Stepsisters

[Blighter]

[font=Palatino Linotype]• [color=#990000]Stepsisters •

[font=agency fb]• [color=#FFFFFF]Tenshi and Yasha •

[font=Palatino Linotype]"In a world not unlike this one, but far away beyond man's dreams...
There were two sisters, bound not by blood, but by fate and belief.
Great burdens they bore, day after day...
Ever since the darkness had chosen to stay."

[color=#FFFFFF]On Planet Houston, deep in the slums south of Houston's capital city, there is an inn, going by the name of "Hope's End".
It is a building constructed in the traditional ways like on Earth of old, built of bricks and hard wood, supplemented by whatever scraps of modern technology the innkeeper could lay his hands on.
The door is made of Oakwood, reinforced with thin silvery steel stripes which come together in the center to form two words: "Always open".
And today, a very special man would step through that door, like he had always done since the first time ten years ago.

The door jarred as he opened it. Ever since he had come here the first time, the innkeeper, his name was Marcus, hadn't managed to fix it.
He smiled at the thought. It reminded him of that saying: "Some things never change."

"Like every year, tale-teller?" - came the innkeeper's voice from behind the bar.
"Like every year, Marcus. Like every year." - he answered in his calm voice.

"I've prepared a room already. The usual." - the innkeeper tossed him a key.
"Hot water and a warm bed I take it." - he retorted as he caught the key with a quick move of his arm.
"The usual." - came the swift reply.

He looked around inside of the inn and breathed the warm air... the scent of mashed potatoes and braised beef brought a smile to his face as his eyes glanced through the room.
It really hasn't changed, he thought to himself. The atmosphere was cozy, and inviting people to stay.
With the warm yellow light shining from the fake oil lamps at the ceiling and some replicas of torches passing off the holographic orange of their flames in darker corners and alcoves of the room, it felt warm.
And only few guests ever came here, but those who did were the ones that valued a good tale in times of trouble, times when you had to disappear for a while and just lay low until the storms on the surface calmed down.
Times when you just wanted a little rest away from the world.
Criminals... mercenaries... smugglers... workers who ended up at the wrong side of the law... people from many corners of modern society.
Mostly people who had come around in life and space... people like him, in some way.

"It's him! Dad, it's him!" - a young boy in his early teens shouted and came running towards him.
"I see your son's the same as ever, Marcus." - he said.
"Can't help it. He's been waiting for you to come for a good month now. Atleast it teaches him patience." - the innkeeper said with a wry smile on his face.

"Vic! Vic! You're here to tell me a story again!?" - the boy asked with a bright smile on his face.
"Like every year John, like every year. But you know I'm not here to tell it only to you, right?" - he said as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"But..." - the smile faded a bit.
He laughed. - "Easy pal, you'll be my guest of honor like every year. But first I need to stash my gear away and get something in my belly."
"I can do that for you! And dad said just before you came that the food was almost ready!" - spoke the boy, the smile fully back on his face again.

He looked towards Marcus, and saw him nod. - "Alright then pal. But don't rush it. Don't want you to trip on the way up." - he said as he handed the boy his duffle bag and patted him on the head.

"Okay Vic! I'll be careful!" - and so the boy ran up the stairs in the back of the room, holding that bag with both his arms as if it was some kind of treasure.

"Hungry?" - the innkeeper asked with a wink.
"Always Marcus. Say, did I smell braised beef when I stepped in earlier?" - he grinned.
"Houston's finest, tale-teller. Houston's finest. Will be ready in a minute."
"Good man, Marcus. And a good cook you are."
"Already was ten years ago, according to you."
"Doesn't hurt to remind you of it."
"If everyone did I'd be deaf by now."
"You'd still be able to cook."
"Wouldn't be able to hear the orders though."
"As if you ever took any."
"Only from my wife."
"Zing!" - he said and both started to laugh like old friends would do together.
It didn't take long afterwards, and the innkeeper came back with a plate filled with delicious braised beef, mashed potatoes, and fresh, real salad. Not that Synth Paste stuff, but real hearty food.
And so all guests gathered at the tables to take part in what in Houston's slums could have easily been called a feast.
The innkeeper and his son served the guests, and then began to eat along with him, the tale-teller, not even looking up at eachother until they were done.

"That was good Marcus."
"Like every year, tale-teller."
"Like every year." - he nodded.
"Will you ever stop?" -the innkeepers' eyes met his.
"Nooo! He can't stop!" - the boy interrupted them.
"No, no. I won't stop John. Afterall, what would the world be without people passing stories to keep people's minds off reality, hmm?" - he said while looking at the boy with a smile.
"I... don't know..." - the boy shuffled his feet.
"Why, too serious of course, right?" - spoke the innkeeper with another wink.
"Yeah. That's right. Too serious." - the smile faded from his lips.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind... how it had come that he was here, telling stories to people... he wondered about many a thing at that point... what if...

