Entry#: 081
Date: 28 - 03 - 818 AS @ 07:15 SUT
Title: I _know_ I am in trouble.
If I wasn't in trouble before, I sure as hell am now. I'm pretty sure that I've fallen pregnant. I've started having morning sickness alongside uncontrollable swings in my sex drive and the most significant factor in my decision is that is late.
And that Gunther is the father...
Misaka, surprisingly, took my earlier confession really well, considering I betrayed her in the most heinous way possible. Something along the lines of "I don't like what you've done, but, I don't see Rall as a threat to our relationship, seeing as you've basically made him your pet." Perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part but I do think I heard her saying that she would be OK with an open, three-way relationship. Gunther may end up living the dream of nearly every heterosexual male in Sirius - and he's the last man who would want such a thing.
Entry#: 082
Date: 31 - 03 - 818 AS @ 17:42 SUT
Title: Well.
I reached Puerto Rico without major incident and set the Alsatia down in the wet dock of Puerto Rico, alongside the rest of the McDowell Company Fleet. I found my Salvager and the Maelstrom exactly as I left them - no one here has the balls to tamper with my property after what I did to the last worm who tried it. He _literally_ lacks the balls to do it again.
Spending a few days away from Rheinland has allowed us all to sort our emotions out. Misaka has made herself perfectly clear that she will stay by my side no matter what trouble I get us into. What she said to me that day brought me to the best kind of tears. I will be with this amazing woman for the rest of my life; no matter what we face. Despite her flying the flag for the other team, she has dreamt of the wonders of motherhood since she was a girl - a befitting dream for a princess such as herself - although, for obvious reasons, we would never have been able to fulfil that dream between us.
Kana and Fumika are eager to see a new life enter the world and little Sakura, bless her innocent heart, told me she wanted a little sister and that I should make sure it's a girl. I'll be doing my best to make sure she's happy.
A message from Gunter came through the Puerto Rico control center the other day; a facsimile of an obviously hand-written letter - perhaps to reply in tune with the letter I dropped in his office for him to find when I departed from Mecklenburg.
I didn't tell him in certain terms what is going on; and knowing him it'll require a face-to-face explanation before he'll understand that he's going to become a daddy. I asked for him to come to Puerto Rico as discreetly as possible and thankfully he's taken the initiative to find me. All I can really do now is sit here among old friends and wait for his arrival.
The wharfies who run the place won't mind a Military officer showing up so long as they have appropriate business with a Junker.
The Congress who are supposed to own the place are a different story. The pathetic imitation of a diplomatic association would have kittens if they caught wind of what we're about to do. They can choke on big, fat hotdogs for all I care. I've never been under their control and I sure as hell am not going to change that because a few tall-poppy syndrome sufferers don't like me.
On a side note I've noticed that being pregnant has had a significant effect on both my sex drive and the pleasure of engaging in said act. I think I'm starting to wear my "ojou-sama" out - Misaka's own body simply can't keep up - and she's just not as easily excitable as me despite being at the age where she would fall pregnant from standing down-wind of a boy. Looks like it's back to single-player mode. I haven't done that since shortly after abducting the maiden from Ainu Base. I may as well enjoy myself before the baby takes over.
Entry#: 083
Date: 02 - 04 - 818 AS @ 16:07 SUT
Title: What.
It took not only an explanation of the incident in question, but also a lesson in Birds & Bees 101 before Gunther finally figured out he was going to be a daddy. I knew he was an innocent and reserved kid, but honestly, for a 23-year old man to not even know the basics of female biology - I didn't think it was possible.
Gunther was in the midst of resolving all the new data he had been given when a report of a Liberty Navy incursion in to Rheinland from the Bering system came through. The Military has been stretched to its limits in the last few months, the almost constant attacks from pirates and terrorists within coinciding with invasions from Liberty have spread the forces out across a massive front. There simply was nothing immediately available to handle the threat. Within a couple minutes me and the girls had the Maelstrom fired up and ready to rumble.
Flying as fast as the old girl could manage we reached the edge of Rheinland space in a bit over 48 hours. Once we had entered the tradelane network in Hudson, we covered a massive amount of distance in only a few hours, arriving to the scene of a battle between a handful of Rheinland fighters up against a Liberty Siege Cruiser and escorts.
