Kikata let out a long sigh of relief. There it was, the green and blue gem of Teralist. They had spent the last week lazily drifting around the uncharted sector of space. They had been given a five day leave, as far as Kikata was concerned that wasn't long enough.
"So this is it huh?"
"Yes. This is home." Kikata said as a smile continued to spread wider across her lips.
"And what a damn good sight it is!" Fisc said from behind Kikata's shoulder.
They watched silently as the ship made its decent into the Teralist atmosphere. The sky had opened up into a perfectly clear day to accept them, the bright blue waters below sparkling brightly in the warm day. Richard was shocked at how massive the expanse of forest was below them, the only breaks in the green landscape being the long blue river and the equally massive body of water in the distance. They skimmed across the tall tree line until a large white structure came into view. It was the Neko home base.
The large structure looked almost like plastic as it shone in the bright afternoon sun. It's walls were almost completely white and smooth, hardly a sharp edge visible on the entire base. The architecture almost reminded Richard of the ancient Indian temples as the tall watch towers were often topped with a rounded dome.
The ship entered the massive base, taking its place among the countless other starships in the docking bay. They were met by a team of workers who were sent to help remove Fisc's equipment and instal it into his new ship. Richard and Kikata gathered their own small bags of belongings.
"Well." Fisc started as they prepared to exit the ship, "It has been an honor to serve with...erm..."
"Nova Force." Kikata said with a grin.
"Yes, Nova Force. But alas Fiscious is a one man army."
"And it was a pleasure to have a third guard on the team." Kikata said leaning in for a hug, "We will see you?"
"Of course. I'll be in town for at least two days while my ship is being prepped."
"Could show Richard the night life." Kikata laughed.
"You mean take him off your hands?" Fisc said with a wink.
"I take it theres no human town where I can pretend to be among my own kind?" Richard called up.
Kikata shook her head, "No, just us Neko's. Whats wrong? Sick of us already?" She asked with an arched brow.
"You have no idea." Richard said folding his arms.
Kikata rolled her eyes, "Well I received a message from my parents. They want to see both of you over for dinner, they are curious to see whose asses I have been keeping out of trouble for the past month."
"After your debriefing." A rough voice called from behind. The Neko's ears fell as they realized the General had snuck up behind them.
They quickly spun towards him, straightening their posture, "Sir." Kikata said.
"Fiscious you may report to your squad leader. Kikata, Richard, you come with me."
"Yes sir." Fisc barked, giving one final nod towards Richard and Kikata before leaving the ship.
~ ~ ~ ~
Kikata's heart pounded heavily in her ears as she awaited the generals arrival to his office. She tapped her fingers on her knee and rocked slightly in her chair, her upper teeth digging into her bottom lip tightly.
"Relax." Richard said, eyeing her for a moment, "You look like your waiting for a jury hearing."
"I can't. I've been freaking out about this for a two weeks now! What if they suspend me! What if they take away my ship!"
"Nothing like that is going to happen." Richard assured her.
Kikata struggled not to drop her ears as the General entered the office. "Welcome back." Was his opening comment, light hearted enough. The old man dropped himself into a wide chair, eyeing the two guards for a few moments.
"Any new reports?"
"N-No sir." Kikata said, "But we have the logs from that station." She nudged Richard forward.
"Oh right." Richard grunted, glaring back up towards Kikata before stepping forward himself. He held out the small box.
"Hang onto that, we will get another copy from your computers." The General cleared his throat, "So. About your exploits."
"Sir." Kikata managed to blurt out, the blood running from her cheeks.
He leaned back and slid open a drawer. He outstretched his arm and set a molded piece of metal before her. A wrinkled grin spread across his lips.
"T-This is-"
"That's right. A red star for your fast thinking and quick actions. If it weren't for you Guard Fiscious might not be alive right now. Or he would be hopelessly lost in a dark region of space."
Kikata was in shock as she accepted the medal, "I-I don't know what to say..."
"And this." The General continued. He placed down another metal emblem, "An ambassadors pendant. We were impressed with what we heard about your negotiating skills on planet 999 3754, now known as Kikantansu."
Kikata had to blink to avoid a joyous tear from running down her cheek, "I-It is named after me?"
"Of course." The General chuckled, "We have sent a party of ambassadors there just last night, to officially accept the locals into the Alliance."
The Generals gaze shifted towards Richard, "And of course we have not forgotten about your exploits Richard. We have ordered a smaller version of the Red Star for you as well. The United Nations on Earth has been alerted of this."
The General took a deep breath, "But onto some more pressing matters. It may not surprise you to hear that our growing threat, otherwise known as the New Order, has increased their hostile activity in the past two weeks. Following the unfortunate assault on two Nova Guard ships prior to your leave they have directly bombarded a station. Casualties were minimal but they are certainly pressing their message." He leaned back in his chair, "Because of your actions we reassigned you a new route. One that will put you where we think they might be moving next."
"I see, sir."
"You are free to engage the enemy, but I do advise you use the most extreme caution." The General let his words sink in for a few moments, "If this is too much responsibility you may resign yourself to your previous routes. But enjoy your leave, that is all."
~ ~ ~ ~
An hour later Richard and Kikata were on their way to the lake side city, where Kikata was born and raised. They had boarded a large transport vehicle similar to a train, though it did not run on any tracks at all. Instead it glided just over the treetops along rows of officially marked poles.
"Can you believe it!" Kikata said eyeing her two new medals, "Two! I've got two medals already!"
"Told you there was nothing to worry about." Richard chuckled. He had seated himself backwards on her shoulder so he could look out the large window into the outside world.
Kikata nodded, it felt so strange to be home again. All the sights were so familiar but at the same time she felt so out of place. She was happy to be home, thrilled even. While she was overwhelmingly excited that not only had she not gotten into trouble, but she was awarded for her exploits, she was worried of the added burden they had acquired. Their new route would put them right into the path of danger, a danger she was still unsure she was ready to face.
But for now she would ignore it, she had five days to spend by the beach with her husband to be and her family. They entered the city, the buildings very similar to that of the large base. Simplicity was their style. Simplicity and smooth round edges. Richard recognized the tight fitting, spandex like clothes on most of the residents. The males wearing thicker versions but often remained in single piece jump suits.
The train like vehicle lowered itself to a stop in the town center. Kikata paraded herself through her old town proudly in her Nova Guard uniform, Richard perched on her shoulder like a small pet. He caught an odd glance from just about every passerby who saw them. He felt as if he should be used to it, after all he had been surrounded by these big creatures for over a month now. But now he was with locals. People who only saw Neko's, with alien visitors only visiting on off occasions. Of course his small stature only added to his strange appearance.
"We're home!" Kkata sighed turning left onto a long walkway that looked as if it was made from marble.
"Oh wow." Richard mumbled, the house was absolutely massive. And not just massive because it was a Neko home. This house made most of the surrounding structures look minuscule.
"It's a bit over the top yes." Kikata said as they approached the front door, "But most of our family lives there so we fill up the space."
She took hold of the door, however before she could pull it open herself it seemed to fling open on its own, a small crowd of Neko's staring out at them.
"Kikata!" A high voice shrieked excitedly. A shorter female jumped forward, her black hair and golden eyes uncannily similar to Kikata's.
"Family!" Kikata said in her native tongue as she was engulfed into the group.
Giantess World
Nova Force by Ginbug