By Reiku and Retribution

A searing hot wind blew swiftly across the golden-duned desert. The blazing sun beat down upon the numerous sand dunes – all looking very similar. It was midday and the temperature in the desert soared above 45 degrees Celsius.

A tall, lean woman of about 20 walked upon the desert dunes in very short dark blue shorts and a white halter-neck shirt. She had short neon red hair and shimmering golden eyes.
“ Oh damn…where the hell did that part go?”

I can't see anything from up here Sora , said a Phoenix MechAnima that soared far above in the sky. A MechAnima is a battle machine in the shape of various types of animals, this one looked like a giant gold and red eagle, or better known as a phoenix.

“ Ok Blaze, keep looking. It has to be here somewhere my faithful friend. We have to get that engine part to Seram.”

Then, suddenly, a huge Hawk MechAnima swooped low over Sora and then screamed past Blaze.

“ This is restricted airspace! Please turn back now, or you will be attacked! I repeat, this is restricted airspace!” a male voice shouted out over a megaphone. Keiji, a black haired, brown-eyed 21-year-old man, steered his MechAnima to place himself next to Blaze. Blaze looked at the Hawk MechAnima and saw its sleek, swift design – it was perfectly designed for speed. The Phoenix MechAnima was a more offensive MechAnima but some emphasis was on speed.

Restricted air space? Blaze asked.

“ I didn't know this was restricted airspace? When did that happen? It's never been like that,” Sora said, flicking her hair out of her eyes and wiping the sweat from her brow. Blaze looked over at the Hawk and his pilot.

“ Yes, this is restricted airspace! Pull down or be fired upon!” Keiji yelled over the megaphone once again.

Heh…I'd like to see them try. They may be faster than me but I'd like to see them outdo me in the offence sector , Blaze mocked.

“ You have 20 seconds to pull down…” Keiji yelled again.

“ Blaze, I don't want any trouble. We're late enough as it is,” Sora growled.

Aw, you're ruining all my fun Sora , Blaze laughed.

Keiji readied his heat-seeking micro-missiles. Amatu, his Hawk MechAnima, was packed full of them. There was no way the pilot and her Phoenix would get away.

“ You have 15 seconds…”

15 seconds…geez…I could be out of here in 10 seconds flat… Blaze laughed at them.

“ Blaze!” Sora warned.

Oh all right… Blaze grumbled.

“ You have 10 seconds. You will be shot down. Please pull down or turn away!” Keiji warned.

Blaze was still grumbling as he landed on the soft sandy surface of the desert. Sora coughed and spluttered as Blaze landed, spraying sand into her mouth.

“ Thank you for pulling down. Remain in your current location until further notice,” Keiji said as he looked at the landing Phoenix. He lowered Amatu and brought it down next to the red and gold Phoenix. He hopped out of the cockpit and walked towards Sora who had one of her hands on her hip, looking at Keiji expectantly.

“ State your business,” he demanded.

Remain on this location my ass…we have a deadline Sora , Blaze said to his pilot.

“ Blaze, please be quiet!” Sora scolded and Blaze became quiet.

“ Excuse me Miss, please state your business,” Keiji stated. He didn't like being the bad-guy in this situation but it was his job to protect the area of airspace.

Sora stood with her hips on an angle, now with both hands on them.

“ I'm a mercenary on business. My partner here dropped a mechanical part in the desert and now, we are trying to find it,” she explained. She looked purposely at Blaze who rolled his golden mechanical eyes.

Yeah…like it was entirely MY fault! Blaze said sarcastically.

Keiji smiled and pulled out a palm-pilot from one of the many pockets in his army cargo pants. He searched for someone matching Sora's description in the mercenary database he downloaded from his headquarters.

“ You are not in the mercenary database. I'm afraid I can't let you pass. Not without some verification.”

“ Not in the database!” Sora shouted, making Keiji jump, “ Why I outta…”

“ Excuse me ma'am?” Keiji asked quizzically.

Now look who's the flustered one , Blaze mocked.

“ As long as you have verifiable ID, you may pass,” Keiji said, looking expectantly at Sora.

“ Verifiable ID,” Sora quoted, searching her pockets, “ Uh oh …don't tell me…”

“ Hm?”

“ OH DAMMIT! I left it in the cargo holder at home…can this day get any worse?”

“ Well, I guess I could let you pass if you sold me a few thruster parts. It would help me to maintain my reputation as the fastest MechAnima pilot on this side of the Andromeda Arm,” Keiji suggested.

Sora looked stunned. “ You're…you're Keiji Miyamoto?”

“ Yes I am. And you would be?” Keiji asked, surprised that this girl knew who he was.

“ Sora Avian, mercenary of the Arcadian Empire,” Sora stated, standing proudly.

“ Pleased to meet you Ms Avian. You stuttered when you said my name. Have you heard it before?” Keiji asked politely, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanour. He was on duty and was forbidden to disrespect people.

