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31_days2005-10-02 12:32 am
beccastareyes) wrote in 31_days2005-10-02 12:32 am
[Oct 1.][Fullmetal Alchemist]Winry Rock-bell, Martian Space Pilot!
Title: Winry Rock-bell, Martian Space Pilot! (Part 1 of ?)
Theme: A screaming comes across the sky
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist (Alternate universe)
Characters: Sheska, Winry (may get shippy later), Hughes. Minor appearance by Trisha Elric, and Dante does an unnamed cameo. Mention of the other Hughes and Elrics.
Rating: PG
“You’re going to get us all killed!”
“I know what I’m doing. Now, be quiet while I evade these fighters.”
It hadn’t started out like this, Sheska mused, as she clung to the armrests of the copilot’s seat. In fact, today had given no real indication it was special at all.
She had woken up to the rays of rosy sunlight through her window, and the sounds of children playing. She slipped on a robe as she walked over to the window – apparently Elysia Hughes had a play date with some of the Martian children, and they apparently had invented some sort of tag game, played by running back and forth, from the green lawns of the Earth Embassy to the black, spongy ground cover that grew all over Syritis Major. The ambassador was out there with a vid-recorder, clearly enjoying his weekend.
Sheska smiled, taking her time as she dressed. Ambassador Hughes would be back to work soon enough – only Elysia could distract him for long, and even that was not a foolproof plan. She had already caught a glimpse of Gracia Hughes coming out to call Elysia and her husband to breakfast as she turned to leave.
Sure enough, once she had dressed and brushed her hair, and had grabbed a cup of tea and a biscuit from the embassy’s kitchen, she could already hear Hughes at work. She entered his office. “Good morning, Ambassador.”
“Ah, good morning, Sheska! I got some excellent tape of Elysia’s play date today!” He smiles at her, holding his recorder. “Would you like to see it?”
“Maybe later, sir.”
“She’s just a regular little diplomat, my Elysia. She has her mother’s charm.” He nodded, and put away the recorder. “But, I suppose there is work to be done. I’m going to need you to run this over to the Palace. Sensitive information, you understand – I can’t trust it over video-phone lines.” He stood up, going to a large wedding picture, and lifting up the frame to reveal a safe. “I can trust you where I keep my secure documents, can’t I, Sheska?”
“Yes, Ambassador,” Sheska saw that the safe had a keypad on it. She looked away as Hughes entered the password.
A chime sounded, and Hughes opened the safe, taking out a brown paper package. “Take this to the Palace and see that a member of the Royal Family gets it. Don’t give it to anyone else.” He handed the package to her. She felt the shape of computer tape spools beneath the paper.
“Yes, sir, Ambassador.” Sheska nodded, turning to leave. “You can count on me.”
Sheksa stifled a scream as she suddenly noticed that the color above her head wasn’t the rosy pale of the Martian sky or the black of space, but the dark umber of the ground. She saw Winry jump.
“Don’t distract me like that – I know what I’m doing,” Winry told her. The space-fighter righted itself, and darted between two of the fighters. Sheska closed her eyes – there was no way they would make it to Phobos.
The Martian Palace was an ancient building, full of delicate glassy spires, improbably thin looking, but sturdy in the low gravity. It was built next to the city’s main canal, allowing the grounds to be covered in lavish red and yellow flowers. She had shown the palace guards her identi-card, stating that she was Ambassador Hughes’s aide, and allowing her access.
“The Technocrat is away on business, and his sons are studying with their tutor, but the Lady Trisha can be found in the west solar,” one of them told her. “Do you need a guide, Earthling?”
“No… I’ve been to the Palace before. Thank you, though.” The west solar was a common informal meeting room for the Royal Family and the ambassador and his staff. It was a bit of a walk, but walking through the Palace was not a burden. The proximity to the canal system, and the advanced Martian technology meant the dust was not a problem, and the air smelled moist instead of dry. Sunlight danced though the outer walls, as is she was walking through a crystal. She stopped to admire one of the ceiling glass mosaics, depicting a view of the Solar System, when she nearly bumped into a passing noble.
“I am so sorry,” Sheska apologized. The noble wasn’t someone she recognized, but she was still learning the names and faces of the planet’s government.
The woman sniffed a bit. “You aren’t just here to gawk at our windows, Earthling?”
Sheska looked at the woman – her hair was pulled back, invisible though the elaborate cap she wore, but she could see the Martian antennae sticking up through them. Her robes were equally elaborate, black with blue and violet embroidery work.
