The Hydora Campaign

Parino Zairine


She frowned as he placed his hand on her forehead. "I took shower, got tired, took short nap, feels like five minutes." She yawned, stretched and just watched him as he got up. Husband. The word was still new to her, the idea still new to her, the concept still new to her- even the feelings and emotions he stirred within her were new to her but she knew she liked it. She liked the way that she mattered to someone. She was more than a clone, more than just a repeat of something that had been around before; she was a person, she had an identity and apparently someone liked that identity that he wanted to be around it all the time.


Love, marriage, the possible future option of children, they had never occurred to her before meeting him and now she would be bereft-what an odd word- without him. She sighed, tossed the blankets aside and rose from the bed. "We no have enough pizza for all of Hydra. Just enough for the four, we may need order more." Nakedness had never made her feel immodest and it had never been something about which she felt embarrassed. Nakedness was just a natural state of being and putting clothes on was for purely practical reasons. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of violet, however, as she moved about the room looking for clothes to wear. There was a whole different aspect to being naked with her husband that was, in a word, delicious. She caught a glint in his eye that she was learning to recognize and she figured she better hurry and dress before their guests arrived.


"Come," she said once she had a bright and cheerful sun dress, "feed me pineapple." She rose up on her feet a little, wrapped her arms about his waist and gave him a kiss. "Your wife is hunger- has hunger, is hungry."
 
At the sight of his wife and baby daughter, Yoshi's world devolved from the hard stances and sharp movements of his katas to a softer, fuzzier place. Barely noticing Hiro's bow, and offering little more than a token bob of the head out of habit, he stepped off the mat, wrapped an arm around Sharon and gently kissed her. Then he scooped Sakura out of her mother's arms and lovingly kissed her forehead, reveling in the unique scent of his child. The baby blinked myopically at him, before turning her head in toward him and settling herself more comfortably. He barely noticed Evangeline and only really became aware of his surroundings as he heard Sharon taking about 'riding with Hiro'. Yoshi's brow furrowed and he got her to repeat herself. She sighed and, knowing well enough how his brain turned to slurry around Sakura, repeated the entire conversation she'd had with Hiro and Evangeline back to him.


"They stood down the Valkyries? That's a shame, but better stood down than losing pilots to a faulty launch system. And getting back into the cockpit of an Alpha or Beta, even with this new technology, should be something of a homecoming, I suppose.", he said, smiling wistfully, "And, no, I won't have a problem with you GIB-ing with Hiro. I think today's craziness was something he'd only do if his own life were on the line. If he's also flying with a wife and mother, I get the feeling his flying style would be far more defensive."
 
Luke calls Hiro on the intercom "I will be over in a little bit" A few minutes later there is a knock at the door with Luke waiting to be let in.


Feels like Hydra really is family now we all are allies on the battlefield but we all find time to have fun and live our lives. Thank god that I was assigned to this squadron.
 
Hiro calls and orders more pizza, hoping that Hydra can finally start bonding as a group. He and Zairine, Sharon and Yoshi...the four of them were tight. Luke was still an unknown, hanging out on the fringes as Hiro himself had not so very long ago. Captain Forrest had become...withdrawn. That was worriesome. Hiro hoped they'd be able to figure out how to help him settle in as the leader of their family. And Evangeline...was Evangeline. Her talents were useful, no point in denying it.


For now, he curled his arms around his wife, relishing the memory of her as she was a moment ago. "I'll feed you anything you ask for, my love." He kisses her brow, then leads her into the kitchen and the waiting bowl of pineapple.
 
Parino Zairine


The pineapples smelled like heaven on earth. Not waiting for Hiro to even put them in a different bowl or a plate, she grabbed what he pulled out of the fridge and popped a piece of the fruit into her mouth and chewed. "Oh, that's good." She bit into another piece. "Why I no have before? Is really good, you should try some. You will like, but not this, this is mine." She gave him an arched look, almost daring him to fight her for the right to have a piece of pineapple. She hurriedly popped three more pieces into her mouth, smiling as she did. The juice from the hurriedly eaten fruit began to dribble from her weakened lips which made her start to laugh. "Is too juice," she mumbled between the fruit. Even so she grabbed another one and popped it into her mouth, chewing all the while. Amusement infused her face as she gave her husband a look even as he brought her a towel to clean her face.
 