Once descended upon the battle, I promptly opened fire on the offending cruiser while Rall and his comrades dealt with the fighters. I wonder what the crew of that ship were thinking when they saw me show up on their scanners. Maybe they had been warned of me and knew what was coming? Maybe they didn't and were just plain scared. Either way, that siege cruiser never posed much of a threat once I showed up.
In the ensuing battle the Maelstrom took several hits from the coaxial cannon, the metal bulkhead at the front of the ship absorbing most - but not all - of the energy. Although in the end we were victorious, the ship suffered shock damage to the power core causing the weapons grid to fail as the result of a lack of power. With the ship's core life support systems running off emergency generators alone we were forced to return to the secrecy of Braunschweig. Once there I moored the ship using what little power she had left, shut her down and disembarked before the oxygen supply ran out.
I'm now stuck here until I get replacement parts flown in. At least I can play family with Gunther for a little while. And maybe teach him a bit about how girls work. He thought if we had sex again I'd make twins.
Entry#: 084
Date: 04 - 04 - 818 AS @ 13:18 SUT
Title: Untitled.
I've been thinking for a while now about what's going to become of us all in the near future. It won't be long before I become unable to fly and it'll likely be months after giving birth before I'm able to even consider getting back in space.
I've decided to get rid of some of my ships - namely my bomber and the little White Devil. The bomber will be disassembled, the shell sold off as scrap and some of the useful parts kept as spares, such as the battery bank and alternator, to name two. They will serve as emergency backups for the Maelstrom to prevent a recurrence of the situation that left us stranded here.
The Marauder, as it is a bit long-in-the-tooth and showing her age, will be sold off for parts to someone else. As much as it pains me to do so, it's just taking up ever increasingly valuable space inside the Alsatia's hold.
As soon as Kana and Co. in the Graf Eisen get back from Alster Shipyard with the generator I need I'll fix up the Maelstrom and set to work putting everything in order.
I will have to embark on what will probably be my last major journey before succumbing to my unborn child once I return to Vieques. I have to find my mother in Bretonia and tell her she's going to become a granny.
One wonders - if she's still out there - how she's going to react. Mum has had it in for Rheinlanders ever since dad walked out on us, and here I am about to bear the child of not only the Major General of the Rheinland Military, but a man whom I met only weeks prior to conception.
Like mother like daughter, no?
I wonder if I can encourage Gunther to come along. The reaction on his face when he first meets my mother would be priceless. And it might help her to accept the fact that Gunther is a good man if she can poke his brain, and other organs, a bit.
Entry#: 085
Date: 17 - 04 - 818 AS @ 17:54 SUT
Title: Alsatia again.
Well, it's been nearly two weeks without an entry. I suppose I should write one up. It took a few days of turning spanners, but the Maelstrom is back in action and good as new. We all set off from Braunschweig and returned to Puerto Rico at a leisurely pace; the trip taking four days since I really didn't feel like forcing rotating shifts on the girls. At the end of each stint I shut the old girl down and let her idly creep through the deep freeze, keeping the early warning system close by in case any unwanted guests presented themselves. That was never put to the test however, the entire flight through Liberty's lawless and uncontrolled "dead zone" proving unremarkable.
After reassembling ourselves on board the Alsatia I set about disposing of my bomber. All five of us worked together to tear her down and salvage the usable parts. The generator and battery bank will be installed into the Maelstrom at a later date to provide emergency life support systems in the event of another failure. I brought us a bit too close to death for my own comfort back there - I don't want it happening again.
The White Devil quickly found a new owner amongst the fixers of Vieques. One hopes she will be treated with the same level of affection we did; but I'm realistic. The ship is most likely in parts by now in someone's docking port.
In other news, I encountered a familiar but rather unexpected sight at the shipyards - the Antaeus' Rising. I haven't heard anything from the boys in quite some time - I was actually beginning to worry about their well being. My worries were set aside when both our crews in their entirety aggregated in the bar room. There must have been a good twenty people in the room - all of them under my employment. I was looking over the men and women of the McDowell Company Fleet and feeling quite proud of what I've managed to achieve in my life - being in overall good spirits that night.
Further invigorating the evening's unfolding, Kendrick announced his wife was pregnant with their second child - introducing the good news not only to me but his own crew as well. The boys however seemed quite confused indeed when I told everyone that myself and Misaka were to bear our own child. It took some time to explain but in the end I, along side Kendrick and his wife, received glorious congratulations for our efforts.