“Oh, no, ma’am. Er… ” Sheska held up Hughes’s package. “The Ambassador asked me to deliver something for him.”
“I see…” the woman said. “May I ask what?"
“Information for the Royal Family. I’m sorry, it’s all a bit classified.” Sheska apologized again.
“I see…” the woman repeated. “Well, you best not keep the Royal Family waiting. Go on, then.”
“Oh, right!” Sheska nodded, and took off running.
Another left and right put her at the entrance to the solar. She peaked inside, seeing the Lady Trisha tending to the plants basking in the weak Martian sun. Sheska recognized a number of varieties from Earth. “Excuse me?” She didn’t appear to be noticed. “Lady Trisha?”
Trisha turned to look at Sheska. Sheska noted that she had adopted the Mars nobility’s fashion of loose robes, though her bare head left no illusions that she wasn’t an Earthling. “Oh? I didn’t hear you come in. You’re one of the ambassador’s people, right?”
“Yes ma’am… er, Your Majesty,” Sheska nodded. “Ambassador Hughes asked me to give you this. You might want to make sure you’re alone or with the Technocrat when you open it. He did say it was sensitive information.”
“Of course, dear,” Trisha took the proffered package and looked at it thoughtfully. “But, I’m sure the Ambassador has other tasks for you to do today. Run along now.” Sheska nodded, as she bowed and left the room.
Sheska opened her eyes when she heard Winry give a shout. They weren’t dead! The fighters were being left in their metaphorical dust as the sky turned from pink to black. “Phobos, here we come! We can refuel there and take a breather.”
Sheska realized she was holding her breath and let it out. “Well, as long as we’re not being shot at, I’ll be happy.”
She had stopped at an open-air café for lunch after her stomach told her that it waited for no diplomacy. She picked up a bit of meat with her chopsticks. It tasted like some one had decided to mix Cajun and Thai food together in a blender with a boatload of chili peppers for color. She stood up, nearly knocking the table over, in her haste to flag a waiter for water. Not seeing any outside, she gasped as she went into the building, looking desperately for someone who could help her.
She nearly ran into a Martian, a girl about her age. “Watch where you’re going!” she yelled. Sheska saw her glance behind her and swear. “No time…” She pulled Sheska into an alley next to the café.
Sheska tried to swallow, and get her voice back. “Who are you?” she managed to gasp out. “What’s going on?”
The girl peaked behind the corner. “I think I lost them. Hey, you’re with the Embassy, aren’t you? Can you get me to the spaceport, Earthling?”
“Well, I… not until you tell me what’s going on!” Sheska protested.
The girl sighed, sitting down. “My name is Winry Rock-bell. I work in the Palace – my grandmother is the head of the Ministry of Technology and a close advisor to the Technocrat. I know the princes pretty well, since we’re about the same age. They gave me an important message, and told me to get it off-planet, to Earth. Someone doesn’t want it to leave Mars, though. So they’re chasing me.”
“Someone? Like who?” Sheska asked.
“I don’t know. Ed – Crown Prince Edward – told me not to trust anyone in the government, except for his brother and him. You’re not even part of this planet, so I suppose you’re safe,” Winry jumped as she heard an alarm, and glanced around the corner again.
“Winry Rock-bell, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the government and the abduction of Crown Prince Edward and Prince Alphonse. Come out with your hands in the air, or we will use force.” Sheska saw a number of guards gathering around the corner.
“Kidnapping?” she blurted out.
“Ed said he was going into hiding. They must be framing me for it. He owes me big for this…” Winry turned back to face her. “Listen, just get me to the spaceport, okay? They’ll probably just think you’re my hostage or something.”
“I…” Sheska looked at the girl. She didn’t think she could be a kidnapper. The kidnappers in books were usually large people, with guns. And both of the princes were said to be quite strong in fights, and possessing of the Martian gift of Alchemy. And something was rotten in the state of Mars, if Hughes’s odd request was any indication.
I have to find out what it is, and report back to the Ambassador, whether she’s guilty or not. It’s my duty to give him the information he needs to do his job. “Okay, I’ll help. Follow me.”
This time, she grabbed Winry’s hand, running straight out at the guards, yelling a war cry, and knocking the tables and chairs everywhere. She heard the commander of the guards shout to hold their fire, before he saw that she was with Winry. His command to shoot came too late, and they had already turned the corner in a run for the spaceport.