Yoshi shifted the quietly snoring infant into a better position as he tapped gently on the door to the Hiroaki quarters. He and Sharon had taken a slightly circuitous route to their quarters, since Yoshi had wanted to take one last look at his old bird before she was shipped off to who knows where. He also took the chance to press Sakura's hand against the Valkyrie's airframe. It had been something his father had done with him the first day he'd gotten his orders to fly his VF-1, though Yoshi had been old enough to touch the Veritech himself.


Sakura had not seemed quite as impressed at the momentous occasion, wrinkling her little nose and yawning gummily. On the walk back to the married quarters, she'd snuggled into her father's arms and fallen asleep. Yoshi had resisted Sharon's offer to take the baby back, her slight weight in his arms was something he wanted to treasure for as long as he possibly could.
 
At her look Hiro tosses the towel to one side, grabs her and starts kissing her face, only to have the doorbell chime. "Saved by the bell, in this case literally." He grins and goes to the door to find Luke there. "Come in, Luke. We were just having some pineapple. Pizza round one will be here any minute. Round two will be another 30 minutes or so. Water and juice are in the fridge, help yourself." Hiro escorts the other pilot to the kitchen.
 
Parino Zairine


She glared hatefully at the door and had a moment of pure, unadulterated hate for whomever had disturbed them. Then she realized it might be the pizza. She was quite excited by the prospect and if her face showed disappointment that it was only Luke, it was only because she really wanted pizza. She continued to eat her pineapple, giving her husband a look that promised all sorts of private entertainment once their guests were gone.


She continued to eat her pineapple, careful to let juices run down her chin this time. She was about to follow the men into the kitchen when a knock sounded on the door. She turned around and opened it, expecting the pizza. Instead Yoshi, Sharon, and, more importantly Sakura were at the door.


<<Finally! You bring her to me! Give me my little commander in training.>> Her pineapple forgotten she shoved the bowl at Sharon who had a free hand and excised the infant from her father's arms. Smiling she put Sakura on her hip and began to talk to her, refusing to speak in anything other than Zentraedi. <<Hiro, look who I have! I have our little Sakura! She's only the prettiest baby in the entire cosmos, aren't you? And we're still waiting on the others,>> she explained to Sakura, <<Which is why we're not eating yet, but we're also not eating because the food isn't here yet. And just wait until you're old enough to eat solid foods then you can try pizza! And hamburgers, and all sorts of amazing human food! Hiro, come say hello to Sakura!>>
 
<<Hello, tiny Sakura. How be you today? Uncle Hiro still learning to speak Zentraedi.>> The doorbell chimes and this time it's the pizza. After tipping the delivery boy, Hiro wheels into the kitchen and starts serving, making sure their guests are served, then serving Zairine himself...with a long kiss promising more tonight. Then he waves the others to what seats they can find.


"Let us celebrate another successful mission!"
 
Parino Zairine


She smiled indulgently at both man and child. <<Uncle Hiro is learning quickly.>> The doorbell rang and she bounced Sakura. <<That's our dinner. Well, it's mine, not yours. Yours comes from your mother.>> She watched as Hiro started to serve their guests pizza and she couldn't help but think they really needed a salad, maybe some bread. Next time, she would remember next time. Of course, this was a spur of the moment kind of thing but really, she should have better provisions in the house. She made a mental note to make sure that she would be better prepared food wise.


And then Hiro came to her with a plate of pizza. It had everything she loved on it- inlcuding that strange sausage Hiro called linguisa. He said it was Italian- whatever that was. She readily accepted his kiss, balancing man, baby, and food with an alacrity that was surprising. The look in her husband's eye promised that there was more of that once they were alone again. Her belly began to flutter at the thought. And then it began to flutter for a different reason. The pizza smelled wrong and she looked at it in disappointment. She tentatively sniffed it and made a face. She took a tiny bite and the sausage alone nearly made her swoon.


