G-4. The Gauntlet

I was having a lovely dream about Sv-… uh, I mean about nothing in particular when I suddenly awoke to a loud banging on my door. As I pried my eyes open, I heard a muffled voice accompanying the knocking.

“Genevi? Genevi, are you awake? I’m coming in!”

I groggily sat up and looked around my darkened room. I was dressed in a simple tank-top and panties, my clothes from yesterday strewn all over the floor. In one corner, Spider-Sveta’s deactivated telepresence doll was hooked into a power conduit, recharging. I yawned and slapped my cheeks, trying to chase away my drowsiness.

Just then, a harsh beam of light cut across my bed as my door opened rather quickly. Sabina soared into my room and grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Genevi, are you alright? Did everything go well? Did she DO anything to you? Why are you sleeping together? ARE YOU LIVING IN SIN?!”

Dumbfounded, I stared at her. Although my drowsiness was completely banished by her sudden entrance, my brain still wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Sabina just kept throwing questions my way, undeterred by my lack of a response.

“Why are your clothes on the floor? Oh God, you two DID IT last night, didn’t you?! My poor innocent sister, despoiled…”

I reached out and flicked Sabina on the forehead. She went tumbling backwards by a meter. “Owwwww!” she cried out, “What was THAT for?!”

“Do you might at least letting me get dressed before you commence interrogation?”

“I want to know why you’re in your underwear in the first place!” she wailed.

“I was sleeping. Do you sleep fully dressed?” I shot back.

“Uh, I, er…”

I crossed my arms. “Out.”

“B-But…”

“OUT. I’ll see you at breakfast, DEAR SISTER.”

Looking crestfallen, Sabina retreated. I shut the door behind her. Then, with a heavy sigh, I quickly pulled on my uniform and woke up Spider-Sveta.

*****

As soon as I entered Zehra’s lab and made my way over to the table where breakfast was being served, the interrogation gauntlet grew. Joining Sabina were Zehra, Vicky, Miette and Sveta Prime. All but the latter were looking at me with intense, curious eyes; Sveta Prime was just whistling nonchalantly with a huge smile on her face. Having synced up memories with Spider-Sveta she already knew all the details about our date yesterday, but it looked like she hadn’t shared any of them with the other members of Maid Squadron.

I had asked Spider-Sveta about this last night, and she reassured me that whatever happened between us would remain private. “Sveta-pilot confidentiality” is what she called it, the sacred bond between a Sveta and her partner. Of course, she didn’t mind if I shared the details with others myself, but she would never do so of her own accord.

And so, I was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Personally, I’d be just fine leaving the specifics of what went on between me and Sveta vague, but my sister’s narrowed eyes intensely glaring into my soul made it clear she wasn’t going to let that slide. And so, over coffee and plankton-muffins, I was forced to recount every detail of our date.

When I got up to the bit about the chile rellenos, reactions were mixed. By far the most intense was my sister, who practically ruptured her gut laughing.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA, THAT’S SO PERFECT! Absolutely genius, Sveta! I wish I had thought of that!” As my lifelong companion, Sabina was more familiar than anyone with my picky eating habits.

“I don’t know, it seems kind of mean…” Vicky said. She had conspired with Sveta to get together the ingredients for the chile rellenos and was a bit dismayed how they had been used.

“Nonsense!” Zehra objected, “It’s a perfectly valid approach, gao~n. Sometimes small minds are unwilling to accept new things and must be coerced!”

“Mistress,” Vicky said, balling up her fist as her eye twitched, “please don’t confuse a chile relleno with your covert battle against the NKVD.”

“Also, please don’t call me small-minded!” I added, puffing out my cheeks.

Miette cut through the bickering. “That’s classic Sveta. She always charges forward without thinking. Fortunately, it works out… most of the time.” She playfully punched my arm to emphasize the point.

I looked closely at Miette, and her knowing grin spoke volumes. She had the best Sveta-sense out of anyone and also seemed strongly tuned into my vibes. She had probably picked up on the outcome as soon as I opened my mouth.

Sabina, on the other hand, was still trying to get a read on the situation. “So did it work out this time?” she asked, tilting her head.

I looked over to Spider-Sveta, and she silently nodded. I balled my fists. “I… suppose it did.”

All eyes locked onto me. I stuttered nervously as I continued. “I m-mean… it was a good first date, and we, uh, er…. k-k-kissed a few times…”

Everyone let out their breath simultaneously, making a sound like a massive balloon deflating.

“That’s it?! Just kissing, gao~n? Did you do anything naughtier afterwards?” Zehra was entirely unsatisfied with my answer.

