behind him in the captain’s chair. It was still early in the morning and he was on one of the Tokyo’s holodecks, today was to be the first day of his training and his first as an officer.
He had been given a brand-new Starfleet Uniform, a grey shouldered jacket with a red undershirt. The thing felt alien to him and he felt wrong wearing it. To him, this was a uniform that people earned because they wanted it, not something granted to people by pure chance.
He wondered just what his aunt and uncle would think of him if they could see him now. When he was younger, they always wondered if one day he’d enter Starfleet. For a time, he had considered it just because it was expected of him, but he always realized it was something that he would want to have to do, not just something he did because it was expected so he didn’t end up applying.
They didn’t seem disappointed at his decision, if anything they seemed quite happy that he had actually made the decision himself. He wondered if they would be happy to see him now, or would they be unhappy to see him in this uniform? It was only at this moment that he was starting to realize that he didn’t have as great a relationship as he should with them.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Both of them had taken him in when they didn’t have to. They raised him as their own, fed, clothed and educated him. They sent him to school and tried to nurture whatever talents he had. They encouraged him to try things and his uncle had made sure to try to involve Shinji in his own life. They had loved him and Shinji… loved them as well but he always maintained some distance. He was hopeful that maybe one day his father would return or fearful that if he exposed too much of himself that they would abandon him too.
Shinji blamed himself for his father abandoning him at their doorstep. Deep down, he knew that this wasn’t true. Shinji was only a six-year-old child when that happened, how could a six-year-old be deserving of being abandoned like that? Yet, the momentary busy of logic did nothing to quell those fear or anxieties, and ever since, Shinji had done his best to ensure he wasn’t abandoned again.
As such, he had just accepted what was given to him and told to do what he was told to. He didn’t tend to protest but he didn’t really feel he put any passion into it. He just let himself drift through life. He was able to cook because he was taught to and he worked in the restaurant because it seemed like that was what was expected of him. He could play the cello because it was suggested to him and now… he was piloting a starship because it seemed to be expected of him.
‘But… if I don’t do what they tell me then… they’ll all hate me and I’ll be alone…’
“Okay Shinji. We’re ready to begin.” Misato thankfully pulled him away from his thoughts, “This is going to be a little bit different to what you did on board the Evangelion. We don’t have a direct control interface here, just a good old-fashioned console. Hopefully we can set up a simulation for that in the future but for now this will do.”
“Okay.” Shinji nodded.
“Still, as a crewman it would be good for you to learn how to handle controls like this.” She explained further, “Now, keep in mind that usually, it would take an academy student a few years to complete all of their training and most of them will have additional experience when it comes to handling the conn of an actual starship. They’ll have studied those systems inside and out, gone through a number of practical exams and logged hundreds of hours in holodecks.”
“R-Right…” he felt the nervousness increase.
“So, we are onboard an Akira class vessel right now, one of the smaller classes of starship in Starfleet. Your console has been set up to allow for the firing of weapons and control of the shields along with navigation.” Misato continued, “As you saw on the bridge, normally we’d have different crew members for different functions but for now I want to give you a bit of a crash course on monitoring all systems.”
He glanced down at the panel, looking at the various options and information being relayed back to him. Some of it seemed fairly obvious, other aspects, he had no clue about.
“Just so you know, this is just to familiarise yourself with things so no expectations. Most people in your position would have some experience or qualifications in their field anyway. Just try to loosen up, get used to the controls and focus on the basics. Remember, it’s just a simulation so if we crash into a planet then… so be it.”
He turned to see her smiling at him and managed to muster something of a back in her direction. Her words did do a little to reassure him but he was questioning how much this would help him when it came to the Eva. After all, even if this was real and something went wrong, a starship had layers of shields to protect the crew from being hurt. That wasn’t the case when he was in the Evangelion and any damage to the shields of ship would hurt him directly.