As if the evening couldn't get any better, Kendrick, in passing, told me to check my neural net credit balance. Later on I would find my account overflowing with the entire value remaining on the Shetland. Kendrick had been working his team to the bone producing a massive amount of credits, the fruits of which were complete ownership of his vessel and, as he jokingly put it, his "freedom" from me.
And to top the whole damned thing off, Misaka and I enjoyed the first intimate encounter we've shared since I learnt I was pregnant - setting our previously shaky relationship in concrete and ensuring we will remain together no matter what this universe can throw at us.
Entry#: 086
Date: 24 - 04 - 818 AS @ 17:54 SUT
Title: Been a while...
Here I am at Trafalgar, where my mother, unsurprisingly, isn't. I didn't expect this to be easy but I was hoping I'd have a lucky run and just randomly bump into her somewhere.
It is quite nice being home again, seeing some of the old faces that I grew up with, and being introduced to some of the new ones that have become a part of the scenery here. Whilst Kana and Fumika together looked after little Sakura on board the Alsatia, I took the time to show Misaka around my old stomping grounds. From the docks ran by Sam Fenwick, to the workshop and equipment store owned by Edward Wylde, to the almost ideological neutral ground that the Trafalgar Pub provides.
Upon entering the bar, "Pratty", the bartender, was as determined as always to make me into a drinker - alongside his much preferred customer, the ironically named Geoff Beer. I declined, but I let slip the "p" word without considering the consequences.
I almost instantly regretted it. Many of the boys (and some of the men, I must add) have had something of a crush on me ever since I started gaining a profile around the base during my early teenage years, and me being pregnant basically precluded them from ever standing any chance of having me, and, of course, inferred someone else already had. The selection of those guys, who had been covertly eavesdropping in on our conversation (an acquired - and required - skill of a Junker) instantly abandoned all discretion and, after jumping to their feet and rushing over in an almost comical fashion, demanded a full explanation.
The first and foremost of the explanations requested was how Misaka had managed to sire a child. The look on my princess's face when asked was absolutely priceless and something I want to remember for a long time.
A detailed yarn spun over a round on me (with cola for myself and Misaka) put poor Gunther's life in considerably more danger than it had been previously. Despite my insistence that I had had been the instigator of the affair the crowd begun calling for his blood, although I question the validity of their claims to seek vengeance as most of them had quite a few pints under their belt by that time and I wager most of them will have completely forgotten about Gunther when they wake up.
Aside from the reunion, I managed to gain some information pertaining to the current location of my mother - Invergordon Space Port in Inverness. We will head out tomorrow.
Entry#: 087
Date: 30 - 04 - 818 AS @ 19:51 SUT
Title: A lot can happen in one week.
After chasing up the radio tower of Invergordon I was informed that mum had left for another excursion, the direction thereof being unknown; save for that it was into Corsair space. I resigned myself to the fact chasing her down would be nearly impossible and quite likely lethal. Even to this day there are some Corsairs who remember my face and would not at all be concerned about killing me, my child and my entire crew.
I decided to take the easy way out and give up. All things said and done I do miss Gunther and his antics. The "Rall Effect", as I call it, is very strong and I'm well and truly within its grasp. I picked up a load of hull panels and made a bee-line for Rheinland using the tradelane network through a selection the Omega edge worlds.
The flight itself was rather uneventful to the point of bordering on routine. We arrived back in Mecklenburg to find Gunther and some of his subordinates loitering around the station. I showed up just quick enough to catch him speeding off with another ship. I, at the time, assumed he was doing some sort of flight training, but the radio chatter at the time quickly dashed that notion.
Apparently at some point during the time I was away Gunther had left his post as Major General and relegated himself to the reserve fleet; and seemingly attracted himself some unwanted fangirls. No doubt they'd been seduced by the "Rall Effect" as I had been, but they were far more dangerous than the "typical" Gunther follower. I don't exactly remember how it came about, but, I ended up escorting Gunther in his Wraith out of Braunschweig and into Liberty space.
We flew non-stop for nearly two days. How the hell Gunther managed it without nodding off, I will never know. How *I* managed to do it is an even greater mystery as I know I love my beauty sleep. We high-tailed it through Bering, into Texas and eventually into the New York Badlands before ninja-ing our way to Rochester Base through the debris fields. All of this, mind you, whilst Gunther was in his Wraith alongside one of the most wanted vessels in Liberty. The fact we're both still alive tells me someone up there is looking out for us.