“Yeah! Did she despoil you? Did she ruin your chastity?” Sabina added, her eyes darting around frantically.

My sister’s remarks annoyed me a bit. “FIRST of all, you know damn well I’m not a virgin, so there’s nothing to ‘despoil!’ Secondly, even if we DID do anything beyond kissing last night, which we DIDN’T, I don’t see why EVERYONE needs to know about it!”

The others were shocked at my outburst, and Sabina looked contrite. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Spider-Sveta, who had drifted up behind me at some point, laid a heavy hand on my shoulder, which brought me back to my senses. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to… I know you worry about me, Sabina. But I can take care of myself, I promise!”

Sabina wrung her hands. “I understand, it’s just… I don’t want anyone to hurt my dear sister, okay? Anyone that hurts you gets a right hook from me, no matter who they are!”

I groaned, “I know. Monica is still nursing a black eye.”

“Wait. Wait ONE moment,” Vicky interrupted, her face turning ashen, “Are you saying you HIT Captain Skelton?!”

Sabina huffed, “It was a personal dispute. She made Genevi cry.”

“She’s a CAPTAIN! You could be EXECUTED for that!” Vicky shrieked. Sabina simply shrugged nonchalantly. Monica was an old friend of ours, so I doubted she’d be pursuing any kind of disciplinary charges over a simple black eye. And she HAD deserved it, in my humble opinion.

The conversation became very animated from that point onward. Fortunately, the topic turned away from my love life, so I was able to relax a bit.

*****

After I finished that day’s patrols, I made my way from Zehra’s lab to the hanger where the Hypernova was docked. She was a new-ish ship, sleeker and larger than the ten-year-old Radiolaria. I vaguely wondered if the recent arrival of allied ships made Laria secretly jealous, being surrounded by three carriers that were newer and fancier than she was.

“Why are we here again?” Spider-Sveta asked, holding my hand and drifting behind me as I made my way to the airlock tube.

“To visit Lydia, of course!” I replied. I hadn’t had a chance to speak much with her during yesterday’s briefing, which was more centered around Captain Savitskaya’s shocking revelations. There was something very important I needed to say to her, and since I had a bit of free time before lights out now seemed as good a time as any.

We made our way inside the Hypernova, giving a cursory greeting to the ship’s AI before making our way to sickbay. Lydia had a semi-private room located at the far end, and when we opened up the curtain partition we found her seated upright in her hospital bed holding a datapad. Lydia looked at us with widened eyes and Kometka, who was seated next to her, regarded us with her usual cool expression.

Lydia spoke first, “Genevi? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I fiddled with my skirt nervously. “S-Sorry if I’m disturbing you…”

“No, not at all. I just wasn’t expecting any visitors this late. Please, come in.”

I entered, and Spider-Sveta followed. Lydia looked at both of us for a moment, then frowned. “Sveta, why are you dressed up like a spider?”

Sveta, whose hand was still entwined with mine, grinned and flexed her spider-legs. “Sveta-04, also known as Spider-Sveta, at your service! I’m the Sveta instance running inside Genevi’s X-23.”

“I guessed that much. You didn’t answer my original question, though.”

“Oh, uh… Genevi really likes spiders! So I themed myself after a black widow.”

Lydia shook her head and turned to Kometka. “Did you hear that? She likes spiders.”

“She likes spiders,” Kometka replied flatly, her face not betraying a single bit of emotion.

“H-Hey!” Spider-Sveta protested, “Don’t make ME out to be the weird one here!”

“I implied no such thing. Did you, Kometka?” Lydia said with a straight face.

“I did not,” Kometka replied dispassionately.

Sveta turned to me, despondent. “They’re making fun of us!”

I shrugged, not really caring. I’d been mocked for my insect-collecting habit before, so it didn’t bother me that much. “I’m happy to see you’re feeling well enough to make jokes, 1st Lieutenant.”

Lydia waved her hand. “Oy, if you call me 1st Lieutenant it’s going to get way too stuffy in here. Save it for when we’re on duty. Now, what brings you and your girlfriend to my humble hospital bed?”

At the word “girlfriend” my face grow hot. “U-U-Uh… h-how did you…”

Lydia grinned, “The rumor mill is working overtime. Plus, you two are holding hands.”

I gripped Spider-Sveta’s hand tighter, and she squeezed back. “Oh, I suppose you’re right.”

Lydia poked Kometka playfully, “Looks like I owe you 70 rubles.”

Kometka smiled thinly, “I suppose so.”

““Huh?”” Sveta and I said in unison.