She set Sakura down on the ground and handed her something that made noise when shook and she went into the kitchen where she methodically began to take off every single piece of sausage. It still smelled funny but she ate a slice anyway. She put the rest back into the box and went to look for her bowl of pineapple. Sharon had set it down next to the couch and she picked up the bowl of pineapple. She sat down next to her husband, happily eating the fruite he had gotten. The offensive scent of the sausage wasn't so bad when all she could smell was pineapple.
 
Dr. Evangeline Crowley


"Casual...casual casual caj u all..." Standing at her closet door, Crowley was running behind. Almost all of her clothes had been thrown out across her room, leaving a fine layer of various materials.


There was nothing remotely qualifying for the term casual in here. A lack of social functions in her life had left her wardrobe primarily lab coats, suits, and the odd special dress.


She could not show up like this. Everything was a wreck. Dammit.


Still in her gym clothes she sighs and sits down on her bed. The extra firm twin mattress creaking slightly. Reaching for a nearby, half dismantled, communications device she punches in Sharon's code.


"Sharon. This is Evangeline, apologies for the hidden caller ID. I don't think.." A wave of a strange emotion starting to upset her. "I regret to inform you I shall not be able to attend due to lack of proper casual attire. You have my apologies"
 
Luke comes into the house "Hello everyone" He sits himself on a chair. "Thank you for inviting me" he sees that there is no friction with Evagline right now Luke thinks "That is a relief I mean were a squad we cant be fighting all the time" he then adresses a more recent problem "Has anyone seen captain forrest lately


ooc:can't get the italics working
 
As the meal picks up, Luke's question draws Yoshi's attention, "I think I might have a bit of scuttlebutt about Michael, so don't go spreading this-"


He is interrupted by the sound of Sharon's cell. It showed an unregistered number so Sharon, out of habit, flicked it to 'speaker'.


"Sharon. This is Evangeline, apologies for the hidden caller ID. I don't think..", there was a pause, and a suppressed sob?, "I regret to inform you I shall not be able to attend due to lack of proper casual attire. You have my apologies."


Yoshi grabbed the cell and responded, "Evangeline, don't worry about 'proper attire'. Hell, throw on whatever you want and come over. Your presence, not your appropriate attire, is required. If you aren't over here in ten minutes, I'll send Sharon and Zairine to nag you over here."


He smiled then, winking at Sharon.

To get italics, you can either use the I button or use the tags [ i ] stuff you want in italics [ /i ] without the spaces
 
Hiro watches Zairine carefully, his brow wrinkling. Her behavior has been...odd. First the thing with the pineapple, though that had led to some play he wanted very much to follow up on later. But her reaction to the linguisa was just weird. She loved linguisa, but today she steadfastly picked every single bit of it off her pizza. And she looked, well, nauseous when she'd gone to take her first bite. He makes a note to have her see her doctor tomorrow.


Evangeline's call comes in, and he almost chokes. Evangeline sounded genuinely upset at the lack of whatever she considered 'casual'. He steps over to Yoshi and says to the comm, "Evangeline, I apologize for not being clear. Please wear whatever you feel comfortable in and come join us. We have more pizza coming soon, so you'll still be in time for hot food if you hurry."


He goes back to sit with Zairine, leaning against her shoulder-to-shoulder. He watches Yoshi, Sharon and Sakura. Yoshi's different since Sakura was born. Calmer. Ready to watch a situation develop rather than charge in. Wiser, in that sense. Wonder if Zairine and I will ever have a child of our own.
 
Sharon reaches out and takes Sakura from Yoshi and bounces the little green haired girl on her leg. The baby lets out a happy giggle and waves her hands around. "Look honey. She must have your pilot genes in her to want to fly higher and higher. With all of us around to teach her, she is going to end up the best damn pilot in the whole fleet! I just wish we had more kids for Sakura to play with, but, from what I've been hearing, Margaret Cho on the Command Deck might be preggers. She's been hanging out with Ruben James a lot, so they may be the next parents on the Foxhound. At least, if Mags is pregnant, Sakura will have someone around her own age to grow up with. What about you guys? Do you have any plans to start your own family? It would be great to see a little one from the two of you."
 