Sheska saw the cratered face of Phobos and looked at it dubiously. It looked like a pirate’s asteroid base, rather than a safe haven. On the other hand, they were on the run from the law right now.
Winry landed the spaceship with a finesse that would have made a Space Navy pilot green. “I’m going to go outside and check the hull. Stay here, unless you know how to use a space suit.”
Winry lead her to a private hanger towards the back. “I’ve been working on this for a while. She doesn’t look like much, but she’s got it where it counts,” she said as she entered the passcode towards the door. A metal-grey spaceship, about the size of a small house, sat in the hanger. It was unpainted except for the name Rock-Bell’s Wrench. Winry dashed up the gangway, then looked back. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. Thanks, Earthling.”
“It’s Sheska. Sheska Squires.” Sheska told her. She walked up the gangway. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else?”
“I should be fine. Look for me in the papers, being rewarded for service to the Technocracy.” Winry gave her a wry grin.
The hanger door crashed open with a clang. “Surrender, Rock-bell!” The commander of the guards had found them.
“You again?” Winry commented. “I thought I had lost you.”
Sheska jumped. “Let’s get out of here!” she yelled.
“Couldn’t’ve said it better myself.” Winry closed the hatch. “Get into a seat. We’re taking off now, before they mobilize the fighters.”
Sheska had found the food stores, and was munching on a snack when Winry came back inside. “So, what now?”
“I’m going to try to make it to Earth – we have barely enough fuel for that, even with what I can scavenge here.” Winry moved to examine the gauges and dials in the cockpit.
“Hold it… Winry can I ask you a favor?” Sheska asked.
“What is it?”
“Ambasdsador Hughes… I think he knows something. If he does, he and his whole family will be in danger. Can we please make sure he’s safe before we leave?”
“What does he know, anyway?” Winry had opened a panel and had taken a wrench from her jumpsuit.
“I don’t know. He told me to give a package to the Royal Family today – right before I met you. I gave it to the Lady Trisha…”
Winry dropped her wrench. It clanged against the panel, but she didn’t notice. “You didn’t…”
“What? Ambassador Hughes said-“
“Ed warned me that something was up with Her Majesty… to, under no circumstances, tell her anything. Where he and Al were, especially. If you knew him, you’d be able to tell how broken up he was over having to say he couldn’t trust his own mother.” Winry retrieved her wrench. “We’re going to have to sneak back to Mars. The Ambassador is in danger.”
Theme: A screaming comes across the sky
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist (Alternate universe)
Characters: Sheska, Winry (may get shippy later), Hughes. Minor appearance by Trisha Elric, and Dante does an unnamed cameo. Mention of the other Hughes and Elrics.
Rating: PG
“You’re going to get us all killed!”
“I know what I’m doing. Now, be quiet while I evade these fighters.”
It hadn’t started out like this, Sheska mused, as she clung to the armrests of the copilot’s seat. In fact, today had given no real indication it was special at all.
She had woken up to the rays of rosy sunlight through her window, and the sounds of children playing. She slipped on a robe as she walked over to the window – apparently Elysia Hughes had a play date with some of the Martian children, and they apparently had invented some sort of tag game, played by running back and forth, from the green lawns of the Earth Embassy to the black, spongy ground cover that grew all over Syritis Major. The ambassador was out there with a vid-recorder, clearly enjoying his weekend.
Sheska smiled, taking her time as she dressed. Ambassador Hughes would be back to work soon enough – only Elysia could distract him for long, and even that was not a foolproof plan. She had already caught a glimpse of Gracia Hughes coming out to call Elysia and her husband to breakfast as she turned to leave.
Sure enough, once she had dressed and brushed her hair, and had grabbed a cup of tea and a biscuit from the embassy’s kitchen, she could already hear Hughes at work. She entered his office. “Good morning, Ambassador.”
“Ah, good morning, Sheska! I got some excellent tape of Elysia’s play date today!” He smiles at her, holding his recorder. “Would you like to see it?”
“Maybe later, sir.”
“She’s just a regular little diplomat, my Elysia. She has her mother’s charm.” He nodded, and put away the recorder. “But, I suppose there is work to be done. I’m going to need you to run this over to the Palace. Sensitive information, you understand – I can’t trust it over video-phone lines.” He stood up, going to a large wedding picture, and lifting up the frame to reveal a safe. “I can trust you where I keep my secure documents, can’t I, Sheska?”
“Yes, Ambassador,” Sheska saw that the safe had a keypad on it. She looked away as Hughes entered the password.