Within the cloak of Rochester's safety net we encountered two acquaintances of mine, the Wildcat and the Maverick IV. The two ships are regular appearances at Rochester and I've been known on occasion to loiter around with them and share old war stories.
Not two minutes in to a nice conversation my radar picks up a worrying signal - an Outcast Storta known as the Meneme, barrelling towards Rochester. The idiot commander dragged a Liberty Assault Carrier in behind him.
Just what the Junkers need - Outcast warships hanging around their bases in core house space, bringing Liberty dreadnoughts to the front door. As if we'd ever let that happen. A little note passing to the Liberty Navy ensured they knew they would receive no reprisal from us.
Me, Gunther, the Wildcat, Maverick IV and a good half dozen other ships all stood back as the Carrier swung the hammer of justice at the Storta. The fight barely lasted two minutes, the combined efforts of the LNS Sacramento and LNS Braveheart ensuring the quick and painful destruction of the vessel, scans of which revealed it to be overflowing with cardamine.
The Liberty Navy, having destroyed the "threat" departed with all haste required by the fleet of Liberty Rogue bombers that had assembled in response to the Rogues' own transmissions regarding the unwanted visitor. Almost as quickly as it had started, the incident drew to a close with the carrier disappearing back towards civilised space.
Once quiet had returned to the vicinity, I set about getting Gunther a ship with a lower profile than the Wraith he was flying. It was no small miracle the Navy left him be; we would have been instantly vaporised by the ships armaments if we didn't first surrender to the waves of fighters stored within its hull.
After a private chat with Tony Chiodo, the Rochester ship dealer, I secured a new set of wings for the Major General. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast, but it was about as low a profile as can be achieved whilst still being corporeal - A Recycler identical to the first Railgun.
In haste, I christened the ship the "Ichaicha Railgun" on Misaka's recommendation. Ichaicha supposedly translates into "flirtatious", not that I'd know. My Kusari is very, very basic and mostly limited to swears and bedroom-only words. I could tell you you're all wet but I couldn't say "hello".
Gunther spent a short time getting to know his new ship whilst I discreetly disposed of his Wraith. It now resides next to mine inside the hull of the Alsatia, away from the eyes of the Liberty lawkeepers - and those fangirls who want him so badly.
Having not slept for so long did finally catch up to the two of us. Gunther set the "Railgun II" down in Rochester's docks before boarding the Alsatia. I put him up in the spare room after having it cleared of all the crap that got thrown in there and as far as I'm aware he should be sleeping now. As soon as I finish writing this down I'll be doing the same. I'm the only one awake now, everyone else - including both my little princesses - are in slumberland and I will be joining them very shortly.
Entry#: 088
Date: 01 - 05 - 818 AS @ 19:13 SUT
Title: A little update.
After a well earned night's rest with a generous sleep in, I set about putting things back in order. Gunther wishes to be escorted to Freeport 4 in Tau-29, where, supposedly, these "fangirls" of his have left him a ship more suitable for a free agent such as himself. With that said, he has no idea where to go and sees fit to "allow" me to direct him to his destination.
I, with the help of Gunther and the girls, set about filling what remained of the Alsatia's cargo bay with supplies. Whilst Gunther's destination was Tau-29, mine would be Omicron Alpha. My credit line has shrunk considerably since meeting Gunther and it's time to get back to work - I do, after all, need to save up enough cash to support my new family. I made sure that every single cubic centimetre of space was filled with something of value to the Outcasts. Engine components, Superconductors, Hull panels and a swathe of metal alloys literally stuffed into every nook and cranny. The cockpit of Gunther's Wraith ended up with boxes of inline fuses in it of all things.
Gunther, despite clearly showing his disdain for the Ichaicha Railgun, still prefers flying himself over riding shotgun with me. So it will be the two ships flying in convoy to Tau-29, at which point he'll return the Railgun to me and take control of the ship provided for him - assuming this isn't a trap of some sort.
We left Rochester more-or-less immediately after piling everything into the Alsatia. Using the theory of hiding in plain sight we casually meandered through the tradelane network, through New York into California before reaching the end of the lanes in the Cortez System. We are now flying through wide-open space towards the coordinates of the jumphole to Coronado. We will be stopping over at the Barrier Gate although we still have a fair few hours of brain-numbing emptiness in front of us.