"Will you tell us a story now Vic?" - the boy pulled him out of the depths of his mind back into reality.
"Certainly pal. I will." - he put his warm smile back on before he took a good look around the room.
Everyone was still sitting at their table, having barely finished, or finishing that delicious meal.
This was a good moment to begin, he thought.
They'd be able to listen. Maybe he'd get lucky.

"Laaadies and gentlemen!" - it was the innkeeper who stood up and began to speak loudly, much to his surprise.
"Today a good friend of mine is here for a visit. And he is here, like once every year, and as usual, he's broke."
The innkeeper said, his voice echoing in the room and a broad grin forming on his face.
Some of the guests laughed a little.

"So now I wonder, should I kick him out of my humble inn, even though he's a good friend? Or should I make him pay?"
Still grinning, he put his hands on his hips and looked around the room.

"Make him pay! Make him pay!" - a guest shouted out of a dimly-lit alcove in the back of the room.

"Make him pay, you say? I wonder how, I mean look at him, he doesn't look as if he'd have much to pay me with, or does he? So... my friend..."
Turning to him, the innkeeper asked: "What can you offer me?"

He frowned a bit, just for the show. -
"Ain't much there I can offer you. My belongings? You'd get nothing for them. My life? Not worth much around this corner of the galaxy. But oh, there is one thing this old man can do..."
He put on a wide smile.

"So what is it, friend?"

"Yeah, what is it?" - some of the guests shouted in jest, their attention focused at the scene in front of them.

He shrugged. - "Well, it ain't much, I know, but I could tell you a tale!"

"A tale! Well that depends... what kind of tale, friend?" - asked the innkeeper.

"Hmm... what kind of tale would the guests like to hear?" - he asked back, looking at the people that had come closer from their corners in the room.

"Tell us a fairytale!" - it came jokingly from the same man who had shouted to make him pay earlier.
"No, a story about love!" - that one came from a young woman sitting in front of him.
"About friendship! And loyalty!" - that one came from somewhere behind him.
"Tell us about justice, and revenge... and destiny." - said an older man sitting in a far corner of the room.
"One about hope." - spoke the innkeeper while looking into his eyes with a faint smile on his face.

He raised his hands as a gesture to calm everyone down, before he continued. - "Easy, easy. I'd like to hear what a special friend of mine would have to say, before I decide."
He looked at John, before he asked: "Say pal, what kind of tale would you like to hear?"

The boy blushed a bit, and it took him a moment to muster up the courage to reply. - "C... could you tell us a story about angels and demons?"

He started wondering for a moment... could this be...

"Could you, Vic?" - once more the boy pulled him out of the depths of his mind, and made him smile.

"Oh I think I could... I think I could tell you a tale about many of the things, but yes, one of angels and demons it would be aswell."
he cleared his throat and smiled before he continued. - "So, dear guests of my friends' humble inn, would you like to hear that tale?"

"Yes!", "Of course!", "Why not." - came the replies, some of the guests just nodding silently and waiting for him to continue.

"Very well then! Make yourself comfortable, and I shall begin." - he answered their call, as he sat down on his chair in front of the audience,
watching them gather around him at their tables, sitting in the old, wooden, but somehow very comfortable chairs.
He pulled another chair closer to him. - "Come here John. Afterall, you're my guest of honor."
A shining smile came up on the boy's face as he came closer and sat down.

"Ready then?" - he said as he raised his hands to slowly lower them, a gesture to make everybody go quiet.
Even the talk from the people who hadn't gathered in front of him had stopped.
He glanced at the innkeeper and nodded at him. Without him it would have been much harder.
The lights grew dim, and most of the shine was directed at him, the tale-teller, to focus the people's attention... to make the world around go away slowly.
And so, after taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he began, in his tale-teller's voice, loud and clear, yet still unearthily calm.

"This is the tale of Tenshi, an angel fallen fallen from grace, and Yasha, a demon risen from the depths of misery..."

He paused for a moment before he opened his eyes, and continued.

"In a world not unlike this one, but far away beyond man's dreams...
There were two sisters, bound not by blood, but by fate and belief.
Great burdens they bore, day after day...
Ever since the darkness had chosen to stay..."

[Sonja]

Tenshi stepped out of her Blood Dragon, greeted by a sight that she hadnt seen for so long. Kyoto, in all of its glory. A gunboat hanging in dry dock graced the asteroid rock wall far to the right, fighters and bombers flying either in from a patrol or out to raid. Someone who was also present was a woman that existed in Tenshis earliest clear memory of herself. The bustle of people away from the two was noticeable, but the pair were used to it by now. Nobody liked either of them, what they stood for or who they represented, but neither of them cared. They could only see each other, which didnt bother either of them in the slightest. The woman in front of her called out;

"Hey, Tenshi! Want to go to the bar or something?!"
"Yeah, sure. I cant wait to see everyone scatter when we go in!" came the reply back.