A chime sounded, and Hughes opened the safe, taking out a brown paper package. “Take this to the Palace and see that a member of the Royal Family gets it. Don’t give it to anyone else.” He handed the package to her. She felt the shape of computer tape spools beneath the paper.
“Yes, sir, Ambassador.” Sheska nodded, turning to leave. “You can count on me.”
Sheksa stifled a scream as she suddenly noticed that the color above her head wasn’t the rosy pale of the Martian sky or the black of space, but the dark umber of the ground. She saw Winry jump.
“Don’t distract me like that – I know what I’m doing,” Winry told her. The space-fighter righted itself, and darted between two of the fighters. Sheska closed her eyes – there was no way they would make it to Phobos.
The Martian Palace was an ancient building, full of delicate glassy spires, improbably thin looking, but sturdy in the low gravity. It was built next to the city’s main canal, allowing the grounds to be covered in lavish red and yellow flowers. She had shown the palace guards her identi-card, stating that she was Ambassador Hughes’s aide, and allowing her access.
“The Technocrat is away on business, and his sons are studying with their tutor, but the Lady Trisha can be found in the west solar,” one of them told her. “Do you need a guide, Earthling?”
“No… I’ve been to the Palace before. Thank you, though.” The west solar was a common informal meeting room for the Royal Family and the ambassador and his staff. It was a bit of a walk, but walking through the Palace was not a burden. The proximity to the canal system, and the advanced Martian technology meant the dust was not a problem, and the air smelled moist instead of dry. Sunlight danced though the outer walls, as is she was walking through a crystal. She stopped to admire one of the ceiling glass mosaics, depicting a view of the Solar System, when she nearly bumped into a passing noble.
“I am so sorry,” Sheska apologized. The noble wasn’t someone she recognized, but she was still learning the names and faces of the planet’s government.
The woman sniffed a bit. “You aren’t just here to gawk at our windows, Earthling?”
Sheska looked at the woman – her hair was pulled back, invisible though the elaborate cap she wore, but she could see the Martian antennae sticking up through them. Her robes were equally elaborate, black with blue and violet embroidery work.
“Oh, no, ma’am. Er… ” Sheska held up Hughes’s package. “The Ambassador asked me to deliver something for him.”
“I see…” the woman said. “May I ask what?"
“Information for the Royal Family. I’m sorry, it’s all a bit classified.” Sheska apologized again.
“I see…” the woman repeated. “Well, you best not keep the Royal Family waiting. Go on, then.”
“Oh, right!” Sheska nodded, and took off running.
Another left and right put her at the entrance to the solar. She peaked inside, seeing the Lady Trisha tending to the plants basking in the weak Martian sun. Sheska recognized a number of varieties from Earth. “Excuse me?” She didn’t appear to be noticed. “Lady Trisha?”
Trisha turned to look at Sheska. Sheska noted that she had adopted the Mars nobility’s fashion of loose robes, though her bare head left no illusions that she wasn’t an Earthling. “Oh? I didn’t hear you come in. You’re one of the ambassador’s people, right?”
“Yes ma’am… er, Your Majesty,” Sheska nodded. “Ambassador Hughes asked me to give you this. You might want to make sure you’re alone or with the Technocrat when you open it. He did say it was sensitive information.”
“Of course, dear,” Trisha took the proffered package and looked at it thoughtfully. “But, I’m sure the Ambassador has other tasks for you to do today. Run along now.” Sheska nodded, as she bowed and left the room.
Sheska opened her eyes when she heard Winry give a shout. They weren’t dead! The fighters were being left in their metaphorical dust as the sky turned from pink to black. “Phobos, here we come! We can refuel there and take a breather.”
Sheska realized she was holding her breath and let it out. “Well, as long as we’re not being shot at, I’ll be happy.”
She had stopped at an open-air café for lunch after her stomach told her that it waited for no diplomacy. She picked up a bit of meat with her chopsticks. It tasted like some one had decided to mix Cajun and Thai food together in a blender with a boatload of chili peppers for color. She stood up, nearly knocking the table over, in her haste to flag a waiter for water. Not seeing any outside, she gasped as she went into the building, looking desperately for someone who could help her.
She nearly ran into a Martian, a girl about her age. “Watch where you’re going!” she yelled. Sheska saw her glance behind her and swear. “No time…” She pulled Sheska into an alley next to the café.
Sheska tried to swallow, and get her voice back. “Who are you?” she managed to gasp out. “What’s going on?”