“We had a bet going, you see. Kometka figured Sveta would start dating her other female pilots in under a week, whereas I thought it would be at least a month.”

“Oh,” I nodded in understanding.

“W-Wait! How come you both assumed me dating my pilots was inevitable?” Sveta asked shakily.

“Because you’re such a massive lesbian that you just can’t help yourself,” Lydia responded without a moment’s hesitation.

“Indeed,” Kometka said.

“Flawless reasoning,” I added.

Spider-Sveta slumped over, defeated. “I have no good response to that.”

I looked at poor Sveta, hoisted by her own petard, and began to giggle. Lydia joined me; Kometka was silent, but her eyes were laughing along.

*****

When the laughter died down, we made small talk for a while before I brought the conversation around to the reason I was visiting.

“Lydia…” I began in a serious tone.

“Hmm?”

I shut my eyes and bowed deeply, “Thank you so much for looking after my sister!”

There was a moment of silence. “Looking after…” Lydia began, clearly puzzled.

“During the last battle, I mean! I was really worried she wouldn’t come home. You see, I’m always fighting beside her, but this time I was grounded and, uh…” My voice trailed off, but Lydia nodded her understanding.

“Well, I really can’t take credit for that. In fact, it was your sister who saved me!” She punctuated that remark with a dry chuckle. “After Moby’s gravity wave attack knocked me for a loop, it was Sabina who took command, finished up the battle and dragged my sorry ass back to port.”

I had read all that in the after-battle report, but hearing Lydia confirm the details firsthand in a voice filled with gratitude moved me. I giggled softly, “I guess you and I have something in common now, Lydia.”

“We do?”

“Yeah. We both owe our lives to Sabina.” I told her about the past times Sabina had saved me; the foundry fire, the accident at the Academy, the Third Great Surge. As Lydia listened, she wore a gentle but troubled smile.

“You two have had a very hard life, huh?”

“I don’t really think so,” I answered, “We’ve been extremely fortunate to survive as long as we have, I think.”

Lydia shook her head sadly, “Well, I won’t argue that point. Still, I’m glad to learn we both have so much in common. Once we end this war, we can both chase after that peace we’re so desperately seeking.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I just nodded blankly. Then Lydia pulled forward a bit and looked directly into my eyes.

“Genevi, I have a favor to ask.”

“U-Uh…” I was flustered by my commanding officer’s face so close to my own. Sveta squeezed my hand tightly, instilling a bit of courage.

Lydia drew back from me a bit and pointed at Kometka, who tilted her head in confusion. “I want you to drag Kometka back to Zehra’s lab and force her to transfer to her new X-23 Gravity Frame.”

“Lydia!” Kometka protested, “Now’s not the time!”

I just stared blankly.

“You see,” Lydia continued, ignoring Kometka’s protest, “my dear, sweet worrywart of an AI companion is loath to leave my bedside while I’m convalescing. But I’m out of any mortal danger and we need to get the final X-23 up and running in preparation for Moby’s next attack. That means Kometka has to go do the transfer process.”

The corners of Kometka’s mouth twisted downwards. “I can do it after you’ve recovered. The mech is no use without a pilot anyway.”

“You and I both know that’s not true,” Lydia said frankly, “Moby could attack again at any time, and I’ll be laid up for at least five or six more days. We need every asset available ASAP. This is doubly important considering how severely your Nighthawk Frame was damaged during the prior battle.”

Kometka looked like she wanted to protest further, but Spider-Sveta interrupted. “Request accepted, Lydia!”

We all turned to look at her and she thrust out her chest proudly. “Genevi and I will drag Kometka to her new body and perform the transfer! By force if necessary!”

“What? We will?!” I exclaimed.

“Thank you. Don’t resist them, Kometka. I’ll make it an order if I have to,” Lydia smiled, and her eyes glinted with just a hint of savagery. Kometka held her gaze for a long time, perhaps testing her resolve, then sighed and slumped over.

“Fine. I’ll go. But I’m coming back as soon as the transfer’s complete.”

“Deal.”

Pouting, Kometka drifted over to us. “I’ll meet you two in the lab.” With that, she maneuvered her Telepresence Doll over to a wall outlet, plugged herself in and deactivated.

Sveta grinned triumphantly, and I just gawped.

“What the heck just happened?!”

“We’re on Kometka duty!” Sveta stated matter-of-factly.

“Indeed. Please take good care of her,” Lydia added.

“Uh… okay?! I’ll do my best…” I responded warily. For some reason, I felt like I had just stumbled into an incredibly troublesome situation.