“Okay so, our mission is a simple one but don’t worry, we’ll get to the Kobayashi Maru in time.” She joked, “Our scenario is this, a smuggling ring has been operating out of this sector for quite some time and they’re hiding their illicit goods in the asteroid field ahead of us. Starfleet authorities want us to locate the illegal cargo and impound it. So, question one, how are we going to do that?”
Shinji didn’t have to think too hard about an answer, “Find it and transport it onto the ship?”
“Very good, so how do we find it?”
“Scan the asteroids?”
“Yup! This group have used holo-emitters to disguise the goods in the field. We need to navigate the field, scan the asteroids and determine whether or not they’re the illegal goods. If they are then we can destroy the holo-emitter and transport the cargo on board.”
It sounded so simple when Misato said it but when Shinji looked down at his console again, he felt himself panic. There were so many controls to keep an eye on and this was a huge ship compared to the field. How could she possible expect him to navigate this and figure out how to do everything else on top of that?
“Don’t worry Shinji, nice and slow and no expectations.” He heard her from behind him, “I’ll take you through everything.”
“Okay.” Shinji nodded, “I’m ready.”
“Great, take us forward crewman, one quarter impulse.”
888
Shinji felt exhausted as he leaned back in the seat and heard the sound of the LCL entering the chamber. He had come here immediately after his training on the holodeck at the request of Dr Akagi. It was for something she had called a ‘sync’ test. She explained it as a simple test to see how well he was able to interface with the ships systems. It was something he would have to attend three times a week.
He looked down, seeing the LCL starting to creep up and over his body. Shinji slowed his breathing, anticipating it going over his head once again. He tried to remind himself that it was breathable, and no harm would come to him. Yet, as it came to his neck, he felt himself holding his breath again waiting for it to completely pass over him.
It passed over him, the warmth of the liquid embracing him and he finally let out the breath and returned his breathing to normal. Thankfully he didn’t feel sick this time but he was still incredibly nervous.
“Detecting elevated heart rate.” Akagi’s voice came over the comm channel, “Try to remain as calm as you can Shinji. Remember, this is just a test to get your baseline sync score, nothing can happen to you in there.”
“Sorry.” Shinji answered, “I... I’ll try.”
Shinji closed his eyes and tried to do what Ritsuko had asked of him before the test. His aim was to clear his mind as much as he could, remain calm so that they could get a good baseline. The only problem was that by being told to clear his main and in making such attempts he found his mind becoming more and more crowded. It didn’t help that there was nothing in this room to focus his attention on save for the consoles in front of him and the low hum of the ship.
He was entirely alone and so all he could do was focus on this situation and the circumstances leading to it or whatever else chose to infiltrate his mind at this point. He couldn’t help but go back to what happened the last time he was here and the pain and fear he had felt in that short space of time. He couldn’t help but think about his father who had summoned him here. He couldn’t help but be anxious about his future and how he might let people down in his duties or be hurt again.
He tried to shift his focus to other things but everything he tried just added to the negativity. Thoughts of his life on Earth turned to worrying about his aunt and uncle and how he had let them down. He certainly couldn’t think about his life here so what else was there?
He took another deep breath and suddenly the image of a cello popped into his mind. It was his cello, the one given to him when he was a child. A teacher had suggested the instrument to Shinji’s uncle at the time, saying it might be a good thing for Shinji to learn. At first it seemed like a weird suggestion. A child as small as Shinji playing an instrument as large as a cello and yet Shinji remembered taking to the instrument quite well.
Shinji could even remember being proud of himself, a rare thing, on being praised for his ability. His teacher was surprised at how well Shinji seemed to do. Remarking that he had learned how to play and read music much quicker than other students of his.
‘I only started playing it because I was told to.’ Shinji thought to himself, ‘But… I never stopped playing it when they weren’t there.’
“We’re beginning the test now Shinji.” He heard Akagi’s voice again.
He continued to think of his cello. Remembering his first few lessons and how awkward they were or how much his hand hurt from fretting and playing the instrument. It must have been ridiculous for any onlookers, to see this small child playing it but over time he got used to it. Eventually getting to the point where he had to put on a small performance for his class. He was nervous for that too.