“ Yeah. I've heard rumours and stories from various people. Lets just say you aren't what I expected you to be,” Sora said, withholding a snigger.

“ If I may ask, what did they say about me? That I was some hot-shot or flying ace?” Keiji suggested.

“ You…you could say that,” Sora replied and then burst out laughing. Keiji took a step backwards, not really wanting to be laughed at for his contrast of tough-reputation to his regular life.

“ No no …it's just…” Sora started, seeing him back away from her.

“ I suppose they did…” Keiji said, rather dejectedly, “ If you don't mind, you should turn back to where you came from. Without ID, you may not pass. And I'm not one for being made fun of.” There was a distinct note of anger in his voice.

“ I'm not laughing at you,” Sora explained quickly, “ I'm laughing at the idiots who said some mean things about you. And now, I know that it's not true.”

“ Oh…I see. Like what exactly?”

“ Like you were a little fat bald man trying to get with hot women all the time. Like hell that's true! I'm going to boil them in jet fuel when I see them next!”

“ Well I have a head full of hair, and I am rather slim, although I cannot deny my attraction for women.”

Sora laughed. “ I can definitely see that.” She looked at her watch. “ Oh dammit. Sorry Keiji but I have to run and find this damn part otherwise I'm going to be late.”

“ Yes, time is getting away,” he said as he smiled. “ Maybe you should retrieve your ID.”

“ Can I get through just this once? I always fly through here,” Sora pleaded, looking at him with her big golden eyes.

Keiji stood fast. “ I'm afraid I can't let you pass. Not without an engine part, or a bribe. I shouldn't really even accept the bribe. Besides, I don't even know you. Why should I trust you when you might abuse your free-passage?”

“ I'm not trying to bribe you. I'm asking nicely,” Sora said as she crossed her arms. “ And like I'd do that. I have honour you know.”

“ I have no idea if you would. Please ma'am. Either you leave, you bribe me or you fight me. I have no desire to fight you.”

“ Please?”

“ But I suppose, maybe just this once, I could let you go through.”

“ THANK YOU!” Sora ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

“ But I have to escort you to wherever you are going!” Keiji called to Sora as she ran to Blaze.

“ Well hurry up then!” Sora shouted back and then hopped into Blaze. Keiji hopped into Amatu.

“ Upload your destination to Amatu,” Keiji said over the intercom.

Sora closed her eyes and synchronised with Blaze and sent the information of a wireless link.

“ Thank you,” Keiji said. It said Sora's destination was the main MechAnima factory in Seram.

“ Now, speed will be no problem for me,” Keiji said over the intercom.

“ Blaze is a more offensive MechAnima, so you'll have to go slow,” Sora replied.

“ No problem. I'm supposed to escort you, not dust you.”

Sora detected a hint of sarcasm.

“ May I ask why you are going to the factory? To upgrade your MechAnima?” Keiji asked.

" No, he doesn't need upgrading. He's too unique for that upgrading anyway. He needs special parts to upgrade and I have to build them myself. But we're going there to drop off that part we were looking for when you found us. They needed it right away and Blaze was the fastest Mech there."

“ Interesting. And you have no idea where the part is? Just searching blindly in the desert?” This was absurd – it seemed like a far-off shot.

The MechAnimas took off in a spray of sand and dust. Soon they were soaring the sky over the searing hot desert.

“ Well Mr Blaze here was yabbering on so much that he didn't realise that he had dropped it,” Sora explained.

Oh thanks, make ME look like a complete idiot , Blaze growled.

“ So… you have no idea where to find it?” Keiji inquired.

“ Nope!” she replied to Keiji. I can't believe you did that Blaze.

Oh yeah, like it was all MY fault , Blaze growled.

“ And you have NO idea where it might be Ms Avian?” Keiji asked.

“ For the last time, no. On our flight path most likely,” Sora replied exasperated.

“ Are we on the flight-path?”

“ Yes, we re-tracing it now.”

“ Good. How long will it be, before we reach the end?”

“ Five minutes or so. It should be around here somewhere…”

“ I do hope we find this part you need so dearly. If I may ask, what do you need it for? What purpose does it serve?”

“ I don't know. I'm just the deliverer.”

“ I'll take your word for it.”

Another few minutes with Blaze and Amatu looking over the desert for the missing part.

There it is , Blaze said suddenly to Sora.

“ Yep that's it,” Sora responded to Blaze and then said to Keiji, “ We've found it. We'll just go grab it.”

“ Great,” he replied, “ Now we can go to the Mech manufacturing factory.” He watched Blaze dived out of the sky and grappled up the part in his giant golden talons. As he watched this, Keiji couldn't help but feel extremely curious to what the object was exactly, but he crushed the feeling, knowing that curiosity couldn't do any good.

To be continued...