As the pair entered the bar, the current occupants gazed at the newcomers for a second, before realising who they were. Most quickly gathered their valuables and departed, but a few were left, sniffing their contempt at the new entrants. Tenshi ignored them as she had always done, but her accomplice had other ideas. Calmly skipping up to a battle-hardened Dragon pilot sitting on his own in the corner of the bar, she exclaimed;

"You look like a sour kitty! Whats the problem?"
" The problem, you ask? The problem, lady, is you and your accomplice over there! I know who you are, I know what you are, and I dont like it. Not. One. Bit."
"Oh really?! Thats great but, we dont care."
"I know, and that makes you far more of a traitor than any rōnin ever could be. Most of them at leas-"

His voice was cut off as he received a hard punch to the left side of his jaw. The woman spoke again, but this time with a hardened and stoic voice;

"That is what happens to rude kitties like you. My name is Yasha for a reason."

Unconscious and with a limp jaw, the aged Dragon slumped on his chair, incomprehensible sounds eschewing from his mouth in his painful sleep. His comrades would have helped, but there were only two and more importantly, they knew who these the pair of women were. Helping their friend may have saved him from any more harm in the short term, but they all knew well enough that they would disappear silently in the future if they did so. So they sat, disgusted, but unable to help. Tenshi broke the silence by shouting;

"Bartender? Bartender! Hey, where are you anyway!?"

A young man skulked out of the shadows, reluctantly taking Tenshis order.

"Ah, there you are! Anyway, two large bottles of red sake" she said, pointing to the one litre bottles at the side.
" aaaand two large bowls of egg-fried rice!"
"L Large?", the barman stuttered slightly.
"Mhm! Whats the problem? Dont be a naughty kitty and disobey, or Yasha will end up making you her next target, ahaha"
"Okay, okay! Ill be as quick as possible."

With that, the barman handed Tenshi two of the large red sake bottles, and disappeared into the back to place the order. He shouted back at Tenshi as he went through the door;

"You can pay at the credit interface at the table!"
"Okay okay, we know! Sheesh, we used to be dragons too so we know how it goes around here!"

[Sonja]

The two sat at a table, slowly drinking their respective bottles of red sake. It was bitter, and while it was also chilled, it left a warm feeling in their mouths when ingested. Both were engaged in small talk with each other, covering a range of different topics. Topics such as where best to shoot enemy ships, what clothes to wear on a day incognito within one of Sirius’ larger shopping malls and other various titbits of general gossip. That is, until the two bowls of rice arrived.

"Bon appetite" said the chef in an amazingly poor French accent. Both ignored the chef, picking up their chopsticks whilst eyeing up the huge bowls in front of them. Each bowl was filled with a generous portion of egg-fried rice, which towered above the edge of the bowl itself.

"Itadakimasu!" Yasha and Tenshi both shouted painfully loudly, as they began the race against each other to finish their rice. The rate of consumption of the red sake also increased during the furious eating contest and soon, both the bottles and the bowls were completely empty. Whilst both women finished at the same time, Tenshi was leant forwards clutching her stomach, whereas Yasha didn’t look any worse for wear.

"So, I win then, sister?"
"Mmmh… yeah… you win…"
"Ahaha… again! Anyway, let’s see what’s happening around Sirius…"

Yasha rose from her seat, picked up the abandoned remote on the table opposite, and turned on the holo-projector.

"… a reported drop in crime rates around Liberty since the war began, leading analysts to believe that both the Rogues and the Xenos are more concerned about the aggressive nature of an impending Rheinland government. Doctor Robert Feldwell of Denver University is here to…"

"Did you hear that, Tenshi?"
"Yeah… yeah, I did…", Tenshi replied, still clutching her stomach. "I think… I ate too much…"
"Nevermind that, we need to correct that little error in reporting, don’t you think?"
"I knew you’d say that… can you just let me rest for a minute, Yasha?"
"You’ll feel much better once you’re in the seat of your ship, so come on. Let’s get going!"

Before Tenshi could reply, she found herself being almost dragged to the hangar bay by Yasha. Though she felt the bile rising in her throat, she swallowed it down again and again as they ran. It just wouldn’t do to throw up after eating a big meal, for her own self-esteem more than anything else. She couldn’t let Yasha beat her at everything, after all.

[Sonja]

Freeport 11. Inside the bar, the smell of cheap booze ate away the inside of Tenshi's stomach. Sure, she drank alcohol, but only red sake. It was good stuff, far superior to the crap that most kitties drank. She raised her sleeve to her nose to stifle the smell, whilst watching Yasha with a smile masked by her arm.

