The Warubozu Usagi

11.16 pm

The Black Flea remains parked on Mars, at Colony 0011

Before completing the purchase of the microship they found on Galaxylist, Wu-chan and Syvil decide to take a test flight from Colony 0011 to Colony 0108. On the way, they stopped at a site Wu-chan wanted to look at as a prospective homestead for the crew. On their way back, things did not go well.

(alarms going off)

WU: What's that?

S: Did I read the ship's manual? No. Did I have time to read the ship's manual? No. Do I look like I can read an entire 120 page ship's manual in five minutes? No...

WU: (interrupting) Yeah...got your point 10 minutes ago.

S: (pointing to the control panel in front) What's that blinking yellow thing?

WU: (looking closer) Check Engine light. Ooh, now it's flashing red.

(both engines cut off)

S: (!) Masaka?!?

WU: Can we make it back to 108?

S: Do I look like a flight engineer who has been operating on Mars for the last few years, and through all that experience, possess the capacity to properly judge the quality of the aerodynamics of this ship, the effect of wind and gravity, to give you an answer?

WU: Way more than me.

S: ...

WU: Okay, okay. Executive decision: We're staying on course to 11.

S: I think we're closer to 108, though.

WU: Well then, change of executive decision: We're headed back to 108.

(another alarm goes off)

S: Too late. We're landing now.

WU: What? Why?

S: We're stalling.

WU: Honto?

S: (focused on trying to land the microship) Hai.

WU: (looks Syvil in the eyes) Syvil, in these remaining moments we have left, I just want you to know that, well, I've always wanted you to be around me. I mean, I've always wanted to have Red and Shoko around me too. That's why I asked and begged the three of you to join me. I just, well, I mean, I really enjoy being around you the most. It's not just that I admire you and think you're the most amazing person I know. What I'm trying to say is that when I look at you, all I want to do is to give you...

S: We've landed.

WU: ...hug you and thank you for being an amazing pilot!!!

(Syvil could not get a signal on her phone despite swapping out her SIM. The networks on Mars are — still — sparse the further away you get from the colonies. It would take a full day of walking before they got a signal and called the Black Flea for help, and another 2 hours before the chronicles of Friday and Saturday could be transmitted and received.)

---

— The Warubozu Usagi