‘That’s what this is like… it’s like a performance.’
888
The Next Day
A loud crack echoed throughout the courtyard as fist connected with flesh. Shinji felt a sharp pain as he stumbled backwards from the impact before falling to the floor. He let out a yelp of pain as his backside connected with the concrete. He had never been punched before and in a month or so of firsts, this was going to rank very low on the list.
He had always gone to lengths to ensure no one would ever have a reason to punch him. Shinji had been threatened in the past by bullies of course but it never went beyond a threat. He didn’t even know why this guy had punched him. All he knew was that it hurt and he didn’t relish the idea of it happening again. He held up his hand to his cheek and could already feel it starting to swell and he was fairly sure he could taste blood in his mouth.
Shinji glanced up from his position on the ground at the assailant. He was a dark haired, athletic looking officer. An ensign with his jacket open, the gold-coloured shirt indicating he was either a member of security or engineering. He was glaring down at Shinji, hatred in his eyes and Shinji couldn’t figure out why yet, that voice was in his head, telling him that he deserved it.
“I’m sorry ‘crewman’, but I just had to take out my anger on you.”
Stood behind this guy was another person, this one Shinji did recognize, he was the excited ensign that had been aboard the shuttle all those weeks ago. The same one that had been telling anyone within earshot just how amazing this refitted Galaxy Class ship was. His jacket was zipped up, but Shinji could identify him as a member of the Science team. He seemed quite the opposite of the man that had punched him, he was shorter, his hair longer and messier and definitely didn’t seem as athletic.
“His sister was on board that ship you were piloting.” He chimed in, seemingly trying to justify his friend’s actions.
“Your carelessness put her in the sickbay, she could have died.” The first person added, “She still isn’t right yet. I don’t know what the hell they were thinking, putting a weak civilian like you in control of that thing!”
Shinji tensed up, immediately that voice telling him he deserved it was turning from a whisper into a scream. He knew immediately who it was, when he had been on board the Evangelion there had been Misato, Ritsuko, the Klingon General and a few officers from the Tokyo. His sister must have been the young girl.
Misato hadn’t mentioned anyone being hurt as a result of the battle then again, Shinji hadn’t thought to ask either. He had heard whispers of General G’Bakh, boasting about the glorious battle that had been had and how Sto’Vo’Kor had been denied a new resident on that day. Of course, Shinji knew that what a Klingon considered glorious, others would consider harrowing.
“It’s not like I wanted to pilot it.” Shinji didn’t know why he had spoken at that moment but he didn’t quite regret the words either. It did however cause the guy to stop walking away, march back up to Shinji and hoist him back up to his feet.
“What did you say?” He growled at Shinji.
Shinji felt like he should have left it there, said nothing and just let them walk away. He knew what would happen if he said anything and he didn’t want it to happen but the voice was there screaming at him, telling him he needed to be punished.
“I didn’t want to pilot…” he mumbled, “They made me do it, I didn’t want to!”
The hand around his collar tightened and lifted him up a little bit. Shinji could see his other hand pulling back and curling into a fist. He closed his eyes and readied himself for the second and inevitably more painful punch. There was still a taste of blood in his mouth, he was in a lot of pain and he didn’t envision things getting any better.
A few seconds passed, there was a loud crack but Shinji strangely felt no pain. Instead, he felt the hand around his collar loosen and he stumbled back, opening his eyes. The ensign had indeed gone to punch him but it seemed that as soon as he had gone to do so, someone had stepped in and blocked the punch before it could connect with Shinji’s face.
Shinji glanced across at his saviour. It was a woman, from here he could only see the back of her and her mass of bright orange hair. The man that had went to punch him looked incredibly angry seemingly both at Shinji and at the woman that had stopped him.
“The hell are you doing?” He snarled at the woman.
“I could ask you the same question idiot. What’s wrong? Boys in security giving you a tough time so you feel like bullying a civvie?” She snarled back at him, “Why don’t you try someone who’ll fight back?”
“My issue is with him, not with you.” He fired back, “This is none of your business.”