I, at least, have my princess in her camisole and boyshorts beside me to keep my mind active. Gunther has nothing but the stars in front of him. Poor guy. Actually, I should check to see if he hasn't cheated by putting the autopilot on and catching a snooze without my knowledge.
Entry#: 089
Date: 06 - 05 - 818 AS @ 20:51 SUT
Title: Untitled.
End of day one saw Gunther crashing in one of the spare rooms on board the Alsatia, the Railgun docked to Barrier Gate itself. Even the little cabin he ended up in is more homely than a hodgepodge station carved out of an asteroid.
Day two saw us crossing the remaining distance of the Barrier asteroid field and entering the Baffin System; therein containing some sort of religious cult I've never bothered to associate with.
End of day two was spent in open space somewhere in Baffin. This cult, while strange, is usually passive unless acted against. I had a group of ships fly in close and set the alarm off halfway through my nap, but they were simply investigating the blip on their radar and were content to leave us be, assumingly after a cargo scan returned nothing offensive.
Day three involved a vast expanse of open space before the jump into Tau-29. After avoiding a Kusari Naval gunboat which stumbled onto us by chance, we reached Freeport 6 and set down.
We'd been discussing it in dribs and drabs for the entirety of the trip up; and I was half expecting it to either be a falsehood or an outright trap, but there was in fact an Eagle waiting for Gunther in the hangar, the keys for which he had in his possession. Exactly when he got them, I have no idea.
The Ichaicha Railgun was stored where the Eagle used to be, and we set out to complete the remainder of our journey - to Omicron Alpha.
Day four contained much of the same, idle conversation about the meaning of life; the universe; and everything within it, as we crossed the remainder of Tau-29 the heavily asteroid-laden Tau-23. The end of day four saw us arriving at Freeport 10, where we spent another night in the same format. Gunther's ship docked at the station, with his person in the spare room.
I've been making sure to wear as little as possible whilst he is on board, but I wonder if it's having any effect on him at all. I know for a fact his "body" can work when the right variables are present, but when in a cognitive state he's totally disinterested in my body, no matter how much of it I present to him. At least, that's what it looks like from the outside. He's a man the same as any other... there has to be something that floats his boat.
Anyway, putting that aside. Day five contained the final leg of the journey to Omicron Alpha. The dockmaster at Valletta Shipyard was a different man to the last time I was there - an enquiry into him returned the news he'd been involved in fisticuffs with a Corsair invasion fleet in Omicron Eta and perished at the helm of his Sabre. Such a pity, really. That old fellow, as far as Outcasts go, was a pretty decent bloke. He knew me by name even though I only showed up once in a blue moon.
Pulling an all-nighter put us back at Freeport 10. As the result of that, I'm almost a zombie; my girls are all asleep and Gunther is "enjoying" recalling the lingerie I was floating around in earlier in his little cabin downstairs. At least, if he even knows how to do that... poor guy was really not looked after as a kid and I wonder if he's been able to figure it out for himself or not. He has absolutely no idea about how not only mine - but his own - body functions and I think it's rather pathetic on the part of his parents.
I'm debating floating into his cabin and giving him a lesson in human reproductive biology. Hell knows he needs it. It's either that or I give myself one. Misaka is dead to the world and I'm sure she won't appreciate being asked to give me a hand halfway through her beauty sleep.
Entry#: 090
Date: 12 - 05 - 818 AS @ 16:45 SUT
Title: Untitled.
Well, here I am back "home" at Rochester. I should be relieved. The trip was without major incident and the credits from both the supplies I took to Malta and the Niobium I brought back from Tau-37 have raised my account to a healthy level.
The problem, however, is that Gunther disappeared overnight. He had crashed in the spare room again, after finding Rochester's facilities rather lacking. His ship had been in one of the docking bays. When I woke this morning, I found neither his person nor his craft were where they should have been. It seems he had escaped from the Alsatia at some point during the night and gone AWOL. Not even so much as a little note telling me where he was going.
Does this mean he doesn't want to be a part of my life any more? Has he given up and just vanished like my own father did?
I don't want to have to tell our baby their father ran away. It was hard enough for my own mother to do it.