Their ships had fallen apart almost on landing after their modifications had passed their usable timeframe. The unique amplifiers and superchargers had simply burnt out, sending plasma shocks back to the reactor cores of both their blood dragon fighters. The entire energy matrix had to be replaced, and that meant a long stay on the Freeport whilst they reconstructed them together.

But right now, they were resting. Yasha was busy with her bottle, and Tenshi needed something to take her mind away from that aweful stench. Her mind wondered to that day of carnage, the smile on her face widening.

"All those naughty kitties ..."

Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the events. There were gaps in her memory, but it was certainly a long day so that couldn't be helped.




Tenshi let out a small giggle as she recalled herself and her sister 'ticking' all those 'naughty kitties'. It was a night to remember, and even though they both had to essentially reconstruct their ships, it was certainly worth it. But best of all, some really big kitties got the shock of their lives.



A reconnaisance cruiser, two light carriers and one Osiris battleship.

"What fun ..." Tenshi muttered to herself.
"Huh?"
"I was just remembering that day, sister. It's really a shame that those parts wore out ..."
"Hai, definately. It was really fun, but the future will also be that way, so look forwards, not backwards, okay?"
"Okay!"

[Sonja]

"Where are you, Yasha?"

Freeport 11 was a busy place, lawless and in the middle of nowhere. Gunfire rattled down the hallway sometimes, when Corsairs and Bounty Hunters encountered each other. Most times, things didn't get out of hand, but it wasn't uncommon for one side to throw caution to the wind and pull out a sidearm.

It was annoying. Noisy. Neither of them could get any good sleep in their rented quarters. Almost constant shouts of alarm and the pew pew of light laser pistols kept them from catching some shut-eye.

"Where are you, Yasha?"

There was nobody in the room.

"Oh, I see. It's hide and seek! I'll find you, sister."

Tenshi rummaged around, in all the hiding places she could think of. Under the bed, in the wardrobe, behind the sofa, under the desk. But Yasha was nowhere to be found. Nowhere at all.

"Hm... Yasha, you're really hard to find, you know."

A frown slowly crept over Tenshi's face, but before it could establish itself, it was replaced with an innocent laugh.

"Okay then, I will search everywhere until I find you! Where should I start...?"

Tenshi bounced out of her quarters with a spring in her step, and headed to the control tower. She couldn't see the people around her, frozen as their eyes tracked her across the corridor. Her only objective was finding her sister. For that, she would need to know the hiding places on the station, which meant knowing where everything was. Blueprints were required, and blueprints she would get.

The blast doors to the control tower were open, owing to the lax security on the Zoner installation. Even so, no Corsair or Bounty Hunter was stupid enough to start a fight anywhere near there, so there wasn't a need to close the door.

She skipped over to the averagely built man, who was busy dealing with the traffic into and out of the station. For a base in the middle of nowhere, Freeport 11 was a really active place. But that didn't concern her.

"Excuse me, controller kitty! Do you mind..."
"Go away, Im busy at the moment."
"HEY!"

Tenshi shoved the man to the ground from his chair, catching him completely unaware. He looked up at the agressor, at first dazed, but quickly recognising the situation. Standing above him a woman with a hostile look on her face, wearing Phantom colours.

"Oh. My. God."

The control room was completely deserted except for the pair. The night shift, even though there was no night or day in space.

"Now I shall continue. I am looking for my sister, Yasha. Have you seen her?"
"Uh... uh..."
"My sister! Have you seen her?!"
"I... sorry, no I haven't."
"Wow, Yasha must be really good at hiding. Or Im really bad at seeking... I haven't played this game for a very long time." Tenshi mused to herself, her hostility disappearing.
"Okay then, since you don't know where my sister is, I want something else. You will give me the blueprints for this place so I can find my sister. If you don't, you will be a naughty kitty and I will have to tickle you."

His eyes widened, obviously knowing exactly what the woman standing above him was talking about. He quickly scrambled off the floor and up to the control console. Pressing a few buttons, a small disk popped out.

"Its on here!"

Before Tenshi could say anything, the man sped away, out of the control tower and down the corridor.

"Huh... what a wierd kitty..."

Two days later

"Hmm... I've searched everywhere, and I can't find you. Maybe you're somewhere else...? Thats probably right, as no kitty knew where you were. Fine then! It's hide and seek with the biggest playground ever. I will find you, sister!"

With a smile on her face, Tenshi skipped to the hanger deck and jumped in her recently repaired Blood Dragon. Noticing that Yasha's wasn't there, she laughed.

"I knew it! This will be a hard game, but I will find you, Yasha. I wont give up!"