Parino Zairine


She shrugged, and looked mournfully into her empty bowl. "Is hard yes? We see, is fate. We let fate decide." She glanced at her husband. "Maybe in year, if time is right. I heard is best to wait year before having a baby. Doctor wants me to come in next week and discuss that. Hiro and I need to talk if I want shot."
 
Sharon nods. "Yes, being a first time mother is hard, but I learn a little more about it every day. You would have the added burden of being unfamiliar with pregnancy and childbirth, since the Zentraedi are a clone species, but you have a ship full of friends and family that will be there to teach you and help you with everything you will need. I just can't wait for those special moments in Sakura's life, like the first time she is able to say 'I love you', or her first steps. Even with all the lost sleep and headaches of not knowing what is going on when she starts to cry, I wouldn't trade Sakura for all the ships in the fleet."
 
Dr. Evangeline Crowley


Evangeline hangs up the line, re coding her jury rigged com device so it could not be used and looks around the mess of an apartment. Sighing about her action she grabs a rather archaic digital voice recorder.


"Subject is offered assistance and given comforting words. Signs of possible social relationships are definitely there and not in the subjects mind as was the case before, see File 3445-C Subject:...Myself, and it is making the subject wonder if she is forsaking research of important studies for those of a less pressing matter. Possible harness influence is noted, the use of nanomachines in my blood coinciding with increases in joining social gatherings. Subject has even made a passing flirtatious comment to my equivalent Dr. Stubbins during recent performance reviews. A possibility of the nanites repairing a pre existing undiagnosed condition is there. Or perhaps the intervention of some sort of higher power and or telepathic resonance from experiments. Will investigate further after I find something I consider casual to wear....purchase clothing in the near future."


She clicks the device off for a few moments then turns it back on. "...And request maid service as well....disregard that...too much sensitive material here"


Clicking the device off for good, Crowley opts for one of her clean jumpsuits. Dissatisfied, she simply rolls the sleeves up. Pulling her hair back and securing it into place, she deemed this comfortable for herself and left her apartment. Locking each lock in turn, all manual and disconnected from the ship's mainframe, Evangeline sets off at a good pace for the apartment of her recent subject.


The all too familiar buzzer is there to greet her. Nearly an entire night she poured over the blueprints of the infernal device, attempting to find a way to properly bug it. The lack of progress had depressed her and no further attempts had yet been made. More lackadaisical behavior. A disturbing trend.


Making a rather angry face for a moment, she presses the button in.


"Dr.Evangeline Crowley. I do hope I have hurried in time to receive hot food." Her thumb releases, admiring the crack in the plastic from the overload of applied pressure. The device deserved it.
 
Hiro looks at Zairine, then Sharon. "We...talked about it. I would like children. My brother and sister-" Hiro chops the sentence off, face going briefly rigid. He clears his throat. "They were irritations at times, but I miss them. We had a lot of fun growing up. Zairine isn't sure yet. And I respect that. We've been as careful as we can be, and she has an appointment like she said. Sakura does need friends her own age. I'd hate to think what she'd be like with just us old people to deal with every day." He smiles.


The doorbell rings, and cuts out. Hiro goes to the door, puzzled. Opening it he finds Evangeline outside, the doorbell cracked. "Um, come in, Evangeline. Pizzas will be here any time. There's some of the first round left as well, I believe." He ushers her in, and then examines the doorbell again. It was fine a moment ago... He shakes his head. He'll call maintenance and see if they can fix it. He rejoins the others, sitting with his arm around Zairine. In the swirl of conversation he leans over and whispers in her ear, "Are you alright, my love? You didn't look so great when you went to eat that pizza."
 
As the doctor entered, Yoshi smiles and said, "I'm glad you came, Evangeline. Hydra squad's not quite the same without you."


