[FFML] [Kiddy Grade]Gazing at the Cosmos - pro

[NiteFlier]

Yet another start of a story, I only hope that any C&C generated
 by the posting of this prolouge and the first chapter will spurn me
 on to continuing. My thanks in advance for *any* such reveiws.


Kiddy Grade copyright 2004 gimik - GONZO/GOTT. Licensed by
FUNimation(r) Productions, Ltd.

Gazing at the Cosmos

Prologue - Beginning of the End Chronicled by Dro'gan, called
NiteFlier

She rested in the command chair, gazing unseeing at the screens in
front of her, and the vast stretches of hyperspace they showed. Her
thoughts wandered like a hummingbird, never resting for too long on one
subject. Everything from Sana, the new receptionist, to the Deucalion,
and how it had finally burned up in Sol's outer atmosphere.

She shivered at the thought of Sol, and its third planet. She hadn't
thought she would ever go back to that system, not after joining the
GOTT. True, she had visited shortly before that time, to check the
accounts, but as always, they were being taken care of.

Nouvlesse. Earthlings. Those born of that repressive society. Oh, to
be sure, there were those few who belied their reputation of uncaring.
Timothy, for instance, and... and... Chevalier...

Dear Chevalier, who stole the Deucalion in an attempt to force the
Nouvlesse to accept those they considered 'Common'. Ah, why did Alv
choose to take over the Deucalion? What terrible grievance did she hold
against not only the Nouvlesse, but all Mankind? Did Dvergr ever truly
know her daughter? Did she know what Alv was planning?

She sighed again, such things were beyond her. She was... weary. Yes,
that was the word. She remembered the last time she had been this
weary. She had chosen to forget. All of her life, everything from the
rolling mountains of her birthplace, to her partner, her mirror.

She shifted in her seat, turning just enough to see the childlike
countenance of her partner. Her soft teal hair modeled by nanomachines,
her eyes almost closed, hands splayed on the console in front of her.
She was obviously engaged with Wirbelwind, doing only they knew what.

She was just a bit jealous of her partner. After all, while she could
understand Donnersclag, it was entirely different to hold a
conversation with him. But her partner, her amazing partner with her
'Particle', could do so much more than she with her 'Power'.

* * * * *

~Another thirty minutes, fifteen seconds to Gate Out. Local time will
be 2216.~

~Thank you Wirbelwind. Have you picked up any other anomalies?~

~Negative, all scans since that point have shown nothing.~

~Ah, well. Thank you.~

She closed the link between them, and opened her eyes. It was rather
nice, being in hyperspace. She could easily ignore the data she
received from outside of the La-Muse, and Wirbelwind would report any
problems from within the ship. She looked over at her partner's seat,
to see the taller woman watching her.

She smiled, "Are you all right, Éclair?"

She frowned when she received no response, then noted the somewhat
blank look in her partner's eyes. "Éclair. Éclair!" She sighed and
moved closer. "Éclair!" Frowning deeper, she drew in a breath.
"PHÈDRE!"

Her partner started, and nearly fell out of her chair. She stifled a
giggle at Éclair's position, laying halfway over Donner's head, with
her rear high in the air. "That's not a very elegant position, Éclair,"
she said, suppressing her laughter.

"Why, O dearest partner mine, did you find it necessary to call me by
that name?" came the contralto voice from beneath her.

She rolled her eyes, secure in the knowledge that Éclair couldn't see
her. "I called out 'Éclair' three times. And I was not going to try to
shake you, not after what happened last time."

Her partner levered herself up, looking her in the eye. "That was
three decades ago, Lumière. Things change, you know."

"Not us."

Éclair looked at her oddly and she felt her face flush at her
outburst.

"No," Éclair agreed. "Not us." She sat herself back in her chair, and
glanced at the empty bench at the rear of the cabin.

She followed her partner's gaze, and frowned slightly again. Their
appointed keeper, the Auditor Armbrust, declined to join them on this
excursion, and Chief Eclipse allowed it, rather than insisting that he
join them as in times previous. Both of them wondered what it might
mean.

"What were you thinking of?" she asked softly. "You were so intent, so
collected upon one thing..."

Éclair drew in a long, slow breath, then closed her eyes and let it
out in a drawn out sigh. "How long have we been with the GOTT?"

She blinked in confusion. "Almost sixty years. Why?"

Éclair sat back in her seat, and brushed her bright red hair out of
her eyes. "Sixty years... Sixty years doing the same thing." Another
slow sigh. "I'm tired, Lumi. So tired. As tired as when I chose to
forget... But I know now that if I did that again, it wouldn't help.
I'd still end up being tired. Tired of the GOTT. Tired of doing what
everyone else wants. Tired of not living for myself." She turned her
head and smiled. "Tired of not living for those I care about."

Éclair suddenly turned her chair, stood, and began pacing in the small
cabin. "I remember so much! Designing La-Muse, crafting Donner from
bits and pieces. Helping those famine victims in the Orion cluster, and
smuggling foodstuffs and other necessities from beneath that damn
overlord's nose!" She stopped and turned, looking at her partner.
"Remember when we used to go roof hopping? Just the two of us,
exploring a city at night. I... I want to go back to those days. Back
to when we didn't know Eclipse. Didn't have our debt to her." She
slumped, tirade over.

The younger woman nodded slowly. "Why don't we? We can always quit the
GOTT. We can go anywhere, from the Core to the Rim. Do anything we
want. You know that..." She trailed off as she noticed the look on her
partner's face.

"Its not that simple. You know."

The pair looked at each other. They both nodded in time.

"Time to plan."
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