“I’m making it my business.” She replied, “So how about it, idiot? You want to try me? Or do you not have the balls?”
“Touji…” The other guy spoke up, “Don’t you know who this is?”
“No, should I?” Touji answered.
“She’s the Red Devil, the best pilot in our year group back at the academy!” The guy spoke with more than a hint of admiration in his voice, “We should let it go, this isn’t worth it. You’ve made your point.”
Touji pulled his fist away and took a step back from the woman. As he did, he shot another look at Shinji, “We’re not done here! Watch your step. As for you, Red Devil do-gooder, sucking up won’t get you anywhere, don’t interfere in my business again.”
With those words the two men walked away from them, out of the courtyard and back into the NERV complex. Shinji let out a sigh as the orange haired woman turned around and fixed her eyes on him, looking him up and down. It felt weird, she seemed to be looking at him with disdain and yet the one thing Shinji noticed was just how pretty she was. In the bright sunlight he could see her bright blue eyes shining and providing a stunning contrast to her fiery hair.
“T-Thank you…” he muttered.
“Hmm… So… You’re the pilot, are you?” She took a few steps forward, her frown deepening as she got closer, “Not a lot to you, is there? God knows what they’re playing at but I suppose I’ll have to work with what I’m given. I’m Asuka, Asuka Langley Soryu and I’m going to be teaching you how to pilot from now on.”
“I thought Misa…” Shinji quickly stopped himself, remembering that he was a part of their crew now and therefore he should probably act like it, “The captain was doing that?”
“What are you, stupid?” Like the captain has the time to babysit a civvie like you.” Asuka answered, “Besides, didn’t you hear what that creep said, you have one of Starfleet’s finest teaching you now. If anything, you should think yourself lucky!”
“Oh…” Shinji wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, not to the girls boast about being one of Starfleet’s finest. Still, he was thankful that she had stepped in when she did and saved him from being hit a second time. He was even more thankful that she had pulled out a medical tricorder to start healing him.
She passed the device over his face and he saw her frown deepen, “Still… I wonder, why you of all people? If they needed a proper pilot then I could have handled that thing without any issue. You fought and won though, I guess dumb luck counts for something.”
“I… I don’t remember winning.” Shinji answered, “I didn’t want to pilot but they said I was the only one who could.”
“You don’t remember? Good.” She stated bluntly, “Quite frankly, you were a disgrace and an embarrassment to pilots everywhere, and if I were in your place, I wouldn’t want to remember either. God, I’m going to have my work cut out for me if I want to get you up to any sort of standard. I mean, it was almost as if you had never piloted before!”
“I… I had never piloted before.” He admitted.
“What?” She raised her voice in disbelief, “You mean they let a civvie with absolutely no combat experience pilot that thing?”
“I… I didn’t want to!” he reminded her, “They ma- “
“Whatever!” She cut him off, “We deal with it, come with me! Now!”
“Where are we…”
“Holodeck 2, we’re going to…”
Asuka didn’t get a chance to finish telling him their destination before another person entered the courtyard. It was the woman Shinji had seen before, Rei, the other pilot that was going to be made to pilot if he refused. She was still limping, her arm still bandaged up, her appearance a contrast to that of Asuka’s.
Asuka had lengthy red hair; Rei had short blue hair. Asuka’s face was full of life and colour, Rei was pale. Asuka was dressed in a well-kept Starfleet uniform and Rei was in a black sleeveless variation of the plugsuit Shinji had worn when he piloted. There was clear emotion on Asuka’s face but Rei looked cold and distant, something not helped by the sprinkling of Borg technology still present.
“Ikari, I have been ordered to come and collect you.” Rei spoke, her voice soft, yet another contrast to Asuka.
“Excuse me, but Crewman Ikari is a little bit busy right now. We are on our way to the holodeck for training.” Asuka answered for him.
Rei seemed to ignore Asuka’s answer, “Your father and captain Katsuragi have requested your presence in the launch bay. Another Angel has entered the system.”