As she seated herself, Yoshi continued his previous conversation, "Anyway, about Michael. I heard fro a reasonably reliable source, -coughcough Taeger coughcough- that Admiral Kutsukov has been looking closely at Michael's tactical planning skills in regard to a fleet command position. A CAG position on a Tristar. It's reasonable to assume they'll be trialing him on something smaller, like here on Foxhound maybe."
 
Hiro looks at Yoshi speculatively. "If that's true....who would they tap for Captain Forrest spot here in Hydra, then?" Hiro thinks about that for a minute. Promoting from within is a tradition, and Yoshi would make a good captain. But does he have enough time in grade? What would having a newcomer in charge be like? He looks at Zairine and smiles. It will never be bad as long as she is by his side.
 
Parino Zairine


She liked his scent, it was soothing and pleasing and did much to combat the linguisa. She leaned against him. "I know not, maybe virus. I no never been but is strange. I feel as if my stomach would like to make backward food consumption. What is word when you get sick? Is it sick? But comes in waves," she whispered back. "Worry not Hiro."


She then turned, placed a hand on his arm. "Will you, when we're alone, tell me of brother and sister? I never knew you had them. Maybe when next pizza comes, I have more."
 
Hiro nods as she talks. "It's called vomiting or getting sick to your stomach. I- I'm sorry. I should have talked more of my family. We'll talk tonight."


Once the others have left for the evening, Hiro takes Zairine in his arms and pulls her onto his lap on the couch. "I don't talk about my family much, do I, my love? When the first Factory Ship appeared above Earth my town was one of those turned into a smoking crater. Everyone I knew was gone in an instant. I was in England going to school, so I survived. I nearly- I nearly joined my family out of despair. Then I heard that recruits were needed to fight those who did that to us. I signed up that day. I studied and trained so hard I didn't have time for socializing. My squadron soon nicknamed me Ghost because I only appeared for flights. They never seemed to see me arrive or depart. About the only place I could be found realiably was the library, learning more about the Veritechs.


"My assignment to Hydra was a fortunate one. Everyone accepted me...encouraged me. No one bothered me about my past if I didn't offer...just accepted my performance for what it was. And then...I met you. Yoshi was already showing me how much we need family, and I'd been hiding from mine. Those dead and those here in Hydra. And you-" He breaks off, voice going hoarse.


"You are the kind of person my brother and sister would have wanted for a sister-in-law, I think. My brother was a chemist, working to find new cures for diseases using natural and artificial constructs. My sister was a lawyer. She was a public defender in our town, fighting for the rights even of those guilty of a crime. My father was a police officer, my mother a doctor. And- and I can only hope that I become the man my father was to my mother."


He kisses her on the nose, then the mouth...then leans in and kisses everywhere there's a trace of pineapple juice. "I think that's enough talking for tonight...don't you?"
 
Parino Zairine


It felt good to be curled up close to him. Their guests had gone to find their own private moments, or to find not so private moments as their desire would lead them. But for now it was just her, her husband and the closeness of their lives. She gazed at the double rings she wore on her left hand. It was once believed that the third finger on the left hand held a vein that went directly to the heart. It didn't, but she figured that modern women enjoyed the illusion as it was one of love.


His family. He'd never spoken of his family. She felt her heart ache for those he had lost. She'd never had a family before, had never understood the concept before Hydra, before Yoshi-brother had decided Sharon was like a sister to her. Such relationships had been alien to her. Love had been most alien of all. These humans and their strange concepts were puzzling at times. She twisted the double bands on her finger, a habit she had only recently developed.


Hiro was quiet and somber and she decided that she wanted him to have that again. She could never give him the family he had once lost but she had decided that she would give him a large family, as large as they could easily support at any rate; she had heard children were expensive to maintain. But she wanted to drown him in family.


"I am glad you never joined your family in death. Where would I be? Still wonder what love is." She gives him a kiss. One he returns on the nose, then her mouth then all over, causing her to giggle.


"I think that's enough of talking for tonight, don't you?"


They would discuss his family more and she would make sure that two more pictures joined his parents in the shrine he had for them and she would help him remember them in goodness, not sorrow. And then she lost all powers of thought as his clever fingers made her almost forget how to breathe.
 
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