The girl peaked behind the corner. “I think I lost them. Hey, you’re with the Embassy, aren’t you? Can you get me to the spaceport, Earthling?”
“Well, I… not until you tell me what’s going on!” Sheska protested.
The girl sighed, sitting down. “My name is Winry Rock-bell. I work in the Palace – my grandmother is the head of the Ministry of Technology and a close advisor to the Technocrat. I know the princes pretty well, since we’re about the same age. They gave me an important message, and told me to get it off-planet, to Earth. Someone doesn’t want it to leave Mars, though. So they’re chasing me.”
“Someone? Like who?” Sheska asked.
“I don’t know. Ed – Crown Prince Edward – told me not to trust anyone in the government, except for his brother and him. You’re not even part of this planet, so I suppose you’re safe,” Winry jumped as she heard an alarm, and glanced around the corner again.
“Winry Rock-bell, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the government and the abduction of Crown Prince Edward and Prince Alphonse. Come out with your hands in the air, or we will use force.” Sheska saw a number of guards gathering around the corner.
“Kidnapping?” she blurted out.
“Ed said he was going into hiding. They must be framing me for it. He owes me big for this…” Winry turned back to face her. “Listen, just get me to the spaceport, okay? They’ll probably just think you’re my hostage or something.”
“I…” Sheska looked at the girl. She didn’t think she could be a kidnapper. The kidnappers in books were usually large people, with guns. And both of the princes were said to be quite strong in fights, and possessing of the Martian gift of Alchemy. And something was rotten in the state of Mars, if Hughes’s odd request was any indication.
I have to find out what it is, and report back to the Ambassador, whether she’s guilty or not. It’s my duty to give him the information he needs to do his job. “Okay, I’ll help. Follow me.”
This time, she grabbed Winry’s hand, running straight out at the guards, yelling a war cry, and knocking the tables and chairs everywhere. She heard the commander of the guards shout to hold their fire, before he saw that she was with Winry. His command to shoot came too late, and they had already turned the corner in a run for the spaceport.
Sheska saw the cratered face of Phobos and looked at it dubiously. It looked like a pirate’s asteroid base, rather than a safe haven. On the other hand, they were on the run from the law right now.
Winry landed the spaceship with a finesse that would have made a Space Navy pilot green. “I’m going to go outside and check the hull. Stay here, unless you know how to use a space suit.”
Winry lead her to a private hanger towards the back. “I’ve been working on this for a while. She doesn’t look like much, but she’s got it where it counts,” she said as she entered the passcode towards the door. A metal-grey spaceship, about the size of a small house, sat in the hanger. It was unpainted except for the name Rock-Bell’s Wrench. Winry dashed up the gangway, then looked back. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. Thanks, Earthling.”
“It’s Sheska. Sheska Squires.” Sheska told her. She walked up the gangway. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else?”
“I should be fine. Look for me in the papers, being rewarded for service to the Technocracy.” Winry gave her a wry grin.
The hanger door crashed open with a clang. “Surrender, Rock-bell!” The commander of the guards had found them.
“You again?” Winry commented. “I thought I had lost you.”
Sheska jumped. “Let’s get out of here!” she yelled.
“Couldn’t’ve said it better myself.” Winry closed the hatch. “Get into a seat. We’re taking off now, before they mobilize the fighters.”
Sheska had found the food stores, and was munching on a snack when Winry came back inside. “So, what now?”
“I’m going to try to make it to Earth – we have barely enough fuel for that, even with what I can scavenge here.” Winry moved to examine the gauges and dials in the cockpit.
“Hold it… Winry can I ask you a favor?” Sheska asked.
“What is it?”
“Ambasdsador Hughes… I think he knows something. If he does, he and his whole family will be in danger. Can we please make sure he’s safe before we leave?”
“What does he know, anyway?” Winry had opened a panel and had taken a wrench from her jumpsuit.
“I don’t know. He told me to give a package to the Royal Family today – right before I met you. I gave it to the Lady Trisha…”
Winry dropped her wrench. It clanged against the panel, but she didn’t notice. “You didn’t…”
“What? Ambassador Hughes said-“
“Ed warned me that something was up with Her Majesty… to, under no circumstances, tell her anything. Where he and Al were, especially. If you knew him, you’d be able to tell how broken up he was over having to say he couldn’t trust his own mother.” Winry retrieved her wrench. “We’re going to have to sneak back to Mars. The Ambassador is in danger.”